Jojo Rabbit

Now for the most awkward comedy of the year.

Taika Waititi follows up Thor: Ragnarok with his take on Christine Leunen's novel Caging Skies, called Jojo Rabbit. It's a silly comedy set in an unfunny time. At least, it's silly until it's not. Let's see why.

Johannes Betzler (Roman Griffin Davis) is an aspiring Hitler Youth living with his mother, Rosie (Scarlett Johansson). His imaginary friend is the Fuhrer himself (Waititi), who he envisions as an enthusiastic manchild. Johannes goes with his real friend, Yorki (Archie Yates), to training camp, supervised by Captain Klezendorf (Sam Rockwell). There, the other boys brand him "Jojo Rabbit" after he refuses to kill a rabbit. A grenade mishap ends Jojo's time at training camp. Afterwards, Rosie gets Klezendorf to hire Jojo as a menial worker.

Jojo finds an unexpected guest at home - a Jewish girl named Elsa (Thomasin McKenzie). Furthermore, Rosie, as part of the German Resistance, hid her. If Jojo rats Elsa out, Rosie will surely hang. So Jojo uses the situation to learn about Jewish culture. He soon realizes that Adolf and the Nazi way are bad influences. He and Elsa have to avoid detection some how.

A lot to take in, isn't it?

It starts as a goofy comedy which mocks Hitler's cult-of-personality. The drills Jojo and his peers are put through are played as absurd war games. It gradually gets more serious when Elsa is introduced. Her introduction even plays out like a horror movie - which is surprisingly apt for one of Jojo's worldview. There's a few more goofy moments, but not that much, especially after a tragic discovery. A surprise visit from the Gestapo is appropriately terrifying. Jojo's former peers resisting the Allies in the climax is tragically absurd. But Jojo finally rejecting the Nazi way is awesome and funny.

Davis makes a great lead as Jojo. Sure, he's an aspiring Nazi, but he's clearly misguided. The whole movie is him learning a lesson some adults clearly haven't. It's amazing to see Jojo become "rabbit the survivor," instead of "rabbit the coward." McKenzie as Elsa makes a great surrogate sister for Jojo, complete with bickering and reconciliation. Johansson and Rockwell are strong supporting players here. Rebel Wilson is a surprising choice as Klezendorf's assistant Frau Rahm, but she was funny.

And finally, there's Waititi as Adolf himself. He's introduced as a goofy father figure for Jojo. He's useless at the sight of blood, but he shows Jojo the upside of being a "rabbit." Adolf goes from a goofy madman to a monstrous madman as he beckons Jojo to fulfill his duty. It's a great parallel to Jojo's character arc as he realizes the severity of the Nazi way. Again, Jojo's rejection of Adolf is sure to bring some applause.

There's plenty of technical highlights here. Production Designer Ra Vincent creates some alluring locales from Jojo's house to the training camp to Jojo's unnamed town (before and after an Allied Air Raid). Cinematographer Mihai Malaimare Jr. provides some stunning scenery of the Czech Republic, which stands in for Germany. Editor Tom Eagles and Composer Michael Giacchino collaborate the best when Jojo discovers Elsa and during the film's tragic swerve. The soundtrack adds to the goofiness with some German-translated Rock Songs.

Jojo Rabbit isn't a film for everyone. Some might find the Nazi mockery distasteful. Others may find it empty-headed. For me, it's a good story about a boy growing up. His rejection of a toxic influence shows how much he's changed. The story ends well even if everyone doesn't make it. It's worth a watch. There's more depth than you might imagine.