2010 coming-of-age comedy
Rating: 16/20
Plot: New Zealand’s number one Michael Jackson fan, the titular boy featured on the poster, is happy to have Dad back in life. Dad, however, turns out to be a complete jackass and seems to be using his sons to help him find some money he may or may not have buried in a field. Boy desperately tries to connect to his father.
Taika Waititi is a name I’d love to have. He’s the guy who wrote, directed, and starred in this movie, and I believe the only thing I know him from is Eagle vs. Shark which I almost liked. He plays a completely unlikable character in this as Boy’s dad, but for some reason, he’s still hard to dislike. Waititi’s physical comedy is great–a Dukes of Hazard move, a Michael Jackson dance or two, his general posture, a Pee Wee insult. My favorite scene out of lots of favorite scenes in this was some playtime at a beach when Waititi’s character, remote from his two boys, continues to gun down imaginary foes in a wartime scenario, a child in a man’s body playing with stick guns. I liked the two kids in this movie, too, even though the main character said “Egg” way too much. I didn’t realize that was an insult. I’ve heard “Egghead” and “You’ve got egg on your face,” but just “Egg”? This movie also has the Maori Winnie Cooper. I like the playfulness of this. There’s a sad and eventually touching father-son story at the center of all this, but rapid narration that would remind me of a quirky French comedy if it wasn’t in the wrong accent at the beginning, spoon violence, failed breakdancing on a square of cardboard by a guy wearing a Michael Jackson jacket (so me, circa 1984), Boy’s Michael Jackson dance, a bunch of pop references with an emphasis on E.T. for some reason, and an awesome teacher who says things like “Who knows what disease this sheep’s got?” and “Oi! Both of you fuck up or I’ll send you to the principal!” all set the stage for silly slice of life from down under comedy. The movie’s often hilarious although it does wear itself out a little by the end. Still, there’s something refreshing about it. And I loved the Bollywood-esque ending where the characters perform a Michael Jackson song complete with choreographed line-dancing. This one hit me in all the right places.
