Growing up can be challenging, especially the transition from elementary school to middle school, where kids begin to learn the more risque facts of life.
Good Boys perfectly summarizes what it’s like to be a pre-pubescent middle schooler, with all of the innocence of an elementary school kid and the inappropriate information of a high schooler.
The film is an original comedy produced from some of the funniest and most creative minds of Seth Rogen, Lee Eisenberg, Jonah Hill, Evan Goldberg and James Weaver. The film follows three best friends who are just starting the sixth grade, and they’re trying to prove their worth to the popular kids. When they get invited to a kissing party by the most popular kid in their grade, they set out on a crazy adventure.
It’s one of the most original and hilarious screenplays and leaves audiences laughing at the jokes even when the film is over. The film focuses around vulgar humor but presents it in such an elegant way that it works extremely well. It’s simply an honest account of what it’s like to be in the sixth grade and start learning all of the information that you didn’t know before, especially when it comes to sex.
There are a lot of genuinely funny moments without using the inappropriate or grotesque jokes. Instead of simply throwing those types of jokes in there, they’re dispersed throughout the film, and the story takes a lot of that humor and turns it into a hilarious and innocent learning process for the kids.
The kids are certainly the highlight of the film. The “Bean Bag Boys” consists of Max (Jacob Tremblay), Lucas (Keith L. Williams) and Thor (Brady Noon). The three have incredible friendship chemistry on screen. In comedic films, a huge point of creating the film has to do with the timing of the lines, gestures, facial expressions and so much more. At the young age of 12, it can be hard to properly deliver lines and relay the correct humorous moments to the audience, but the three leading boys do it wonderfully.
Good Boys isn’t just a plain comedy either. With the feeling of hilarious nostalgia comes a sweet and honest message about childhood friendship. Typically, the reality is people don’t always stay in the same friend groups as time goes on and they grow up.
The film shows the three boys realizing that part of their friendship comes from the fact that they live so close and their parents are friends, and it makes them genuinely question the validity of their friendship. As they enter this new chapter of their lives, they start to realize they’re into different activities and it’s hard for them to really connect, but they know they’ll always have the shared experiences of being each other’s best friends for so long. Those types of friendships don’t go away, and it’s a sweet and unexpected message through this brilliant comedy.
Good Boys is a fresh, a realistic and an exciting comedy that is so gripping, it’s a definite must-see. Expect not only some of the best comedic writing but also some of the most nostalgic, emotional and touching moments that are a great reminder of what it was like as a pre-teen.
