Jojo Rabbit: the Silliest Serious Movie
By Tejas Raghuram
A Film Review of Jojo Rabbit directed by Taiki Waititi
Jojo Rabbit (2019) was directed by Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok, Hunt for the Wilderpeople) and stars Roman Griffin Davis, Scarlett Johansson, Thomasin McKenzie and Waititi himself. The film is a satire set in World War 2 Nazi Germany, and follows a young boy named Jojo (Davis) as he must confront his Nazi fanaticism, embodied by his imaginary friend Hitler (Waititi), when he finds out his mother Rosie (Johansson) is hiding a Jewish girl named Elsa (McKenzie) in their house.
Right from the opening minutes of the movie you know what you’re getting into: a very silly movie about a very not silly subject. Waititi walks a fine line here, playing Jojo’s antics at Hitler Youth training camp for laughs while still respecting the fact that what the Nazis did was most definitely not funny. While Waititi’s typical offbeat and quirky humor shines throughout the movie, delivering many laugh out loud moments, the film knows when it needs to get serious. Many times throughout the film there are drastic tonal shifts, taking the film from absurd and crazy to emotional and heartbreaking within the same shot.
However these tonal transitions are only believable because of the incredible performances across the board from the cast. Roman Griffin Davis as Jojo delivers one of the best performances I have ever seen from a child actor, up there with the likes of Dafne Keen in Logan and Haley Joel Osment in The Sixth Sense. He is able to deliver all of his comedic lines with ease, holding his own with the rest of the cast, while also selling the dramatic moments really well. My favorite part of his performance is the way he grapples with Elsa, the Jewish girl that Jojo finds hiding in his attic. Jojo’s conflict over what to do with her is amazingly well realized by Davis. The way he conveys his initial fear of her to his eventual friendship with her makes the film quite charming, and gives the story some much needed emotional stakes.
Speaking of, the rest of the cast is phenomenal as well. Scarlett Johansson easily proves her worth as the highest paid actress in the world, delivering a great performance here. While a lot of this can be attributed to the fact that she is given so much to work with, her interactions with Jojo and also with Elsa are delightful to watch, thanks in large part to Johansson’s work. The other standout for me was Thomasin McKenzie as Elsa. McKenzie’s performance is amazing, conveying the pain that someone who has gone through the Holocaust would feel, while also selling her comedic scenes with Jojo very well. While her character is a bit shallow, as her Jewish identity serves purely as a foil for Jojo here, that is no fault of McKenzie’s, who makes the most of what she is given.
The one character I had a slight problem with was Waititi’s portrayal of imaginary Hitler. While Waititi is very funny, towards the end of the film he seems completely out of his element, unable to convincingly deliver the serious lines. In addition, the script seems to realize this, and very quickly gets rid of him, literally kicking him out of a window.
Also, I want to shout out the scene stealing Archie Yates, who plays Jojo’s non-imaginary, very real friend Yorki. His friendship with Jojo is perhaps the most wholesome thing I have seen all year, and he steals pretty much every scene he is in with his incredible comedic timing and line delivery. The rest of the supporting cast does good work as well, with Sam Rockwell playing Captain Klenzendorf, Jojo’s jaded mentor at Hitler Youth camp, Rebel Wilson playing the definitely not unhinged Fraulein Rahm, and Stephen Merchant playing the scary Gestapo man, Captain Deertz.
Overall, Jojo Rabbit is most definitely an anti-hate satire that is both funny and emotional at the same time, balancing the tonal shifts perfectly. The movie is at its best when it is funny, carried by Waititi’s snappy comedic dialogue and stellar performances from the cast. However at the same time it is respectful of its subject matter, and knows when it needs to be serious. For those who might be turned off by the fact that this is a comedy about Nazis, don’t worry, the film takes a very anti-war stance, showing how war makes people do terrible things on both sides. Jojo Rabbit is an incredible film that is a very entertaining watch, and definitely worth a trip to the theater.