PIC of the Week – Good Boys
Article series by Ray Schillaci
Universal Pictures Home Entertainment releases a Blu of a blue comedy, Good Boys. Here’s a film that begs the question: How do you make a foul mouthed, raunchy movie filled with sexual toys and jokes with 12 year-olds, get away with it and at the same time make it a sweet tome to youth and friendship? Somehow, the filmmakers achieve that goal. Writer/producers of The Office (the American version), Hello Ladies, SMILF and a couple of low-brow bad boy comedies, Year One and Bad Teacher, Gene Stupnitsky and co-writer Lee Eisenberg get straight “A”s for what they have accomplished.
Even though the movie centers around its 12 year-old stars, it’s definitely not appropriate for them or anybody’s kids (or viewers who are easily offended) to see. In fact, the film could cause as many gasps as laughs with the older adult crowd. Watching it with my wife, my 19 year-old and some friends, the reactions were varied. What we were seeing seemed so wrong and at the same time we couldn’t help but laugh. This is due to a very talented cast, smart writing and direction. It helps that Evan Goldberg, Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill are on board as producers, and may be why this film resembles a tween version of Superbad. It also echoes another beloved classic, Stand By Me, and could easily be the other side of the bookend of Booksmart.
Let’s face it, nowadays kids know a lot more than we would like them to. But, somehow there is an innocence to all the shenanigans the writers cook up for these boys. Max, Lucas and Thor, the Bean Bag Boys, are desperately weaving and dodging through their lives as sixth graders, dealing with cool kids, first love, and their place in their world. When Max is invited to a “kissing party,” with the chance to kiss the girl of his dreams, the Bean Bag Boys go off on a quest to figure out how to kiss a girl. Sounds cute, right? Well, it takes a disastrous and hysterical turn with the age of the internet, the discovery of parents’ toys that are used for sex (clueless to the boys), a drone and a sex doll. Need I say more?
I haven’t heard kids on film swear so much since the original Bad News Bears. What the writers have concocted is way over-the-top yet still surprisingly entertaining. Jacob Tremblay, Keith L. Williams, and Brady Noon handle the swearing and the situations with such wonderful comic timing and warmth that they catch us off guard, making us laugh one moment and tugging at our hearts the next. The boys are not the only stand-outs. Making teenage girls their foil is priceless.
Molly Gordon and Midori Frances play beautifully off of their pint-sized foes. Their push-pull fight involving a trade-off with a drone and a purse with drugs in a playground is a high-wire act of comedy that nearly teeters into dangerous territory. But, thanks to Keith L. Williams character, the scene redeems itself. There are also the priceless appearances by Will Forte, Sam Richardson and Stephen Merchant, just to name a few.
Visually sharp with a decent 1080p transfer, Good Boys does not reach the heights of reference quality, but this kind of film generally does not shoot for that. The film maintains a brightness throughout, from their school yard to the skatepark, through the neighborhood and into the woods. The film was shot in Canada, but it could easily be mistaken for a suburb in America.
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 is serviceable. The important thing with a film like this is dialogue. That they get right. No need for subtitles here, but it is optional. The background songs along with the score does not distract from the antics, but enhances quite a few scenes. My only complaint would be not enough use of surround (that I could tell), especially in one particular scene where the boys attempt to cross a busy highway.
As far as bonuses go, it’s like the ice cream song. You scream, I scream, we all scream for ice cream. And, I’m screaming for more bonuses! Yes, what Universal Pictures Home Entertainment gives us is fine, but this film is screaming for more supplemental material from on set. What we get is entertaining, although the gag reel is surprisingly limp.
• Alternate Ending
• Deleted and Extended Scenes
• Boys For Real
• Gag Reel
• Welcome to Vancouver
• A Fine Line
• Ask Your Parents
• Bad Girls
• Guest Stars
• Feature Commentary by Director/Co-Writer Gene Stupnitsky and Producer/Co-Writer Lee Eisenberg
This may be a keeper to some. For me, it was worth watching, but not sure if I would add it to my library. But, for raunchy night with friends — this is the movie to see with some guaranteed belly laughs.
Lowes Price – $22.96 – Amazon and Walmart
