‘Jojo Rabbit’ Movie Review Roundup: Wonderful Film On Difficult Subject

Writer and director Taika Waititi, brings his signature style of humor and pathos to his latest film, Jojo Rabbit, a World War II satire that follows a lonely German boy JoJo (Roman Griffin Davis) whose world view is turned upside down when he discovers his single mother, (Scarlett Johansson), is hiding a young Jewish girl, (Thomasin McKenzie), in their attic. Aided only by his idiotic imaginary friend, Adolf Hitler (Taika Waititi), Jojo must confront his blind nationalism.

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The movie is set to release on Friday, October 18. Thus far, it has scored 80 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

‘JOJO RABBIT’ REVIEW ROUNDUP

“Jojo Rabbit is gently comic for a while, and then surprisingly affecting at the end, so perhaps it’s not fair to wish that Waititi had opted to deal more directly with the horrors of the Third Reich. We are, after all, living in a time when fascism is again a growing threat.”

“Not what he was going for, though — he’s content to sidestep the atrocities, concentrate on the indoctrination of children, and let his young hero — and by proxy, the audience — learn life lessons that get tied up, like a child’s shoelace, with a neat little bow.”

– Bob Mondello, NPR

“Jojo Rabbit” succeeds even with a high degree of difficulty, given the sensitivities of the subject matter, the emotional undercurrent of a mother’s devotion to her son and the breaking down of artificial walls to let love in. As much as it makes you laugh, Waititi’s must-watch effort is a warm hug of a movie that just so happens to have a lot of important things to say.”

– Brian Truitt, USA Today

“You’ll laugh, you’ll cry — sometimes at the same time. But love or hate Jojo Rabbit, it’s damn near impossible to shake. Injecting monkeyshines into Nazi horrors sure didn’t hurt Mel Brooks’ The Producers or, for that matter, Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds”

“It’s a modest goal. But it’s in the small moments that Jojo Rabbit achieves its greatest impact. Waititi’s faith in the notion that a child will lead us out of ignorance may be naïve. It’s also deeply affecting.”

– Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

“The joke that underlies much of the film – Nazis are dolts, and isn’t it fun to watch as their world crumbles around them and they lose the war? – feels in danger of running out of steam for some of the film. But there’s real heart in “Jojo Rabbit,” too. This is a dark satire that finds a way to make a case for understanding. As circumstances slowly chip away at Jojo’s hate-driven worldview, the black comedy finds room for some genuinely touching moments.”

– Steve Pond, TheWrap

“Jojo Rabbit may remind you of Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel, another comedy in which clownish forces of fascism square off against love, humor and elegance — both movies feel like they come from the same universe, down to Waititi’s keen ear for a well-deployed pop tune. Jojo Rabbit isn’t perfect; sometimes it strains to reconcile Waititi’s more relaxed beats with his visual fussiness. But he’s legitimately breaking new ground. It will find an audience that gets it.”

– Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out

Watch the Jojo Rabbit official trailer below.