The new movie Good Boys is about a trio of sixth graders. It’s rated R with the MPAA labeling it as having strong crude sexual content, drug and alcohol content, and language throughout – all involving tweens. That’s an accurate description… this is a very wrong movie… but also one that might make you chuckle or at least remember being a kid that age.
The movie is about these three kids who get invited to a party… a kissing party! They have never kissed anyone and aren’t sure how you go about doing that (Googling “porb”… or “porn” leads to much confusion about why people keep kissing the wrong body parts). The kids damage one of their dad’s drones, get their hands on some molly (owned by a pair older teen girls) and generally have various adventures on their way to the party. So its that movie… the long trek to the party plot. Only now with sixth graders instead of more mature, I dunno, tenth graders.
Now, this flick does earn its R rating but I didn’t ultimately feel it was as raunchy as the trailers suggest. Which isn’t to say it isn’t raunchy… kids should not be allowed to see this movie and, indeed, the kids in the movie shouldn’t be allowed to see it either. But one thing that I found curious is that the film positions these three boys as foul-mouthed and with girls on their brains, but they are ultimately pretty good boys, actually. They don’t mean ill and they are very sure kissing a girl requires consent and maybe drinking a beer isn’t great but drugs are certainly bad.
The jokes in the flick tended to make me chuckle (sometimes knowingly) but they rarely made me laugh-laugh. And the humor does tend to come in only two varieties… “I can’t believe a kid said that” and “it’s hilarious the kids don’t understand what’s going on because they are only twelve.”
For example, they don’t know what a sex swing is, mistake sex toys for weapons, or get confused about the word nymphomaniac (it either means you like to burn things or have sex on both land and sea). Oh, and they do drink beer… but only the bold take three sips… no ones dares go for four!
In many (many) ways this film is deeply wrong and irresponsible. On the other hand, watching it as an adult may remind you of how you were when you were young and stupid. And that can be fairly amusing… maybe even funny. The movie isn’t a great success as a comedy in my book and will certainly turn some people off for obvious reasons.
Score: 74