Movie Review: Good Boys (2019)

Summary: Three 6th grade boys ditch school and embark on an epic journey while carrying accidentally stolen drugs, being hunted by teenage girls, and trying to make their way home in time for a long-awaited party.

This will be a short review.

Pros:

Cast and Characters.

• Jacob Tremblay as Max. He seems to be the “leader” of the group because he comes off as the most mature, in ways. He has a crush on this girl and he’s a bit crazy about it. The events in the movie kick off because of his crush on this girl. He is determined throughout the movie, to not only kiss this girl at a party some other little kid is having, but to learn how to do it right lol. Shenanigans ensue lol. Max is a very determined kid and he seems to be fearless and always willing to do what he needs to get things done. I like Max, there’s always a kid like him, almost the straight man of his group and arguably the most popular in his friend group. I adore Jacob Tremblay, he’s such a great young actor and everything I’ve seen him in so far, I have enjoyed him (even if I didn’t quite enjoy the movie… Book of Henry). He’s great in the role and his little face is just so cute whenever he would do the puppy dog look.

• Keith L. Williams as Lucas. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I think it’s this kid reminds me of Craig Robinson in kid form. But he’s the gentle giant and he learns some big news from his parents which affects him for the rest of the movie, but he keeps it hush hush. He’s truthful and it’s a detriment sometimes and it’s funny too. He’s a little more of the “nerd” in the group as he still likes to play a card game, similar to Pokemon and he’s big into safety. Though he was willing to run across that highway. He’s adorable though and very likable as well.

• Brady Noon as Thor. He’s the friend who thinks he’s way cooler than he is, which is shown by his hairstyle and clothes. He also has something he’s really into, but he might get teased for it, so he spends the movie wondering if it’ll be something he’ll continue to pursue. It’s cute actually and I love how they handle it in the film. I don’t want to spoil it because it’s cute. Just like the other two, he’s likable, I mean, I can see why he wouldn’t be, but I think it’s because he’s a kid that he is. If he was a teenager, if any of them were older, they’d all probably be annoying. This kid was great though, being able to maintain the weird balance that Thor has throughout the movie of trying to be all knowledgeable and hard and not being all that at the same time.

The Two Teenage Girls. There are these two teenage girls we get to spend time with throughout the film, especially when they interact with the three boys. Molly Gordon as Hannah and Midori Francis as Lilly. They were hilarious, I think Lilly was the funnier of the two because she has some great facial expressions and I love the part when she just takes off running after the boys while they’re on their bikes, like the Terminator. Their side plot is funny and doesn’t feel overwhelming to the main plot because their plot is important to the whole plot, which is how it should be.

I Cried Laughing/ The Highway Scene/Frat House. This movie is funny. I mean, don’t get me wrong there is vulgar humor and because they are kids, it makes even more outrageous. It’s like Little Rascals for 2019 because they act like they’re so much older than they are, but they still act like kids, ya know? It’s charming lol and funny. They have some funny bits earlier on the film, but I thought it handled the humor balance a lot better as the film went on. The highway is probably my favorite scene in the movie, and I was crying. I was literally in tears. They’re trying to get to this store to get something they lost, they climb a huge hill and see the store. They’re super excited but then realize there is a highway between them and the store. So, of course the logical thing to do is to cross it. At first, it’s okay because it’s traffic and they’re hardly moving but then they take too long, and the cars are whizzing by. Hilarious. So, one of them takes off, screaming through the cars, the second one does it and the third takes a moment to get across and then shenanigans and I was crying. Also, the frat house, y’all, we were dying. It was so funny. Like Max was going in and it was so great. That is all.

The Message. The message for the movie is really sweet. You have three best friends that as kids, they believe they’ll always be together or that they’ll do everything together but then you realize that when you get older, friendships drift apart, and sometimes it happens. I like how the movie handles that and it’s very realistic. I mean, it’s sad but it’s real.

Cons: 

Slow Beginning. I think it takes a minute to get going and into the story. I mean, things are set up early on but it’s not until the kids escape school that things really pick up and the adventure starts. That’s also where the humor gets going. I wasn’t checked out or anything, but I wasn’t really feeling the movie until they left school.

Humor. I do think they take a lot of the humor and uses it to undercut some of the emotional moments. I mean, they are kids so it’s funny with the things they say and do but it’s okay to even let little kids sit in their moments and be emotional. I can also believe that people would be upset at how vulgar the movie is at times, or at least with the adult/mature humor with these 12-year-old kids.

Overall, I really enjoyed Good Boys. I think it’s a great movie to watch, it’s funny and has a great message behind it as well. The three young leads really hold their own, especially Jacob Tremblay because I adore that kid, but they all have great chemistry, I believed in their friendship. There are some great comedic scenes in this movie two being the Highway scene and the Frat House scene. My friend and I were dying laughing at both of those parts. There’s a lot of good moments and I think the humor really works. It’s vulgar which I can imagine some people not liking, but it works, and it is kind of realistic lol. My only problem is that it has a very slow beginning for a long time. I thought it didn’t really pick up until at least 20 minutes in the movie and that’s a long time to get me invested. But outside of that, I very much enjoyed the movie and would totally watch it again.

Rating: 3.79 out of 5 stars.

Have you seen Good Boys? Tell me your thoughts in the comments below.

What is your favorite comedy?

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