GOOD BOYS is not for kids. True, the lead protagonists are three relatively innocent sixth grade boys, but the R-rating is appropriately placed on the very inappropriate comedy about the awkward transition that all boys go through during their tween years. While the extreme nature and wild vulgarity is mostly unnecessary, I confess, it has been a long time since I continually laughed that hard in a theater.
Max (Jacob Tremblay), Lucas (Keith L. Williams), and Thor (Brady Noon) make up the Bean Bag Boys, best friends who came up with their group name because… well, they love bean bags. The friendship is true, loyal, and safe. It’s the kind of solid friendship that is important to have in one’s adolescence, but also probably early enough that it may not continue on through one’s junior high and high school years as interests begin to differ.
The three friends are invited to their very first kissing party, but none of them have any idea how to kiss a girl. After a google search goes drastically bad, they come up with an idea to use Max’s dad’s drone to spy on a couple of high school girls. Things don’t go quite as planned, as Max, Lucas, and Thor are now on an epic adventure to replace the drone before Max’s dad gets home, and ensure they don’t get grounded for this milestone coed sixth grade party that same evening. Oh and the high school girls are hot on their tail, after the boys unknowingly confescate their “Molly” drugs, but are now determined to get the drugs off their street. Such “Good Boys.”
The story from Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky, the latter who also directed the film, and produced by Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg, somewhat resembles 2007’s hilarious SUPERBAD, just moved to a younger age. While the ages may have dropped, the absurdity is definitely heightened.
The three young actors are terrific, working extremely well together. But the standout for me is Jacob Tremblay as the somewhat leader of the group, Max. Tremblay proves that his previous excellent performances in ROOM and WONDER are no accident and he has a range to continue working in Hollywood for years to come. Will Forte also has a couple of scene-stealing moments as Max’s dad, who is so proud to see his boy growing up.
What’s unique about GOOD BOYS, is the sweetness and innocence it projects. They are curious about kissing girls and sipping beer, but also completely terrified. All with different motives -Max is driven by hormones, Thor wants to fit in, and Lucas just doesn’t want to lose their friendships. GOOD BOYS wisely keeps the pace moving and jokes flying, avoiding the nasty trap where comedies linger on the drama or story.
I’m not sure how funny GOOD BOYS will be on repeated viewing or even watching alone at home, as some of the jokes rely on a shock value. But in the theater with a full audience, the laughs are contagious and continuous. While the film definitely earns its hard R-rating (although at times unnecessarily excessive), I believe there is an underlining goodness and relatability to innocence that adults will appreciate, making many of the jokes all that more funny. One things for sure, Rock of Ages would be much better if always performed by children.
