I am amazed at Jojo, the young actor was perfect! What other movies have amazing performances by kids/young teenagers? If you want to support me here's how: Patreon (full length & polls): www.patreon.com/ Subscribe to the channel: ua-cam.com/users/verowakreacts Follow me on Twitter for stuff and selfies: twitter.com/verowak Become a channel member: ua-cam.com/users/verowakreactsjoin
----- - Great reaction... In connection to this movie, I would highly recommend the movie 'The Book Thief' from 2013. One of my favorite movies... -----
Among the best performances by children is the classic "To Kill a Mockingbird." A superb movie all around, as is the book (though the sequel book is awful).
Little Miss Sunshine is an amazing movie with Abigail Breslin, and shares the mum with The Sixth Sense in Toni Collette. Amazing cast in general Alan Arkin, Paul Dano, Steve Carell...
In my opinion, Taika Watiti played Hitler just right. He wasn't trying to act AS Hitler, but as a 10 year old boy perceived Hitler. Which, at the beginning, is as an equally immature little kid who is JoJo's goofy best friend. JoJo didn't SEE any malevolence in Hitler, so his imaginary Hitler had none. AT FIRST. But with each succeeding appearance, as JoJo gains more understanding of the brainwashing he's been subject to, Watiti's potrayal becomes increasingly sinister and controlling. Culminating in his final "while living" appearance where he yells at JoJo and tells him " And it is up to you to decide if you want to be remembered, or disappear without a trace, like a pitiful grain of sand into a desert of insignificance. " And while doing so, Waititi for the first time incorporates Hitler's REAL mannerisms, particularly his arm movements, which is well documented in newsreel footage. It's because AT LAST, Jojo sees Hitler for who he really is.
On that note, there’s several inconsistencies between imaginary Hitler and real Hitler, illustrating how Jojo doesn’t have a real clue. Cigarettes, meat, etc.
For me, one of the best Movies in the last 10 years. To handle such a dark topic and manage to show the absurdity in a funny way by showing it from a kids point of view is genius.
Its not a translated version of the Beatles. It IS the Beatles. If you didn't know,the Beatles actually got their start as gigging musicians in Germany. They all spoke quite a bit of german and released this single for their german/Austrian fanbase.
Not quite their start -- they'd done a brief Scottish tour before that -- but they were basically bottom tier in the Liverpool rock scene before they went to Hamburg and came back as the best band in the city, or arguably the whole country.
And part of the reason for using The Beatles song, along with the real footage of people reacting to Hitler like they did The Beatles, is to show how cultish Hitler’s following was at the time.
This is especially funny that "Hitler" constantly offered Jojo a cigarette and ate the unicorn. Because real Hitler was a vegetarian and never smoked. It shows how bad Jojo knows his "best friend" even if he is a big fan of him.
I loved Taika’s performance. The showing of the ridiculousness of Hitler (and really all the Nazis in the movie) through a kid’s understanding and imagination was brilliant.
Taika Waititi is part Jewish himself and it was his mother, Robin Cohen who first told him that he should think about adapting Christine Leunens’ novel “Caging Skies” for the big screen, which then eventually turned out to be “Jojo Rabbit.” Scarlett Johansson has a Danish father and an American mother of Polish-Jewish ancestry and has dual Danish-American citizenships. The Polish-Jewish side of her family really suffered horribly during the war, while the Danish Jews never wore the yellow star identification mark and non of them went to the extermination camps, unlike in the rest of occupied Europe.
How can anyone not like Waititi in this film? I think he was brilliant as a comic relief and representation of JoJo's internal struggle. This movie would definitely not have worked strictly as a drama IMO. It would be a completely different movie amd that type of plot has been done several times already. I know that TW had a lot of lines that had historical context so if you aren't familiar with those things, the jokes would probably not land as well. In fact, i notice a lot of reactors miss a lot of the jokes in this film that require the historical knowledge of WW2 events. Glad you watched it either way. I bet you would like it better after a rewatch. It is one if those movies that have so many smalll details showing a well researched production, even for a comedy.
The great film maker Mel Brooks (Blazing Saddles) once said that one of the best ways to defeat Nazis was to mock and humiliate them with humor. This film does a great job of that without shying away from the horrors of the Holocaust. A great dark comedy can make laugh and gasp at the same time. Sam Rockwell is great in everything he does. He won his Oscar for "Three Billboards Outside Ebbings, Missouri". I highly recommend that film. I think this was Scarlet Johansen's best performance yet. As always, fun watching with you. :)
I, as a Czech, completely agree with Mel Brooks's statement. Any totalitarian regime is afraid of one thing - being ridiculed. The Reichsprotektor of Bohemia and Moravia, Reinhard Heydrich, allegedly called us the "laughing beasts" - he couldn't understand how we could be making fun of him and the Nazis even after he'd had so many of us murdered. We sure were laughing last - Heydrich ended up being the one and only high-ranking SS officer who was assassinated during the war, by the heroes Gabčík from Slovakia and Kubiš from Czechia. There's a Czech saying which translates roughly as: "There must be laughs, even if your father was being hanged."
The actor playing Jojo just killed it. It's fun to watch some of the behind the scenes videos to see him speak and hear the other actors just raving about him. He seems like a great little person.
@@VerowakReactsexactly. You see Taika Waititi, a Jewish Maori, playing Hitler, the jokes, fun little bits. Then, BAM, the shoes, and your heart is ripped out.
@nicholasbyrne6485 I was uncomfortable when the butterfly flutters into frame. I knew what time of year it was supposed to be: there are no butterflies alive in winter. They show some snow on the set, but a lot of people miss it. So I was expecting the shoe to drop. Still hits, though.
@@vampdan Don't forget the butterfly in the end of All Quiet On The Western Front. You see the butterfly, you see the hand reaching out, you hear the bullet, but you never see his face.
Captain K for me was the real hero. Navigating being gay in such an oppressive time and then deciding to display his magnificence and going out loud and proud on his own terms. All the while, covering for jojo's family.
The thing is, despite homophobic stereotypes, his character is a proper professional soldier. Defeat has revealed that he's fighting for madmen, but he can't surrender. The contradiction is tearing him up.
@warheadsnation oh yes, very much a professional soldier. I mean, you don't get to be captain level without doing what is expected of you, even missing an eye!
The Beatles actually recorded some of their earliest songs in German, for the German market. Apparently that was common to do back then. So that song is really sung by the Beatles, in German. And it gets a sinister tone, because the German lyrics for I wanna hold your hand, goes a little bit different. It goes "Give me your hand". And when we hear the song, during the opening credits, we see lots of Germans giving him their hand, in the German salute. Also, lots of German women really loved him, and got into a frenzy, very Beatlemania frenzy style, when they saw their beloved leader. That choice of song gets so weird, and appropriate.
Captain K is an interesting character and that moment the shoes come into view after them making sure to highlight them in every other scene she's in always shocks people :3
Captain K was more than likely a family friend of Jojo's mom and dad and therefore already knew Inga was dead. That's why he said Elsa looked like a ghost in the documents photo. He probably had an idea that Rosie was part of the Resistance and a reason he rushed over to her home to help when he found out the Gestapo was raiding it. He could also put two and two together that Elsa was Jewish and being harbored by Rosie. Sometimes the unsung heroes in tragic situations are hidden in plain sight.
@@crankfastle8138that’s because only the mother and sister knew Captain K and his lover Freddy. Jojo is too young to know or understand. Both his mom and sister was in the resistance, Captain k knew that and he bought back Rosie bike too.
I agree, that's why he did the ID check so he could (and did) cover any mistakes and why he looked worried when he thought the gestapo wanted to see it
Jojo's mother was already dead when the Gestapo turned up at the house; they turned up at the house after catching her leafleting and summarily executing her. Captain K witnessed it and grabbed the mum's bike to get to the home, knowing that the girl was hiding in the home which was about to be raided.
If you'd like to see the real acting talent of Thomasin McKenzie (who played Elsa in this movie) I'd highly recommend Leave No Trace where she is just brilliant.
The song in German that is played at the very end, where they dance - David Bowie's German version of "Heroes." "We can beat them, for ever and ever Oh we can be Heroes, just for one day."
Great reaction like always! Love this movie, the film is based on Leunens' 2004 novel Caging Skies, it's fair to say that Waititi took creative liberties when developing Jojo Rabbit. For instance, an imaginary Hitler does not make an appearance in the book. Waititi who ultimately went on to play Hitler, came up with the idea himself. Waititi said that he had no interest in accurately portraying Hitler, saying "Screw This Guy" One of my favourite scenes is when the Gestapo officers (led by Stephen Merchant) searching Jojo's home. However, the scene is also hilarious with the Gestapo doing little more than greeting one another with the "Heil Hitler" salute which is made 31 times in the scene. And in a interview Waititi told that he thought this would not only be a funny moment but also work to highlight how childish and silly the Nazi Party was. Seeing these grown men who claim to be members of a master race do their dumb greeting over and over just makes them look like a bunch of idiots. Along with being a movie about this period in time, Waititi also had a more intimate and personal influence on the film. He explained that the film is a love letter to single parents, like his own mother, who do all they can to protect their children. Keep up the good work.
All the kids were spot on. The soldiers in tan were Soviet. Scarlet Johansson should have won the supporting actress award. This movie did earn one academy award. I read one Jewish newspapers critique on this movie, and they gave it a glowing review.
This is a great movie. Full of great emotional beats and the messaging was nice. You can see Thomasin McKenzie in Edgar Wright's "Last Night in Soho" I liked Taika's Hitler because its just what a little boy would imagine him to be. So good.
I just watched your reaction to "The Princess Bride" and thought you might like to know about another movie made in 1985 that has very similar vibes. The Never Ending Story is about a boy that reads a book that is "Not Safe" and it changes his whole outlook on life. His recently widowed father tries to keep him on the right track of reality after his mother died, but the bullies at school are very real and the calling of the book is very strong. The vibes of The Princess Bride and The Never Ending Story are very similar and I'm sure you would enjoy it immensley. It will leave you very uplifted.
This is such a brilliant movie. I think Taika was fantastic as the psycho because you're seeing him through the eyes of an extremely indoctrinated kid, but you also see it change as that indoctrination breaks down. He's less and less of a friend throughout the movie and then as he's gorging on unicorn while Jo Jo goes hungry, you see Jo Jo look at him with real contempt. Cried my eyes out for Rosie and Capt K.
Random side note. German grenades were more concussion than shrapnel. Yes, the tin around the explosive could form shrapnel, but it was more or less insignificant because it was so thin. The explosion did the damage, hence why Jojo didn't get hurt too bad.
One of my favorite films. Absolutely love it. The cinematography yes. Every actor is at the top of their game in this. The kids are so amazing... The script is perfect. Still quote it to this day. (Especially the kids lol) The editing/pacing/choices/layers... Chef's kiss. So much heart. So much soul. So much truth. And every little detail, hilarious, dark, bittersweet. Even the use of Bowie's 'Heroes' at the triumphant end when they dance. It's a song that takes place by the Berlin Wall. The world can be an awful awful place... But we do what we can. :)
Jojo's mom said she never looked a tiger in the eye? That's not true for me, she looked the Nazi regime (tiger) in the eye trying to help people. Sam Rockwell movie list and The Way Way Back wasn't on the poll? For shame, lol. Such a star-studded cast and that's one of my favorite roles he has ever been in. It's a coming-of-age Comedy/Drama movie and needs so much more love. It probably still wouldn't win a poll, but man it's good.
JoJo's struggle to balance loyalty and to do what he believes is right was really captivating. Verowak you are an absolute gem 💎 and have captivated me with another great reaction my queen
I just watched your reaction to "The Princess Bride" and enjoyed your reaction immensley. A similar movie that was made 3 years before The Princess Bride was "The Never Ending Story". Like The Princess Bride, it's about a boy reading a fairy tale book and getting so caught up in it that it changes his life, much to the chagrin of his recently widowed father, who tries to keep him grounded in the real world. I think it is every bit as good as The Princess Bride because it has the same vibes and I recommend you watch and react to it. I guarantee you will LOVE it!
I like Taika’s performance here, because he is not portraying Hitler, he is portraying a 10 year old boy's imaginary best friend and idol. He is the personification of Jojo's indoctrination. The kid does not understand much about the world or what Hitler was really like. All he knows is the propaganda he was taught in school. He was too young to have seen the Jewish people forced out of their homes and on to trains, he was to young to see the transition of the Nazi's rise to power. This is the only life he knew and thought it was normal. Taika's change in character towards the end of the movie where he's less goofy and more of a jerk is Jojo's internal struggle with what he is experiencing vs what he was taught. But still Jojo is incapable of imagining how terrible hitler really is, so he becomes a jerk that spits in soup and kicks chairs like an angry child. I love this is represented in the color grading as well. The movie has a Wes Anderson feel because of the light and friendly colors, representing Jojo's innocence and naiveté.
Your comment at the end about how important it is to spread love, not negativity. It is, not least because how it affects yourself. You will be a happier person if you don't act so negatively. So, win win, both for yourself, and everyone around you.
This movie is so brilliant, and there are so many things I want to say about it, but I don't want to cry any more than I already have. I don't even know how many tissues I just went through watching you watching this. And I have to go to the store, so...
The detail of Captain K's last scene is absolutely perfect. If you watch him, he's desperately trying to think of a way to protect Jojo, making sure Jojo is looking away from the back of the courtyard so he isn't scared and watching the guards for a chance to escape but not seeing one. But then he mentions how creative Jojo's book was and notes that "you look good". That's the moment he realizes he can protect Jojo just the way Jojo helped protect Inga when the Gestapo came. He leaned into appearances and the authorities (russian soldiers this time) saw exactly what they expected. His smile as they drag him off is even more haunting knowing Freddie is now missing from the scene, so he probably had just seen his lover die and knew what was coming.
This was an enjoyable and touching reaction. Moon is pretty good. Trivia: it’s directed by David Bowie’s son. Back when I was on Twitter, I had some interactions with him, talking about film. He was a nice guy, unpretentious and approachable.
@@MarcosElMalo2Pete sold an album of his own music. The album title was "Best of the Beatles". Legend. Also, Ringo is a great drummer and aired as an inspiration to many great drummers that followed. He was great for them.
Saw it in theaters and loved it. Originally I wasn't going to see it since the title doesn't really sell the film but after reading the synopsis figured it was worth a go. Another interesting movie in a similar vain is Death of Stalin, although it doesn't involve kids.
It's a hell of a movie, it's so well co strutted and took a while to get made. "Boy" is a serious movie, but it does have humour, but in that it's not the same as here, it's far more naturalistic, in that it comes from day to day observation.
Discovering this film is a treasure. Johanson is the best mom. The details hidden well behind the laughter are sadly true. You see so much of it creeping in todays society.
NO STABBING! Such a great movie. JoJo is absolutely adorable. Some stuff in this movie is wrong through. The scene where Hitler stands up for the rabbit is actually something he'd likely do, because Hitler LOVED animals. He was a vegetarian as well. He didn't smoke and only occasionally drank alcohol. I absolutely adore when Captain K comes to their rescue as the gestapo come into the apartment!! I tear up everytime knowing how he is always there protecting JoJo, even if JoJo is too young to understand!
This and The Death Of Stalin are the best movies of the last decade, dark but funny and doesn't down play historical event. Still get a lot of good laughs.
Thanks, Verowak! 🐰 I adore Taika Waititi's writing/directing/acting. 🔸 Another comedy mixed with tragedy you might want to get around to is LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL (1997). It also has some romance but the serious stuff cuts to the core, so prepare to be jarred. As with the above film, it is co-written and directed by *and* starring the same person. In this case, Roberto Benigni. He won an Academy Award for Best Acting in it. In the same ceremony, the movie got nominations for Best Editing, Best Score, Best Screenplay, Best Directing, Best International Feature, Best Director and Best Picture.
What I think is amazing about this film is how it explores the dogmatism of the Germans that chose become nazis out of blind loyalty. And JoJo, being a young kid was easily influenced, goes through the journey of realizing the flaw in that dogmatism and how his mother was raising him not only to do what was right, but to learn to do it for when she’s no longer with him. I also love how you watch the connection between him and Elsa and how they grow from being two estranged children with different cultural backgrounds to not only friends but to a brother-sister relationship. It’s also heavily implied that Captain K is gay and his second in command Freddy is his partner; under the Nazi regime, homosexual men were forced to wear a pink triangle badge in concentration camps as a form of identification. This was a part of the persecution and discrimination against LGBTQ individuals during the Holocaust. 🐇
Love the movie, it invokes so much. I saw Moon was #2 on the poll, hopefully you get to it, great film as well. Also, the tall SS officer you recognize is Stephen Merchant, also great in his own right
The Beatles actuality sung in German. They learned the lyrics phonetically because they were told their music wouldn't sell in Germany if it was in English.
Hello Miss Verowak, great to see you!😊 It seems like a long time since your last reaction, but has only been a week. I'm sure that is due to your lovely personality and reacting style.😉 Taika Waitaki does a good job balancing comedy and serious war drama here. I saw "Moon" (2009) came is second place for your Sam Rockwell poll. That is another excellent film with a quite small main cast. Great reactions to this very well made film, Vero!!!!🎬👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 Taika Waitaki purposely did not study any of Hitler on film, as to not legitimize the performance.
have you seen Boy by Taika Waititi? it still has comedy, but out of his films that one might have the most 'serious' tone of them? I think his character in that one is realistic and not exaggerated (compared to vampires or imaginary hitler etc)
I love Sam Rockwell in everything I've seen him in, especially Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, for which he won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
Incredible movie. I didn't watch it for the longest time because I couldn't imagine laughing at Hitler. But when I did watch, I was amazed. The satire is on point and then the emotional turn when Jojo's mother is killed.
I’m sure a hundred other “um, akshually” guys may have chimed in already, but, in case it’s helpful, collecting the metal was not for money: it was for the resource itself. At this point in the war effort both sides were rationing and scrapping for metal to try to keep up with arms production.
Honestly Sam is my favourite human being... i mean his opinion about "being a father" is just the same like i think about it ! Love and no hate everyone !
😎👍 I don't know if you remember or not, but that "A Jew...Gazuntite" gag first appeared in "Robin Hood, Men In Tights." When Robin introduces Achoo to Blinkin, he says "This is my friend, Achoo" and Blinkin responds, "A Jew?" 😜
@Verowak, you left my favorite Rockwell flick off your poll. 'The Way, Way Back from 2013. A coming of age flick that really hits home for people who felt lost at that age. It was a Sundance Film, created on a shoestring budget of only 5M$. It made over 4x that at the box office even though it maxed out its release in about 1,000 American theaters (out of nearly 4,000 at the time).
A lovely reaction! Thank you. In thinking about the whole Hitler-as-cute-imaginary-friend trope, it's important to remember that Jojo, if he was 10 in 1944, was born *after* Hitler became Chancellor and, indeed, after he was given supreme powers. During Jojo's entire life there has been nonstop propaganda lionizing Hitler. (Yes, his parents might try to counteract it, but that would be dangerous for them, given the risk that others would find out.) So of course he imagines AH as a real hero, and the kind of hero he, a 10-year-old kid, would want as an imaginary friend. So the comedic touches added by Watiti to the role are, in my view, appropriate as a way of showing us what Jojo's imagination is like.
‘Moon’ is so, so good, and I can’t wait to see what you think about it. More channels should react to it, but unfortunately, it doesn’t get the attention it deserves.
whatever you do don't put too much faith in "rotten tomatoes." too many people have horrible taste in the "arts." just look at the crap that passes as good music nowadays. also, older and b&w films are often downgraded. in this case they got it right. this view of nazism and the hitler cult seen through the eyes of a child was incredibly successful. especially in mixing fantasy and humor with the real horror that resulted from that madness. 2 other EXCELLENT films that succeed in this is "life is beautiful" (italian, 1997) and "i served the king of england" (czech, 2006). i highly recommend both films. thanks for the video.
With having a deep appreciation for history, I had some serious reservations at first because some things you just can't make humorous. But this was brilliant at portraying how the Nazi regime and its indoctrination through propaganda was done, but also showing how absurd and unbelievably ridiculous some of it may seem now. The casting was perfect, especially with Scarlet and Sam. Thomasin McKenzie was nothing short of amazing as a Jewish girl, and the young Roman (?) as a member of the Hitler Youth, both had great chemistry together. This is one of the movies I would like to be seen in age-appropriate history classes like "Shindler's List". History must be taught to every generation regardless of how dark it is.
Three Billboards outside Ebbing Missouri is an amazing movies and a reccomended watch, even if it did not win the poll (most of the movies on that list are awesome tho)
Imaginary Hitler is eating a Unicorn head and also constantly trying to make Jojo smoke cigarettes'. In reality he was an anti-smoking vegetarian, which I'm sure Taika Waititi knew when he was making the imaginary figure that is just the figure of imagination of a 10-yo boy.
Actually, they couldn't do the "Heil Hitler" just once. According to German law at the time "Heil Hitler" officially replaced "hello" and people went to prison for not using it.
But they DID do it just once when the Gestapo left. The entire point of the scene was to show how silly it was, and then to make it uncomfortable when Elsa is forced to do it too.
I am amazed at Jojo, the young actor was perfect! What other movies have amazing performances by kids/young teenagers?
If you want to support me here's how:
Patreon (full length & polls): www.patreon.com/
Subscribe to the channel: ua-cam.com/users/verowakreacts
Follow me on Twitter for stuff and selfies: twitter.com/verowak
Become a channel member: ua-cam.com/users/verowakreactsjoin
E.T. has maybe the best kid performance ever. It's in the conversation. That and The Sixth Sense.
-----
- Great reaction...
In connection to this movie, I would highly recommend the movie 'The Book Thief' from 2013.
One of my favorite movies...
-----
Among the best performances by children is the classic "To Kill a Mockingbird." A superb movie all around, as is the book (though the sequel book is awful).
Little Miss Sunshine is an amazing movie with Abigail Breslin, and shares the mum with The Sixth Sense in Toni Collette. Amazing cast in general Alan Arkin, Paul Dano, Steve Carell...
@@davidmichaelson1092 goonies
In my opinion, Taika Watiti played Hitler just right. He wasn't trying to act AS Hitler, but as a 10 year old boy perceived Hitler. Which, at the beginning, is as an equally immature little kid who is JoJo's goofy best friend. JoJo didn't SEE any malevolence in Hitler, so his imaginary Hitler had none. AT FIRST. But with each succeeding appearance, as JoJo gains more understanding of the brainwashing he's been subject to, Watiti's potrayal becomes increasingly sinister and controlling. Culminating in his final "while living" appearance where he yells at JoJo and tells him " And it is up to you to decide if you want to be remembered, or disappear without a trace, like a pitiful grain of sand into a desert of insignificance. " And while doing so, Waititi for the first time incorporates Hitler's REAL mannerisms, particularly his arm movements, which is well documented in newsreel footage. It's because AT LAST, Jojo sees Hitler for who he really is.
On that note, there’s several inconsistencies between imaginary Hitler and real Hitler, illustrating how Jojo doesn’t have a real clue. Cigarettes, meat, etc.
Exactly!
For me, one of the best Movies in the last 10 years. To handle such a dark topic and manage to show the absurdity in a funny way by showing it from a kids point of view is genius.
💯👍
It's definitely not an easy task, and the film was done so well. Jojo was perfecty acted
Its not a translated version of the Beatles. It IS the Beatles. If you didn't know,the Beatles actually got their start as gigging musicians in Germany. They all spoke quite a bit of german and released this single for their german/Austrian fanbase.
Same for the Bowie song later. He lived in Berlin for a while.
Not quite their start -- they'd done a brief Scottish tour before that -- but they were basically bottom tier in the Liverpool rock scene before they went to Hamburg and came back as the best band in the city, or arguably the whole country.
And part of the reason for using The Beatles song, along with the real footage of people reacting to Hitler like they did The Beatles, is to show how cultish Hitler’s following was at the time.
This is especially funny that "Hitler" constantly offered Jojo a cigarette and ate the unicorn. Because real Hitler was a vegetarian and never smoked. It shows how bad Jojo knows his "best friend" even if he is a big fan of him.
He never smoked, didn't eat meat, but consumed massive amounts of hard drugs.
@@crankfastle8138and had real bad PTSD from ww1
@@crankfastle8138 Hard drugs? Can you elaborate?
I loved Taika’s performance. The showing of the ridiculousness of Hitler (and really all the Nazis in the movie) through a kid’s understanding and imagination was brilliant.
After reading Downfall it's ironic how much Hitler hated smoking but Taika kinda rolled with the hypocrisy.
Taika Waititi is part Jewish himself and it was his mother, Robin Cohen who first told him that he should think about adapting Christine Leunens’ novel “Caging Skies” for the big screen, which then eventually turned out to be “Jojo Rabbit.”
Scarlett Johansson has a Danish father and an American mother of Polish-Jewish ancestry and has dual Danish-American citizenships. The Polish-Jewish side of her family really suffered horribly during the war, while the Danish Jews never wore the yellow star identification mark and non of them went to the extermination camps, unlike in the rest of occupied Europe.
The image with her shoes still sheds a tear in my eyes.
How can anyone not like Waititi in this film? I think he was brilliant as a comic relief and representation of JoJo's internal struggle.
This movie would definitely not have worked strictly as a drama IMO. It would be a completely different movie amd that type of plot has been done several times already.
I know that TW had a lot of lines that had historical context so if you aren't familiar with those things, the jokes would probably not land as well. In fact, i notice a lot of reactors miss a lot of the jokes in this film that require the historical knowledge of WW2 events.
Glad you watched it either way. I bet you would like it better after a rewatch. It is one if those movies that have so many smalll details showing a well researched production, even for a comedy.
I'm not a fan of his comedic acting. All the other comedic parts were great!
The great film maker Mel Brooks (Blazing Saddles) once said that one of the best ways to defeat Nazis was to mock and humiliate them with humor. This film does a great job of that without shying away from the horrors of the Holocaust. A great dark comedy can make laugh and gasp at the same time. Sam Rockwell is great in everything he does. He won his Oscar for "Three Billboards Outside Ebbings, Missouri". I highly recommend that film. I think this was Scarlet Johansen's best performance yet. As always, fun watching with you. :)
Yes, Three Billboards. Sam Rockwell is super in that movie, as he is in this.
I, as a Czech, completely agree with Mel Brooks's statement. Any totalitarian regime is afraid of one thing - being ridiculed. The Reichsprotektor of Bohemia and Moravia, Reinhard Heydrich, allegedly called us the "laughing beasts" - he couldn't understand how we could be making fun of him and the Nazis even after he'd had so many of us murdered.
We sure were laughing last - Heydrich ended up being the one and only high-ranking SS officer who was assassinated during the war, by the heroes Gabčík from Slovakia and Kubiš from Czechia.
There's a Czech saying which translates roughly as: "There must be laughs, even if your father was being hanged."
The head Gestapo guy was played by Stephen Merchant who is 6 ft 7 so yes he is extremely tall.
The actor playing Jojo just killed it. It's fun to watch some of the behind the scenes videos to see him speak and hear the other actors just raving about him. He seems like a great little person.
We need more movies with Roman Davies and Archie Yates. They sould both have an amazing future.
My personal best picture of 2019. Taika is a genius. I'll never forget the gasp in the theater when the shoes came into the shot.
That scene is so unexpected but we'll shown
@@VerowakReactsexactly. You see Taika Waititi, a Jewish Maori, playing Hitler, the jokes, fun little bits. Then, BAM, the shoes, and your heart is ripped out.
@nicholasbyrne6485 I was uncomfortable when the butterfly flutters into frame. I knew what time of year it was supposed to be: there are no butterflies alive in winter. They show some snow on the set, but a lot of people miss it. So I was expecting the shoe to drop. Still hits, though.
@@vampdan Don't forget the butterfly in the end of All Quiet On The Western Front. You see the butterfly, you see the hand reaching out, you hear the bullet, but you never see his face.
I would've not wanted to watch that in the theaters because after the initial gasping shock I properly sobbed. lol
Elevator pitch for Jojo Rabbit: "Imagine Calvin and Hobbes where Hobbes is Adolph HitIer and Suzie Derkins is Anne Frank."
Captain K for me was the real hero. Navigating being gay in such an oppressive time and then deciding to display his magnificence and going out loud and proud on his own terms.
All the while, covering for jojo's family.
The thing is, despite homophobic stereotypes, his character is a proper professional soldier. Defeat has revealed that he's fighting for madmen, but he can't surrender. The contradiction is tearing him up.
@warheadsnation oh yes, very much a professional soldier. I mean, you don't get to be captain level without doing what is expected of you, even missing an eye!
The Beatles actually recorded some of their earliest songs in German, for the German market. Apparently that was common to do back then. So that song is really sung by the Beatles, in German. And it gets a sinister tone, because the German lyrics for I wanna hold your hand, goes a little bit different. It goes "Give me your hand". And when we hear the song, during the opening credits, we see lots of Germans giving him their hand, in the German salute. Also, lots of German women really loved him, and got into a frenzy, very Beatlemania frenzy style, when they saw their beloved leader. That choice of song gets so weird, and appropriate.
The Beatles spent most of their early days playing at the clubs in Hamburg so yes they did that!
Captain K is an interesting character and that moment the shoes come into view after them making sure to highlight them in every other scene she's in always shocks people :3
Seeing Rosie's shoes as she was hanging was such a gut punch!!! Wow......
On rewatches, you see her shoes everywhere.
Captain K was more than likely a family friend of Jojo's mom and dad and therefore already knew Inga was dead. That's why he said Elsa looked like a ghost in the documents photo. He probably had an idea that Rosie was part of the Resistance and a reason he rushed over to her home to help when he found out the Gestapo was raiding it. He could also put two and two together that Elsa was Jewish and being harbored by Rosie.
Sometimes the unsung heroes in tragic situations are hidden in plain sight.
Nah, if that was the case, JoJo would have known that he knew that.
@@crankfastle8138that’s because only the mother and sister knew Captain K and his lover Freddy. Jojo is too young to know or understand. Both his mom and sister was in the resistance, Captain k knew that and he bought back Rosie bike too.
I agree, that's why he did the ID check so he could (and did) cover any mistakes and why he looked worried when he thought the gestapo wanted to see it
Jojo's mother was already dead when the Gestapo turned up at the house; they turned up at the house after catching her leafleting and summarily executing her. Captain K witnessed it and grabbed the mum's bike to get to the home, knowing that the girl was hiding in the home which was about to be raided.
@@chrism7395 I feel like he ran there with his boyfriend to warn Jojo perhaps? But it was too late .
8:04 when you think you're just saying good morning to a friend, and casually take her knee in the groin. We've all been there....
If you'd like to see the real acting talent of Thomasin McKenzie (who played Elsa in this movie) I'd highly recommend Leave No Trace where she is just brilliant.
The song in German that is played at the very end, where they dance - David Bowie's German version of "Heroes." "We can beat them, for ever and ever
Oh we can be Heroes, just for one day."
Great reaction like always! Love this movie, the film is based on Leunens' 2004 novel Caging Skies, it's fair to say that Waititi took creative liberties when developing Jojo Rabbit. For instance, an imaginary Hitler does not make an appearance in the book. Waititi who ultimately went on to play Hitler, came up with the idea himself. Waititi said that he had no interest in accurately portraying Hitler, saying "Screw This Guy"
One of my favourite scenes is when the Gestapo officers (led by Stephen Merchant) searching Jojo's home. However, the scene is also hilarious with the Gestapo doing little more than greeting one another with the "Heil Hitler" salute which is made 31 times in the scene. And in a interview Waititi told that he thought this would not only be a funny moment but also work to highlight how childish and silly the Nazi Party was. Seeing these grown men who claim to be members of a master race do their dumb greeting over and over just makes them look like a bunch of idiots.
Along with being a movie about this period in time, Waititi also had a more intimate and personal influence on the film. He explained that the film is a love letter to single parents, like his own mother, who do all they can to protect their children. Keep up the good work.
I always saw this scene as funny and then suddenly not funny when Elsa has to do that as well.
All the kids were spot on. The soldiers in tan were Soviet. Scarlet Johansson should have won the supporting actress award. This movie did earn one academy award. I read one Jewish newspapers critique on this movie, and they gave it a glowing review.
This is a great movie. Full of great emotional beats and the messaging was nice. You can see Thomasin McKenzie in Edgar Wright's "Last Night in Soho" I liked Taika's Hitler because its just what a little boy would imagine him to be. So good.
One of the best things about this film is the “Just do what you can” stuff
Just a beautiful message to live by every day
A movie equal parts heartwarming, heartbreaking, hilarious and sombre.
Absolutely magnificent film.
I just watched your reaction to "The Princess Bride" and thought you might like to know about another movie made in 1985 that has very similar vibes. The Never Ending Story is about a boy that reads a book that is "Not Safe" and it changes his whole outlook on life. His recently widowed father tries to keep him on the right track of reality after his mother died, but the bullies at school are very real and the calling of the book is very strong. The vibes of The Princess Bride and The Never Ending Story are very similar and I'm sure you would enjoy it immensley. It will leave you very uplifted.
This is such a brilliant movie. I think Taika was fantastic as the psycho because you're seeing him through the eyes of an extremely indoctrinated kid, but you also see it change as that indoctrination breaks down. He's less and less of a friend throughout the movie and then as he's gorging on unicorn while Jo Jo goes hungry, you see Jo Jo look at him with real contempt. Cried my eyes out for Rosie and Capt K.
Sam Rockwell was great in Moon.
An incredible 1 man show. A definite must see film.
Random side note. German grenades were more concussion than shrapnel. Yes, the tin around the explosive could form shrapnel, but it was more or less insignificant because it was so thin. The explosion did the damage, hence why Jojo didn't get hurt too bad.
Probably a training grenade also. This late in the war, with shortages, they wouldn’t have been letting Hitler Youth use real grenades just for fun.
One of my favorite films. Absolutely love it. The cinematography yes. Every actor is at the top of their game in this. The kids are so amazing... The script is perfect. Still quote it to this day. (Especially the kids lol) The editing/pacing/choices/layers... Chef's kiss. So much heart. So much soul. So much truth. And every little detail, hilarious, dark, bittersweet. Even the use of Bowie's 'Heroes' at the triumphant end when they dance. It's a song that takes place by the Berlin Wall.
The world can be an awful awful place... But we do what we can. :)
Jojo's mom said she never looked a tiger in the eye? That's not true for me, she looked the Nazi regime (tiger) in the eye trying to help people. Sam Rockwell movie list and The Way Way Back wasn't on the poll? For shame, lol. Such a star-studded cast and that's one of my favorite roles he has ever been in. It's a coming-of-age Comedy/Drama movie and needs so much more love. It probably still wouldn't win a poll, but man it's good.
JoJo's struggle to balance loyalty and to do what he believes is right was really captivating. Verowak you are an absolute gem 💎 and have captivated me with another great reaction my queen
Wonderful movie reaction and commentary. Your empathy for Rosie throughout the film shines.
The Tall SS guy is Stephen Merchant the co creator of The Office.... he also played Calibran the Albino Mutant in Logan
I just watched your reaction to "The Princess Bride" and enjoyed your reaction immensley. A similar movie that was made 3 years before The Princess Bride was "The Never Ending Story". Like The Princess Bride, it's about a boy reading a fairy tale book and getting so caught up in it that it changes his life, much to the chagrin of his recently widowed father, who tries to keep him grounded in the real world. I think it is every bit as good as The Princess Bride because it has the same vibes and I recommend you watch and react to it. I guarantee you will LOVE it!
That's a movie that I've heard about, and always thought it was Peter Pan (which I've also never seen). But with Peter Pan it's Neverland 😅
I like Taika’s performance here, because he is not portraying Hitler, he is portraying a 10 year old boy's imaginary best friend and idol. He is the personification of Jojo's indoctrination. The kid does not understand much about the world or what Hitler was really like. All he knows is the propaganda he was taught in school. He was too young to have seen the Jewish people forced out of their homes and on to trains, he was to young to see the transition of the Nazi's rise to power. This is the only life he knew and thought it was normal. Taika's change in character towards the end of the movie where he's less goofy and more of a jerk is Jojo's internal struggle with what he is experiencing vs what he was taught. But still Jojo is incapable of imagining how terrible hitler really is, so he becomes a jerk that spits in soup and kicks chairs like an angry child.
I love this is represented in the color grading as well. The movie has a Wes Anderson feel because of the light and friendly colors, representing Jojo's innocence and naiveté.
The colors get more drab and muted as time goes on as well.
Your comment at the end about how important it is to spread love, not negativity. It is, not least because how it affects yourself. You will be a happier person if you don't act so negatively. So, win win, both for yourself, and everyone around you.
Yes! Life is so much better if you are more positive
I love your "Fahrenheit 451" reference. Not such a well known book anymore.
tall guy was a tooth fairy in the movie Tooth Fairy ! The Death scene was a tear jerker for me too
Taika, was absolutely brilliant, all the cast was, epic film, Taika is such an amazing director, “boy” Hunt for the Wilderpeople, are both amazing
This movie is so brilliant, and there are so many things I want to say about it, but I don't want to cry any more than I already have. I don't even know how many tissues I just went through watching you watching this. And I have to go to the store, so...
The detail of Captain K's last scene is absolutely perfect. If you watch him, he's desperately trying to think of a way to protect Jojo, making sure Jojo is looking away from the back of the courtyard so he isn't scared and watching the guards for a chance to escape but not seeing one. But then he mentions how creative Jojo's book was and notes that "you look good". That's the moment he realizes he can protect Jojo just the way Jojo helped protect Inga when the Gestapo came. He leaned into appearances and the authorities (russian soldiers this time) saw exactly what they expected. His smile as they drag him off is even more haunting knowing Freddie is now missing from the scene, so he probably had just seen his lover die and knew what was coming.
One of my highschool buddys, his father was in the Hitler youth. Said they had him hauling ammo to AA guns when he was 11.
In real life, Hitler was a vegetarian and very anti smoking.
This goes to show just how much JoJo doesn't know about Hitler.
Amazing detail!
But a huge fan of hard drugs.
This was an enjoyable and touching reaction.
Moon is pretty good. Trivia: it’s directed by David Bowie’s son. Back when I was on Twitter, I had some interactions with him, talking about film. He was a nice guy, unpretentious and approachable.
The Beatles also did "She Loves You" in German. They were famous in Germany before England.
I never knew, that's so neat!
Didn’t they fire Pete Best after Germany and hire Ringo Starr? Poor Pete, but it’s hard to imagine them without Ringo.
@@MarcosElMalo2Pete sold an album of his own music. The album title was "Best of the Beatles". Legend.
Also, Ringo is a great drummer and aired as an inspiration to many great drummers that followed. He was great for them.
This movie is just so beautiful! Spot on. Love it so much. Greetings from Germany. 😇
In Germany, they say "Gesundheit"when someone sneezes. You wish health, so to speak.
It's pretty universal, I believe. Same in Hebrew.
Glad to watch your reaction to this one. I enjoy your rating estimates at the end.
Saw it in theaters and loved it. Originally I wasn't going to see it since the title doesn't really sell the film but after reading the synopsis figured it was worth a go. Another interesting movie in a similar vain is Death of Stalin, although it doesn't involve kids.
I had finally sat down and watched this when i got covid back in 20, i had to pause themovie and take a brake during that one scene
It's a hell of a movie, it's so well co strutted and took a while to get made.
"Boy" is a serious movie, but it does have humour, but in that it's not the same as here, it's far more naturalistic, in that it comes from day to day observation.
Discovering this film is a treasure. Johanson is the best mom. The details hidden well behind the laughter are sadly true. You see so much of it creeping in todays society.
NO STABBING! Such a great movie. JoJo is absolutely adorable.
Some stuff in this movie is wrong through. The scene where Hitler stands up for the rabbit is actually something he'd likely do, because Hitler LOVED animals. He was a vegetarian as well. He didn't smoke and only occasionally drank alcohol.
I absolutely adore when Captain K comes to their rescue as the gestapo come into the apartment!! I tear up everytime knowing how he is always there protecting JoJo, even if JoJo is too young to understand!
The fact that JoJo doesn’t know that Hitler doesn’t smoke and is vegetarian just shows how little he knows about his “idol.”
The really tall guy is Stephen Merchant, a very famous video game voice actor. He was the voice of Wheatley in Portal 2.
He co-created “The Office” with Rickey Gervais.
This and The Death Of Stalin are the best movies of the last decade, dark but funny and doesn't down play historical event. Still get a lot of good laughs.
Thanks, Verowak! 🐰 I adore Taika Waititi's writing/directing/acting. 🔸 Another comedy mixed with tragedy you might want to get around to is LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL (1997). It also has some romance but the serious stuff cuts to the core, so prepare to be jarred. As with the above film, it is co-written and directed by *and* starring the same person. In this case, Roberto Benigni. He won an Academy Award for Best Acting in it. In the same ceremony, the movie got nominations for Best Editing, Best Score, Best Screenplay, Best Directing, Best International Feature, Best Director and Best Picture.
What I think is amazing about this film is how it explores the dogmatism of the Germans that chose become nazis out of blind loyalty. And JoJo, being a young kid was easily influenced, goes through the journey of realizing the flaw in that dogmatism and how his mother was raising him not only to do what was right, but to learn to do it for when she’s no longer with him. I also love how you watch the connection between him and Elsa and how they grow from being two estranged children with different cultural backgrounds to not only friends but to a brother-sister relationship. It’s also heavily implied that Captain K is gay and his second in command Freddy is his partner; under the Nazi regime, homosexual men were forced to wear a pink triangle badge in concentration camps as a form of identification. This was a part of the persecution and discrimination against LGBTQ individuals during the Holocaust. 🐇
The really tall guy is Stephen Merchant of the original Office fame. He's the best.
He was also the voice of Wheatley in portal 2.
24:54 Stephen Merchant, the actor who played the head Gestapo officer is 6' 7".
This was probably my favorite movie since Scott Pilgrim vs the World. You should watch Watiti's Hunt for the Wilderpeople.
Yes, you definitely need to see Moon -- tour de force by SRockwell.
I want to see the actors who play JoJo and Yorki play younger versions of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost
15:24 BEST SCENE EVER OMG I LOVE IT SO MUCH
Love the movie, it invokes so much.
I saw Moon was #2 on the poll, hopefully you get to it, great film as well.
Also, the tall SS officer you recognize is Stephen Merchant, also great in his own right
One of the bravest and funniest films I've ever seen.
The Beatles actuality sung in German. They learned the lyrics phonetically because they were told their music wouldn't sell in Germany if it was in English.
I also think Mojo Jojo from the Powerpuff girls.
Hello Vero. Always amazing to seeing you.
"That guy" is Stephen Merchant, and yes: he's very tall.
Hello Miss Verowak, great to see you!😊 It seems like a long time since your last reaction, but has only been a week. I'm sure that is due to your lovely personality and reacting style.😉 Taika Waitaki does a good job balancing comedy and serious war drama here. I saw "Moon" (2009) came is second place for your Sam Rockwell poll. That is another excellent film with a quite small main cast. Great reactions to this very well made film, Vero!!!!🎬👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 Taika Waitaki purposely did not study any of Hitler on film, as to not legitimize the performance.
Hey Mike!! Hopefully I can increase the amount of reactions soon!! Moon is most likely my next Sam Rockwell movie:D
have you seen Boy by Taika Waititi? it still has comedy, but out of his films that one might have the most 'serious' tone of them?
I think his character in that one is realistic and not exaggerated (compared to vampires or imaginary hitler etc)
I haven't seen Boy, no. If I ever watch another one of his films, it might have to be that one
I love Sam Rockwell in everything I've seen him in, especially Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, for which he won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
I'm definitely going to have to check that one out
"I love you too."
"...As a younger brothe..." "...As a younger brother."
😂🤷♂️
Hey tiger. You miss 100% of the chances that you don't take.
😜
Sam Rockwell is so good in Mr. Right. Underrated but good 👍 worth a vote
Incredible movie. I didn't watch it for the longest time because I couldn't imagine laughing at Hitler. But when I did watch, I was amazed. The satire is on point and then the emotional turn when Jojo's mother is killed.
I’m sure a hundred other “um, akshually” guys may have chimed in already, but, in case it’s helpful, collecting the metal was not for money: it was for the resource itself. At this point in the war effort both sides were rationing and scrapping for metal to try to keep up with arms production.
Honestly Sam is my favourite human being... i mean his opinion about "being a father" is just the same like i think about it ! Love and no hate everyone !
Two people from New Zealand in this film. I'm from there, too.
New Zealand seems like such a lovely place!
mate....plese please please watch Life is Beautiful
😎👍 I don't know if you remember or not, but that "A Jew...Gazuntite" gag first appeared in "Robin Hood, Men In Tights." When Robin introduces Achoo to Blinkin, he says "This is my friend, Achoo" and Blinkin responds, "A Jew?" 😜
@Verowak, you left my favorite Rockwell flick off your poll. 'The Way, Way Back from 2013. A coming of age flick that really hits home for people who felt lost at that age. It was a Sundance Film, created on a shoestring budget of only 5M$. It made over 4x that at the box office even though it maxed out its release in about 1,000 American theaters (out of nearly 4,000 at the time).
Lawn Dogs is another good film of his that no one has seen.
A lovely reaction! Thank you.
In thinking about the whole Hitler-as-cute-imaginary-friend trope, it's important to remember that Jojo, if he was 10 in 1944, was born *after* Hitler became Chancellor and, indeed, after he was given supreme powers. During Jojo's entire life there has been nonstop propaganda lionizing Hitler. (Yes, his parents might try to counteract it, but that would be dangerous for them, given the risk that others would find out.) So of course he imagines AH as a real hero, and the kind of hero he, a 10-year-old kid, would want as an imaginary friend. So the comedic touches added by Watiti to the role are, in my view, appropriate as a way of showing us what Jojo's imagination is like.
‘Moon’ is so, so good, and I can’t wait to see what you think about it. More channels should react to it, but unfortunately, it doesn’t get the attention it deserves.
A quarter through a movie about WW2 in Germany: "There's some definite dark aspects to this that I was not expecting."
Because it's a Taika Waititi film, not because it's a movie about WW2 in Germany 🙂
Boy
, you have to watch it. Taika his first film I think.
He's also great in Mr right!
Yes, Stephen Merchant is tall, he's 6'7".
yoooo i loved this film was such a surprise
And what a surprise to see you here!!! I hope you're doing well!!!!
whatever you do don't put too much faith in "rotten tomatoes." too many people have horrible taste in the "arts." just look at the crap that passes as good music nowadays. also, older and b&w films are often downgraded. in this case they got it right. this view of nazism and the hitler cult seen through the eyes of a child was incredibly successful. especially in mixing fantasy and humor with the real horror that resulted from that madness.
2 other EXCELLENT films that succeed in this is "life is beautiful" (italian, 1997) and "i served the king of england" (czech, 2006). i highly recommend both films. thanks for the video.
For more Thomasin McKenzie, check out "Last Night in SoHo."
Loved her in Leave No Trace
With having a deep appreciation for history, I had some serious reservations at first because some things you just can't make humorous. But this was brilliant at portraying how the Nazi regime and its indoctrination through propaganda was done, but also showing how absurd and unbelievably ridiculous some of it may seem now. The casting was perfect, especially with Scarlet and Sam. Thomasin McKenzie was nothing short of amazing as a Jewish girl, and the young Roman (?) as a member of the Hitler Youth, both had great chemistry together. This is one of the movies I would like to be seen in age-appropriate history classes like "Shindler's List". History must be taught to every generation regardless of how dark it is.
Hi Verowax hope you are having an great and awesome day ❤️
Thanks John, I am! I hope you are too
Yorki Is the Best .
Three Billboards outside Ebbing Missouri is an amazing movies and a reccomended watch, even if it did not win the poll (most of the movies on that list are awesome tho)
Imaginary Hitler is eating a Unicorn head and also constantly trying to make Jojo smoke cigarettes'. In reality he was an anti-smoking vegetarian, which I'm sure Taika Waititi knew when he was making the imaginary figure that is just the figure of imagination of a 10-yo boy.
Actually, they couldn't do the "Heil Hitler" just once. According to German law at the time "Heil Hitler" officially replaced "hello" and people went to prison for not using it.
But they DID do it just once when the Gestapo left.
The entire point of the scene was to show how silly it was, and then to make it uncomfortable when Elsa is forced to do it too.
Taika was perfect.