SWEET ‘JOJO RABBIT’ FINDS ITS BITE IN A SOUR TIME
Fans of New Zealand director/ actor Taika Waititi have had reason to be a little worried over the last couple of years.
The man who directed episodes of the cult Kiwi TV comedy series “Flight of the Conchords” and such gently satirical and hilarious films as “What We Do in the Shadows” and “Hunt for the Wilderpeople” wouldn’t seem to be the obvious candidate for a Marvel tentpole. But his 2017 “Thor: Ragnarok” ranks as one of the best (and intentionally funniest) of the franchise. Waititi partisans breathed a sigh of relief.
Then came word that Waititi’s next project would be “Jojo Rabbit,” a film set in Nazi Germany that’s less of a straight-up comedy with Waititi himself playing Hitler. Uh-oh. Was Waititi biting off more than he could chew here?
Once again, Waititi fans can comfortably exhale.
“Jojo Rabbit,” based very, very loosely on the Christine Leunens’ novel “Caging Skies,” is a sweet celebration of emotional growth and the realization that we don’t have to be chained to bad ideas inculcated since childhood.
Roman Griffin Davis (very good in his first role) is Jojo, a precocious preteen who, as the film opens, is an enthusiastic member of Hitler Youth. That’s despite being picked on by many of the others in the group — except for his portly pal Yorki (Archie Yates) — and having to deal with the disappearance of his father, who supposedly went off to war and hasn’t returned.
That leaves Jojo open to the charms of an imaginary friend, who just happens to be Hitler himself (Waititi). But Jojo’s world of rock-solid certainty is shaken when his mother, Rosie (Scarlett Johansson), is not quite who he believes her to be. She has been hiding a young Jewish girl, Elsa (Thomasin McKenzie), right under his nose. If the phrase had existed 80 years ago, “mind blown” might have escaped from Jojo’s lips.
Waititi manages to walk the fine line between fantasy and drama, humor and wartime horror without losing his balance. Even his version of Hitler, while far from a serious or accurate portrayal, never lapses into buffoonery or sketch-show caricature. (That Waititi is half-Polynesian Maori and half-Jewish makes him the
most unlikely Hitler ever.)
The film’s overall sensibility reflects more of the amusing whimsy of a Wes Anderson film — but with a darker edge — rather than the loud laughs of the typical Waititi work.
In fact, when Waititi goes for the most obvious comedic moments — such as with the doltish cameo characters of Captain Klezendorf (Sam Rockwell) and Fraulein Rahm (Rebel Wilson) — “Jojo Rabbit” is at its weakest.
The movie is at its best when focusing on Jojo as he begins to navigate a new path forged by his blossoming conscience and his deepening attraction to Elsa. Waititi’s ability to illuminate that awakening with a movie that makes its points — which the world may need more than ever — without becoming annoyingly heavy-handed is a minor miracle.
Once again, Waititi fans can rest easy.