Good Boys

Good Boys is good fun, just not with your mom. The creators of Superbad return to their roots and offer a fantastically fun adventure to again bring beer to a party and get the girl, but this time our dynamic trio is a bunch of… tweens! Today’s sixth grade struggles are highlighted to great effect as these three kids try to gain control against the horrors of growing up.

Almost no one would focus an entire comedy on three child actors. Many directors avoid child actors and live animals on set at all costs, but this film throws that fear away and embraces it for the full 90 minutes. These kids are an absolute blast, finding ways to stand out in their own charming ways. Keith L. Williams as Lucas is my personal favorite as he not only prevents other characters from objectifying women or breaking the law, but he also has the best interaction with his parents when they announce they are getting a divorce. The only characters that failed to make me laugh were the other parents, especially Max’s dad, who had the most wooden and forgettable performance out of the entire cast. Every child actor excelled as they take every action so seriously, from sitting at the right table or taking four sips of beer—’cause that would be impossible! The writers and crew knew exactly how to bring out the best humor with these kids, and hopefully open the window of success for them in the future.

The story started with a clear, clean linear direction that really served as the skeleton to continuously hang jokes off of, but by the end it surprisingly wrapped around and became a heartfelt message about growing up. The writers dedicated the time to complete the story in a fresh perspective, and yet the jokes continued to pour out of each scene. They could have just ended it at the party with the characters getting what they want and ignoring a true resolution, which a lot of comedies do, but they went the exact opposite way and brought out a well made understanding of childhood friendships that elevates this story to a noticeable degree. On the other hand, it is the same exact plot beats as Superbad, but to me that is not a bad thing. Bringing out the fun and chaos of sixth grade was a good idea, and paralleling it to the last high-school-party before leaving for college was executed very well. Sixths graders are learning about the world, mostly in the wrong ways, and they take every moment seriously—so a kissing party would seem like the end of the world for these characters. The film itself, with its countless pop culture references, will not stand the test of time, but I believe at a closer look the story does have some merit.

As much as I want people to see this film and give it a chance to be remembered, there is nothing gained by seeing it in theaters. The filmmaking is clever with the budget it has, but it is not very cinematic. This film was definitely geared towards being rewatched at home on a streaming service, because you will not lose any enjoyment by seeing it on a smaller screen. That is the only complaint I have about this film. The characters are more caricatures to emphasize the intensities of sixth grade and bring out more comedic moments instead of actual depth, but I expect that out of a comedy. The cinematography is very bare bones, and there is not a clear direction on the score or music involved in some scenes. The humor is cleverly injected throughout the frame, hiding moments in the background and combining jokes right under the characters noses, so that emphasis on humor instead of depth in character or the director’s craft is understandable to really nail every moment to the highest comedic effect.

Overall, the comedy is on point and moves the story along, both of which are definitely worth watching. The filmmaking itself does not reward a theater screening, but it should find a place on Amazon’s Prime Video or Netflix to get its deserved audience. The characters are not fully fleshed out compared to dramas, but character depth is not what this film was aiming towards. As a comedy, it is fantastic. It fails to have staying power due to its heavy focus on current trends and references, but overall it is definitely a joy ride with countless stand-out scenes.

Story Rating: 6/10

Character Rating: 5/10