Jojo Rabbit

The idea is original, where both the little clumsy Nazi and the heroic Nazi commander find a place in the viewer’s heart. The surprisingly playful atmosphere portrays the last days of the thousand-year Reich and also showcases the unusual characters, where the quirky, spirited and very sweet mother played by Scarlett Johansson stands out in front. I still felt such a cozy closeness from the movie, until I found out it was set in the Czech Republic (my home country). (23/03/2023)

This is my third encounter with director and actor Taika Waititi after What We Do in the Shadows and Thor: Ragnarok. He has a truly distinctive and unmissable style, in both good and bad sense, and fortunately, in the case of Jojo the Rabbit, the pros far outweigh the cons. I won't nitpick the fact that the film is predominantly in English, with German featuring only in notoriously familiar phrases. From the trailer, it was obvious that this was going to be a black comedy that wouldn't pull any punches, and it delivered. It is true there are a few moments where the black humour was a bit out of place, but in most cases it managed to create the desired effect. From an acting point of view, I have almost nothing to criticise. Everyone played their roles convincingly, perhaps only Hitler was a little too affected at times. If you accept the director's distinctive humour and conception of history, you will have no problem enjoying a film full of problematic shoelaces, horned Jews, German shepherds, metal pickers and many other bizarre elements and ideas that you will not see together anywhere else. A bonus was a German cover of David Bowie's “Heroes”. (23/01/2020)

I appreciate some of the scenes filled with funny gags (all with Sam Rockwell and Stephen Merchant), but the story as a whole left me cold. Taika Waititi has style and a lot of humour, but on a dramatic level, he hasn’t convinced me so far. On the other hand, to write a role for Rebel Wilson in a way that her unbearableness benefits the story and adds humour to the movie requires some mastery. One final note: although I can listen to "Heroes" by David Bowie anytime and anywhere, using this song for key scenes of any film after the relatively recent movies The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Horns seems totally cliché to me. (24/05/2020)

So much of a different movie than I'm used to seeing in the cinema that it made my head spin a little. However, that uniqueness is at the same time so likable that I forgive the over-the-top humor in the scenes where it wasn't particularly necessary. Just a moment later, a nearly brilliantly timed gag might come, or Taika Waititi might unexpectedly deliver a punch below the belt, for which a viewer in the right emotional state will still thank him. (06/02/2020)

Taika Waititi has made his best film and his style is very close to Tarantino's. A very original war satire with a strong story, tasteful humour, engaging dialogue, great performances (Scarlett Johansson deserves an Oscar, but I also like Sam Rockwell, Taika Waititi as Hitler and the small and clever Roman Griffin Davis). The biggest highlights are the training of the young Nazis, the visit to the Gestapo and the finale. The film manages to surprise several times, keeps a decent pace and the humour is occasionally replaced by a cold shower. 8/10. (05/01/2020)