Good Boys a great tale
Good Boys (R13, 90 mins) Directed by Gene Stupnitsky Reviewed by Graeme Tuckett ★★★1⁄2
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. There’s a loose trio of teenage boys. They’re nervous around girls, but obsessed with the idea of sex and romance. They know of a party coming up soon, where the object of one boy’s – ahem – affections will be. The boys form a plan to learn more about ‘‘kissing and stuff’’ to prepare for the party. Sounds pretty dire, no? And much like a film you’ve seen at least a dozen times already.
But, Good Boys, possibly because I walked in expecting it to be as much fun as filling out a tax return while getting a root canal, actually turns out to be a smarterthan-average, nicely calibrated and more-or-less modern take on the hoary old genre. It is a likeable movie. As the three leads, Jacob Tremblay (Room), Keith L Williams (Cora) and Brady Noon (Boardwalk Empire) sketch in a believable trio, with a Stand By Meesque chemistry spiked and studded with some inventively and occasionally hilarious profanity. There is no nudity or notable violence in Good Boys. That R13 rating is earned by dialogue alone.
Young Max’s quest to kiss classmate Brixley is played a lot less creepy than the genre once accepted, with the boys talking with each other about the importance of consent and respect.
The genius of Gene Stupnitsky’s script is that he makes this storyline work at all in the 21st century, without once sounding forced or hypocritical.
A bit of physical comedy involving a borrowed drone and drug deal gone wrong is deftly assembled and takes care of the film’s opening act in modestly inventive style and a bring-thehouse-down musical number brings the film to an end in style.
Good Boys is a funnier and more thoughtful film than I was expecting. It’s kind of a shame the 12-year-olds who would get the most from it, aren’t allowed in the door.