When I turned up to the Melbourne Premiere for Good Boys I was greeted with a photo wall with a line across the top and a quote that read “You must be this tall to see this movie”. I didn’t think much of it until the film kicked off and it became very clear that this new film from Seth Rogen’s and Evan Goldberg’s production studios, Point Grey Pictures (Super Bad, Sausage Party and Bad Neighbors), is most definitely not fit for children.
With Gene Stupnitsky in his directorial debut, Good Boys sees three young friends, Max (Jacob Tremblay), Lucas (Keith L. Williams), and Thor (Brady Noon) entering into the sixth grade where a whirlwind of changes to their lives is about to put their strong ‘Bean Bag Boys’ friendship to the ultimate test.
During lunch at school, Max is invited to a party by the popular kid, Soren (Izaac Wang). All the cool kids are going to be there, including Max’s crush, Brixlee (Millie Davis). After convincing Soren to invite his two best friends as well, Max is excited with the possibility of kissing Brixlee. However, after discussing the party with Lucas and Thor, they quickly discover that none of them know how to kiss and set out on a mission to learn how to kiss. Seems innocent enough, right? Wrong! The film kicks into overdrive and the hilarity does not stop!
The clear stand outs in this film are the three young ‘Good Boys’. Jacob, Keith and Brady’s chemistry on-screen is incredible, to the point where I firmly believed these kids had grown up together. The writing from Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky was perfect for this juvenile trio. It was clear that they were having so much fun with their roles, it made the comedy that much stronger and had me cheering for them throughout the film. It’s not all comedy though; there is angst, love, friendship and even some heartbreak too. Good Boys has it all and it delivers in spades.
This brilliantly hilarious film reminded a lot of Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle. Best friends with a set common goal that will do anything to reach their set goal, but instead of college stoners, you have pre-teen middle-schoolers. I loved that film and I loved Good Boys even more. If you enjoyed Harold & Kumar, Superbad, or even the most recentl Book Smart, then Good Boys is one movie that I strongly recommend you see. Don’t be fooled though, it is almost school holidays, but this is most definitely not one for the kids! Remember, you must be this tall to see this movie.
Catch Good Boys when it is released in Australia on September 19.