Telegraphed jokes and drama

It's bright in Jojo's Nazi Germany. The sun is always shining and the pastel colors pop. Springtime for Hitler comes to mind, and some moments of this film are just as brilliant as the brief minutes we get with the play within the film of The Producers.

Problem is the jokes are telegraphed, ones like a character touting about how cultured the Nazis are, and in the next sentence demands that the children must burn books. The drama is telegraphed much the same way. Such a big deal was made out of mom's shoes, you know where they are headed with it in terms of plot.

Jojo Rabbit attempts to live on the fence of a satire and drama, and unfortunately it would have benefited if it went full tilt one way or the other. As a satire, Waititi's Hitler and Rockwell's Klenzendorf will make you laugh when you know you shouldn't, and the moral of the story is one rare explored. Make no mistake, Jojo is good, but it becoming a comedic masterpiece is about as imaginary as Jojo's Hitler.