You can try all you want to convince yourself that your little brother, sister, cousin, niece, nephew, or kids are innocent. But once they hit middle school, it all goes out the window. There may not be a better film that captures this than “Good Boys,” the latest from producer duo Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg.
Following three sixth-graders, “Good Boys” revels in its sense of absurdness. For every outlandish moment that happens on screen, the three boys react in exactly the ways you’d think they would. There are no kids acting like adults here, just kids stuck in outlandish situations and dealing with them as real kids would.
That gives everything a refreshing level of realism that makes the film better all around. If the boys acted more serious or like adults in tween bodies, the film just would have been less interesting, plain and simple. Screenwriters Gene Stupnitsky (“The Office,” “Trophy Wife”) and Lee Eisenberg (“The Office,” “Trophy Wife”) smartly allow the humor to grow from the simple nature of childhood.
That commitment to the absurdity of the concept is where the comedy gold comes from. Some of the film’s best gags are things that just wouldn’t work in an adult-led comedy, like childproof caps or middle school hall monitors. This is a good thing given that the film’s basic plot and events therein aren’t particularly original. Nothing is snooze-inducing, but nothing, not even really the tween angle, is unprecedented.
Jacob Tremblay (“Room,” “Wonder”), Brady Noon (“Boardwalk Empire”) and Keith L. Williams (“The Last Man on Earth,” “Teachers”) all play convincing best friends. Their chemistry is great, and they milk the middle school friend mentality for all its worth. The supporting cast of comedian cameos are all great as well, with special props going to Molly Gordon (“Booksmart,” “Life of the Party”) and Midori Francis (“Ocean’s 8”), who steal every scene they’re in.
The cast is likely the film’s best asset, as everyone seems completely willing to embrace the film’s outlandishness at every turn. Even some of the sequences that drag or some of the jokes that flop don’t drag or flop as badly because of the sheer talent onscreen.
This is a good thing, because not all of “Good Boys” is, well, good. There are pacing problems towards the end of the film, and while the events therein are still funny, it still begins to drag. There’s also a bizarre amount of plot contrivances that being to pop up about halfway through that end up stretching out a movie that only sits at 95 minutes.
However, it’s all still funny. For every joke that flops, there are three more that land hard, and even the moments that drag or are the most boring either don’t last for long or are made amusing purely by the fact that they’re being carried out by a bunch of sixth graders. One moment of emotional conflict two-thirds in turns hysterical simply because it’s being performed by a bunch of sixth graders.
It's also just plain sweet at its core. There’s a lot of heart on display here, and the three best friends are all relatable in their plights. While Williams gets the most laughs at being the anti-Seth Rogen type, each of the boys are sympathetic and likeable. The feelings of adolescent dread and middle school drama that the writers zero in on is still remarkably effective, no matter how many times it’s been shown.
The sweetness and heart, not to mention a game cast help set “Good Boys” apart. It’s a funny film with a sugary center, as well as some by-the-numbers plot points and wonky pacing. Thanks to a very specific focus on middle school drama and adolescence, as well as great chemistry from its main trio, “Good Boys” manages to be just that: good. 3.5/5
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