JOJO RABBIT (2019) Reaction & Commentary - FIRST TIME WATCHING!
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- Опубліковано 15 січ 2022
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Hope you enjoy my first time watching Taika Waititi's JOJO RABBIT (2019) starring Roman Griffin Davis, Thomasin McKenzie, Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell and Taika Waititi.
I'm a 20-year veteran of the film and tv industry, working as an AD (an Assistant Director), so I hope my commentary reveals a little behind-the-scenes insider know-how.
Please watch the original content on Disney+.
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The very first time I saw Taika onscreen, he was credited as Taika Cohen. His Dad was Maori, his Mum was Jewish. He is of an age to have grown up in NZ with traditional British media that mocked the Nazis, never taking them seriously. When people with no sense of humour questioned the propriety of playing Hitler, he replied that he would have loved Hitler to know that he was being portrayed by a Polynesian Jew who was openly mocking him. I love Taika.
He did a priceless downfall meme about it.
I see this all as that beautiful ending joke in Hellsing Abridged episode 7 or 8:
- Holy shit dude!
- OH WHO THE FUCK AM I OFFENDING? THE NAZIS!?
Yeah, the movie is disrespectful. To Hitler. Fuck him. To anyone else it's hilarious at least, beautiful otherwise.
American Classics? you need a slap for that Neil. Bowie and the Beatles are English Royalty. The part with Scar's shoes always kills me. This is such a good film.
Just scrolled down to read the rest of the comments after I was incensed to instantly reply regarding "American classics". No thunder stolen I promise.
He needs to do penance for his blasphemy.
Blasphemy 🤬
Yes, was looking for the "British comment"! Also, The Beatles "grew up" in Germany (Hamburg) and Bowie lived in Berlin for 3 years (where he shared a flat with Iggy Pop). Both songs "Komm gib mir Deine Hand" and "Helden" were recorded in German by the Beatles/Bowie respectively and not "germanized" for the movie. "Heroes" is about two lovers separated by the Berlin Wall. I think both songs are a great choice to bracket the movie. You should check out "What We do in the Shadows"!
Was about to say the same about Bowie and the Beatles. Shocking how people still mistake these legendary artists as American.
My mother was born and raised in Nazi Germany. She was about JoJos age at the end of the war. And she had Jewish friends and a Jewish name mother, which means she basically has a Jewish name herself. She too, was part of the female equivalent of Hitler Youth, you didn't have options otherwise. My grandfather was conscripted and never came home - indeed we found the first picture we have ever seen of him just last week. Her family members were no fans of the Nazi regime.
Anyway, because her life mirrored JoJos so closely I must say that this movie hits like a wrecking ball. The final scene when the Americans arrive, in particular. My mother has always said that "the day the American tanks rolled into town was the happiest day of my life."
I've heard it said before "the first country the Nazis invaded was Germany." Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.
And I forgot about how great Sam Rockwell’s character was in this. His last act of sparing Jojo from the firing line is so touching
Also he turned up at the house with Scar Jo's bike so already knew she was dead and he wanted to protect JoJo. Also he and Alfie Allan were good germans who hated what Hitler and the Nazi Party had done to it.
The unspoken relationship between him and Alfie Allen's character is sad and sweet.
Sam Rockwell always brings so much to his characters, even minor ones
@@myoung7654It wasn't her bike!
@@migmit why else would he take it into the house.
@@myoung7654 So that it doesn't get stolen. Just look at the bikes! Rosie's even has a basket.
My grandfather was in the Dutch resistance as well. They got betrayed and he spent 3 years in a concentration camp as a "Nacht und Nebel" prisoner. Meaning that he was supposed to be worked to death in the stone quarry there. Towards the end of the war, the camp was evacuated and they were taken on a death march from the Elzas to Dachau, where they were finally liberated. He survived and he never held a grudge towards the German people after the war. I have so much respect for that man, and I doubt that I would've been able to do what he did.
Every time I think about the war, or see movie about it, I remind myself about what he used to say: the average German was either brainwashed, forced to fight, or got swept up in the wave of history; they were our neighbors and people like you or I. A wise lesson, from a very brave man.
So crazy. My Norwegian grandmother's family fought in the Norwegian resistance against the nazis. when my granny married my German grandfather some of her family refused to come to the wedding because my grandfathers father had been a nazi, who was forced to dig his own grave by the americans but they spared him when he showed them a photo of his kids, but he spent a year in a POW camp. Crazy to hear these stories.
My grandfather (dutch) was a chauffeur for the germans when they came over, but had 2 jewish couples hidden in his home ( why I have a few "aunts" and "uncles" that are not blood related at all). Sucky thing for him was that they used pictures of him in the german propaganda that was spread in the Netherlands and why he moved to America for 15 years with my grandma and 1 year old mother, a year after the war ended,, to family of the jewish people that stayed in his house during the war.
tbh, i cant even imagine how it must have felt to live in those type of times
Rosie's death is the great punch in the feels in this movie, but the subtle tragedy of what happens with Captain K and Freddie Finkel is just as heartbreaking, you can see they're wearing pink triangles the last time we see them together and then captain K is alone and has pretty much lost the will to live, as he's now alone, every time I re-watch the movie or watch a reaction it makes me more sad to think about it.
On a completely different note, What we do in the shadows is amazing, absolutely worth reacting to!
Very much the same for me. I love the relationship between those characters, hidden in plain sight.
Sam Rockwell was as great as he always is, but I really appreciated what Alfie Allen did with so few lines
Ah, I love this movie. Honestly anything Taiki Waititi touches is a 10/10. Hunt for the Wilderpeople is incredibly touching too
And Boy
The Pink triangle on Finkels uniform at the end 😢
The matching clothes makes a lot of sense, because they're probably homemade. Most clothes were at this time. So when mom bought fabric, everyone in the family got an outfit in that pattern.
It's not addressed in the movie, but in the book it explains that Inge died of influenza.
Stephen Merchant jokingly says that to prepare for this role he watched "Raiders of the Lost Ark".
I think the tonal shifts in this move accomplished something that's really, really difficult to do, which is to make Nazis and Nazi ideology both absurd and also high-stakes and seriously dangerous. I think most movies go for one or the other, which is much easier. It's easy to make Nazis silly OR dangerous. This one went for both and nailed it.
One of the things I find most clever about this film is how Taika kind of conditions you into enjoying ‘onscreen hitler’ at the beginning, just like Hitler himself did to condition children/people into believing their ideology.. Then he reminds you of the reality of the situation when Rosie and JoJo are in the square; looking at the victims that just ‘did what they could’. So clever.
Also, I’d just refer to this film as an anti war film.
What We Do In The Shadows is definitely worth checking out. Both the movie and series are hilarious!
This is why Taika Waititi is one of my writing heroes. I'm in awe of his talent. Taika said he couldn't think of a better screw you to Hitler than to have a man who's Jewish play him. This was the kid who played JoJo's first movie, too.
Taika is also a New Zealand Maori too!
Most of the actors who played the Nazis in “Hogan’s Heroes” were also Jewish. Werner Klemperer who play Colonel Klink only did the role on the condition that Klink be a portrayed as a fool who never succeeded.
Great reaction! Re: the constantly shifting tone: I feel like that's meant to reflect Jojo's own deeply unstable worldview, given that he's straddling the line between childhood and adolescence - right at a moment when the entire world is also teetering on the edge of total madness. So one moment he's able to fall back into the comforting lighthearted innocence of childhood, and then the next moment he's yanked jarringly forward into the messy realities of life. He's never quite sure how he should feel from moment to moment - and so neither are we. :)
This is a Mel Brooks-esque sendup, right up til the gut punch of Rosie's shoes.
It's brilliant that a film can be so hilarious throughout, and still convey the universal trauma of the war.
He takes normal life and makes a great film that breaks your heart as well as making you laugh. What we do in the Shadows, Boy and Hunt for the Wilderpeople..... all fantastic...you'll cry and laugh
I wish more people would react to BOY. I hear some say the humour doesn’t translate well outside NZ but I know plenty who haven’t had a problem at all (myself included). I think it’s stunning, I’ve seen it so many times but it always feels fresh.
Aussie here. "Boy" made me laugh like a loon when it first came out. Classic.
"What we do in the shadows" is just pure film gold. And "Hunt for the wilderpeople" is low-key a masterpiece.
Love Taika. As such, I was as comfortable (as one could be) watching this in the cinema knowing that I was in safe hands. Oh, but the sobbing sounds in that darkened theatre!...
I absolutely love this film. It took me by surprise, really. Seeing the war (and experiencing the heartbreak) through the eyes of an indoctrinated little German boy as he grows was very powerful. It doesn't glorify -- or even make light of -- the war. Rather, as you said, this movie explains how the brainwashed come to their senses by good parenting that creates empathy, open hearts and open minds. As a 10-year-old in 1945, Jojo had never known a Germany without Hitler and the German National Socialists. To see this kid meet someone else (a 17-year-old Jewish girl) who made him rethink what he had been taught is profound. Personally, I feel that it was the BEST PICTURE of the year. Parasite was good. However, this film (along with 1917) made me think for a very long time after first viewing.
Firstly --- SLAP -- ( American classics - Bowie and the Beatles ).
A great movie and one that hopefully appealed to lots of people that would not necessarily pay any attention to a war based story. The mix of reality and slapstick works well for me. I think each side makes the other more poignant.
The idea of seeing how propaganda worked on the kids is great because it seems more realistic that a child might think such bizarre things ( Jewish people flying etc ), but the truth is the propaganda worked on adults as well ( it just seems like it shouldn't ).
Bowie and Beatles? retract half a slap! 😆 🙈
@@museborn7703 why should they retract half a slap? Bowie and the Beatles are British music legends
@@NeuroticNicky87 Exactly. Didn't it even have a name? The British Invasion? It was because British artists were dominating the world with their music from 1960s-1980s.
The butterfly and shoe reveal broke me for days.
You might enjoy Taika Waititi's 2007 comedy movie "Eagle vs Shark". The tagline for the movie was "Finding love was never so...awkward".
This film is a masterpiece. Great reaction! Thank you so much.
Thank you too!
I finally realize why Klenzendorf said "Stay home, Jojo" after the Gestapo visit. I think he saw where Rosie was and didn't want Jojo to see it too.
Beatles & Bowie - "American classics"?
One of my favourite films of all time! Complete rollercoaster of emotions……..but American classics???????
I loved this film, I almost, because of the subject matter, didn't watch it but so glad I did. He got the tone of such topic just right, as like you said, he was on a razor's edge because it was such a traumatic time in history. It made me laugh, it made me cry and it made me angry, but most of all grateful that they did not win.
oh yeah, the "American classics" by the very American artists The Beatles and David Bowie :p
This movie is amazing, such a dark theme told in such a weird way. Captain K knew about his mother as he brought her bike when the Gestapo was visiting. There are so many little hints in this movie it's a masterpiece.
This film is simply brilliant. It moves effortlessly from Python-esque silliness to Anne Frank dread and back again - the scene where the gestapo agents are in the house and interacting with "inga" is a prime example.
The reason for the tone shifting a lot is because we have to remember this is from a perspective of a kid. And I actually love that it sometimes feels somewhat light (child-like perspective of a kid - because he is still "playful") yet at the same time serious (a kid having to experience traumas and learning to think maturely towards the end). Yeah, it's hard to grasp the seriousness of what's happening around when you're a child, hence the tone. Well, at least that's how I feel. :D
Making you see Nazism as fun at the beginning is such a great move of the filmmakers. It gets you into the mind of a small boy in the Hitler Youth. Then, the horror creeps in.
One of the movies that one can see instantly a second time. First time one spend at least the first hour feeling it is random. Second time one can appreciate how cohesive it is from start to finish. The comedy does not really start from start to finish - nor does the serious topics. The second time we watch it we can see it from the get-go, informed that everything is filtered from the knee-high perspective of a ten year old boy. Great reaction by the way.
I think Taika walked the same path as Charlie Chaplin in the "Great Dictator"... and it's a tightrope they both walk beautifully.
Hitler was his imaginary friend. That is why his dialogue is like jojo's. It's what a 10 year old imagined what Hitler would have been like seen through the prism of the propaganda.
Taika Waititi s a genius! I love almost everything he has directed, produced, and acted in! A pure funny soul!
Benigni's multiple Oscar winning "Life Is Beautiful" (1998) is a great companion piece to this.
What We Do in the Shadows is definitely worth checking out. It is very funny. I’ve only seen the series though, but I am sure the film is great too.
The film is even better tbh and Taika is in it. And there are references to it in the series. Wellington Paranormal is also excellent.
A fantasitc movie. Very funny and also confronting. I had a very similar reaction as you with the cut from the butteryfly to his mother's shoes.
David Bowie is British
American classics Bowie and the Beatles 😂😂😂
BEATLES AND BOWIE? AMERICAN CLASSICS? Go stand in the corner and think about what you have done. ;-)
The Shoes scene broke me. This is a masterpiece and Waiki is a genius.
So glad you didn’t miss this movie! Incredible film! So glad Taika was discovered and has been able to make stuff for big audiences!
(His episode of the Mandalorian was the one that opened with the two troopers taking pot shots at a flower and missing about 15 times before they hit it, which was a self aware in-universe laugh at stormtrooper aim)
This made me feel so weird and often icky until I saw Elsa in the wall and realised Jojo's mother was helping the Jews, and I could relax and enjoy the rest of the movie. Watching dark comedies, especially the fantastic movie Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang and its horrific ending, prepared me for the in and out tonal shift of comedy, whimsey, and true tragedy and horror in JoJo Rabbit. I'm glad you spent the opening of the movie with your jaw dropped, because I did too.
I'm glad this won an Oscar, because it tackled a tough subject from waaaaaay outside the box, while keeping its heart and integrity.
Edit: Yes, walking the Razors' Edge, exactly.
The word you're looking for is _Dramedy._ 😁
I left the cinema thinking the film was not one thing or another. Only after watching it for a second time did I appreciate it was "just right"
Incredibly thoughtful analysis. Thank you.
Oh yes! This was the last movie I watched on the cinema in March 2020. And I'm watching it Today as well. After the first 10 minutes my thoughts were "This is actually a really good movie!".
I really liked how the main focus was on the normal people that had to survive in the terrible environment. Or those who didn't knew any better
Okay... had to constraint myself for a few hours regarding the "American Classics" remark. But it seems it's been pointed out a few times already, so I'll refrain from slapping you :-)
About those classics:
The Beatles stayed and performed in Hamburg for about six months very early in their pre-hits career. Back then it wasn't too uncommon to re-record a hit song in German. They eventually prepared a few songs for the German market, but ended up (reluctantly ) recording only two: I want to hold your hand / She loves you.
As for Bowie: there is a period in his career which is widely referred to as The Berlin Years. From 1976 to 1979 Bowie spend a large part of three years living in Berlin, meanwhile recording some of his best work there. Three albums: Low, Heroes and Lodger. It wasn't that strange Bowie would record the song Heroes in German as well, as it tells the story of a German couple who are so determined to be together despite the political climate of the day that was preventing them and, in that desperation, they meet every day at the Berlin Wall in the shadows of a gunner's post.
YES. I've been waiting for this for so long!
These what classics sung in German??? lol. Beatles and Bowie, very American. Great reaction and brilliant commentary. I really do love this film. Its wonderful.
Definitely check out What We Do In The Shadows!
Loved your reaction! Subscribed!
Awesome! Thank you!
You must watch What We Do in the Shadows. Start with the film, then watch the series. Matt Berry is amazing in the series.
Did you realise afterwards that captain K came rushing over on Jojo's moms bike because he already knew his mom was dead and came to help Jojo?
Not Rosie's bike. She had a girls bike. The bike Capt. K had was a boys bike.
Such a fantastic movie and really moving at times too.
Oh yeah...
Definitely check out What We Do in the Shadows
Both versions.
You will not be disappointed.
Glad you liked the movie. It is just fantastic and now that you mentioned Wes Anderson, I can see that. Please please watch What We Do In The Shadows. Two other actors from Flight of the Concordes are in the movie too.
Not long after I Want To Hold Your Hand came out, The German version was also released. It was played on the radio as much as the English version.
Loved this movie. Michael Giacchino made the soundtrack. Great Reaction.
Please react to What We Do In The Shadows Movie. It is excellent
The German version of "Heroes" was sung by Bowie, himself.
I believe "Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand" is sung by Lennon and McCartney in German as well. Incidentally, neither the Beatles or Bowie were American, which makes the "American classics" comment a bit perplexing.
great movie. great reaction
Hunt for the Wilderpeople....we had to buy the DVD so we always have it
This is a comedy, but it's also demonstrates how you normalise the absurd, by starting young and raising them in cognitive dissonance to the point they can't discriminate good from evil, right from wrong and it becomes interchangeable....
Never before have I listened to an entire discussion after a reaction to this film Your take on it is spot on. Not once did I disagree
You should check out Taiki's five-minute animation for the Humane Society called 'Ralph' half the title of this film directly relates to it in a very dark way.
Taika Waititi is really some of my favorite directors.
I really recommend Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Boy, Eagle vs Shark and What We Do in the Shadows to you.
So great mix of drama and comedy.
By far my favorite of his hands down.
U gotta watch *boy* by T.W.
New Zealand classic
In the book his sister died of juvenile diabetes, but others say she died of influenza for some reason. Maybe 'cause the book was different than the movie
It's based on a book, but the book is (from what I've read) tonally VERY different.
People always seem to think ScarJo is having a mental breakdown when she does the roleplay of Jojo's father. She's performing for her son, the father character admitting to his wife that he overreacted to his son's remarks. It's just a great way this "single mother" is relating to her son's need for his father...
The Gestapo showed up at the house to search for evidence of Rosie's subversive activities, and Captain K is there to make sure that the kids are safe. As a closet homosexual, he had a reason to ensure the safety of all Resistance collaborators.
This movie is so re-watchable.
Your observation about Taika's performance as Hitler is dead on (and also the point, really) -- he switches on "serious Hitler" but he is ultimately a clown. It's a warning to the audience -- we must not allow ourselves to be whipped into a frenzy by impressive clowns spouting nonsense.
one of the best movies
I love that the tone and colour of the film changes as Jojo starts to realise the war is not a good thing. It goes from bright and fun to dull and serious.
American Classics!!!!!!!! Wars have started for less. Beatles & Bowie are British and don't forget it 🤣
I deserve it. Completely. And the crazy thing is I know this, of course I do, (and I'm not even American!), it was just a knee-jerk, non-German adjective. I'm hanging my head in embarrassment and shame. :D
Magnificent film. Should be statutory to watch this brilliance.
My favourite bit of subtext in this is the cigarettes. The real life Hitler famously abhorred smoking, and so JoJo’s imaginary friend version of Hitler being a smoker is a nod to Hitler Youth being brainwashed to see a very distorted view of him. If they knew what Hitler was really like, most probably would have told him to fuck off too, like JoJo did at the end.
You absolutely need to check out What We Do In The Shadows. The original NZ film with Takia is great, but the still-running TV series is even better (and filmed in Toronto I believe!).
25:11 is that Stephen Merchant’s character with the helmet and rifle in the back of that shot? Nice little Easter egg
I gave you both a Like and a subscription mate.
The theme I keep coming back to is that we can ridicule the idiocy of some people's warped ideology, but we can't dismiss the very real danger that they pose to society. Everyone laughs at all the 'heils' with the Gestapo because they're so ludicrous, but as soon as we see them greet Elsa...
By making it absurd it takes all it's power away. Mel Brooks spoke up for Taiki and how to take hitlers power from him by making him absurd.
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri is another great movie that shows Sam Rockwell’s incredible skills.
Looking at capitan K at the end with his crazy outfit if you look closely you see a pink triangle. Something the nazi's put on gay men, before killing them in camps with the other "undesirables" subtle Easter egg for those who knew, both respectful and horrific if you know, Made me appreciate the character more you know.. Despite the guy being a nazi.
Weird, i literally just watched this movie last night! Thought it was great
"American classics". Well done with that one. 😂
We've come a long way from "Hogan's Heroes".
"Springtime for Hitler' was a big shock/risk when it happened.
I tried to enjoy the positive qualities, but, as all those of a certain age, I was born into the aftermath of WW2 and I first saw pictures of the stacked bodies in the camps as a kid in the '50s. For 60+ years I wouldn't turn my eyes away. When I finally saw "Son of Saul" I decided I've done my duty to observe history and I'm done with nazis and all of the things they taught us about ourselves. Soon even those who knew someone who fought the nazis will be gone and I feel this film, this type of take, is for those who are farther away in time from it and the buffer of history removes the 'personal'.
What he's accidentally done there is made one of the best movies about WW2, which is kinda weird. I love Sam Rockwell, I'll never forget him in Three Billboards, for that one I'm down for anything he's in.
He is associated with an absolutely great series Reservation Dogs on Netflix too♥
14:15 Huh? Unhinged? Mom's doing a great performance. You can't do that if you're "unhinged".
19:56 No. Merchant is freakishly tall, but not THAT freakishly. He was standing on a box.
23:00 The shoe scene
As with other comments, hunt for the wilderpeople was really good and so was what we do in the shadows
His other one i really like is hunt for the wilderpeople. Then his supernatural police series.
Nice reaction and thoughtful analysis. Taika Waititi’s films tend to deal with serious subjects with humor. You should check out Hunt for the Wilderpeople and Boy. The latter rivaling Jojo Rabbit for his best work imo.
I really liked your observations about how Taika is able to rob all those symbolism loaded nazi elements like the Heils and the Hitlerjugen camps of their power. A single Heil makes everybody stop in their tracks and gasps. 15 Heils in rapid succession lets everybody doingt it look like a clown.
What's great about this is the source material is a really dark story
His best movie,other than this one is, What we do in the Shadows. …the movie. It is a great work. They did it on a shoe string budget in order to do it how they wanted. Watch What we do in the Shadows…not the series.
Please watch 'What We DoIn The Shadows'. Awesome movie.
She called him kid because that what his dad would call him.
Col K knew she was dead, thats why he arrives at Jojo's house out of breath and riding Jojo's mother' bike, he was trying to get there first.
K has his own motives being closeted gay and heavily hinted to be in a relationship with Finkle.
It wasn’t Rosie’s bike. Her’s had a basket.
The Beatles
David Bowie
"American Classics"
Prior to watching this movie you should have watched "Europa Europa" and "The Tin Drum". The war from the perspective of a child in Nazi Germany. You appreciation for this film would be much greater.