Just wondering what anyone who has seen it thought of it. I was quite taken by the audacity of the subject matter, and with most of the performances (leads Roman Griffin Davis and Thomasin McKenzie, and supporting roles by director Taika Waititi, Scarlett Johannson and Sam Rockwell, were particular standouts). I understand that it has come in for some criticism for (I guess) treating the Nazi horrors too flippantly, but for me the wild changes in tone had a point and actually caused the more tragic elements to resonate more strongly.
Bottom line: maybe a bit obvious plot-wise, but loved the acting and found it one of the more interesting mainstream films of recent years.
Split reviews in my house. I liked it and Waititi held up his Hitler as a complete buffoon suitable for ridicule. I liked Rockwell’s portrayal of the Colonel.
My wife was offended by the whole thing. While we are both Jewish, my wife is from a family of survivors with both her grandparents fighting in the French Resistance after escaping Poland while many of their siblings died. Almost everyone in my family was in Canada by 1930, so I didn’t grow up with the same emotional connection to the Holocaust.
I liked it quite a lot. But I saw it by myself, and afterwards when I was trying to describe the premise of what I had just watched I could see my wife was looking somewhat dubious …
I agree that the tonal shifts worked. The banality and silliness of the youth camp, along with the “Beatlemania” montage of Hitler’s popularity really struck a chord, especially with how that was digested by the brain of a ten year old. It reminded me that if all you’re interested in is the “form” (rather than underlying principles of decency, etc.) of patriotism and loyalty they can easily be used for both evil and good. And it worked well as the main character progressed from being consumed by the propaganda to making his own determinations.
I think it was refreshing to see something so completely run with the idea that evil doesn’t come conveniently packaged in dark cloaks and manic “mwahahaha” laughs.
I loved it and saw it for the second time last night. The kid actor who played Yogi also gave a stand-out performance. His portrayal was quite subtle so I think he may go under-appreciated. I like him the first time I saw it, but only on the second viewing I realized that he was the epitomy of “grit” and optimism and perhaps the embodiment of the Rilke quote that they displayed at the end of the movie. Throughout everything he’d been through (which was mostly off camera, but they clearly indicated he was fighting as a soldier) and ending up with a wound on his back that he never mentioned, his sole complaint was “I’m going home to see my mum. I need a cuddle.”
So charming. All the kids were.
I think the timing of the film’s release is also good: it’s a nice reminder to us not to let that happen again (particularly us Americans, dealing with an unpleasant increase of racism and fascism).
You may already know this, but apparently the director is Jewish as well. I could see how people with a direct connection to Holocaust victims could find parts of the film offensive, but I feel the subject is less the Holocaust per se but more the naivete of people who choose fealty to a charismatic leader without thinking things through.
Me, when I’m surely consigned to Hell it will be in part for LOLing over non-sequiters like:
I saw Jojo a while ago and Benigni’s LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL was exactly the first film that came to mind as a point of comparison. For me, that’s not such a good thing but there are those who love that film so YMMV.
I love Taika’s other features and while this is unquestionably the most ambitious, I find it the least successful and most muddled. The best part of it is his portrayal of “Hitler” (not the man, just the icon in Jojo’s imagination). I’d say the most promising moment was the Beatles over the opening credits, drawing a wry comparison between the Fab Four and the cult of personality that was part of Adolf’s appeal. But that was as subversive as the film really gets.
I guess my biggest surprise was how safe he plays it. It’s a subject for some truly biting satire, but the hits are broad and obvious, and nowhere near as risky as I’d hoped (or nearly as funny as it needs to be as a counterweight). Given that we live in the shadow of rising fascism across the globe, the last thing I wanted was something warm & fuzzy but ultimately, that is how I’d characterize the film.