Good Boys review: So hilarious, you’ll want to see it twice

Good Boys delivers with non-stop laughs, great performances throughout, and an unexpectedly touching story. Don’t hesitate, head out this weekend.

Should you rush to see Good Boys in theaters? In short, YES- but if that isn’t enough I’m prepared to go further in emphasizing that you should see this movie if you have considered it. I say “if you have considered it” because that means that you’ve likely seen the trailer and know what you’re in for. If you are going to be upset about raunchy comedy, kids cussing, and sexual references then don’t go see the movie.

While I often am upset about movies putting too much in the trailer, in this case I feel that everything you see in the trailer is meant to prepare you for what you’re going to see. You won’t be tricked into seeing something you didn’t sign up for (like I was with Sausage Party), it’s all in the trailer.

Even then, most of the biggest laughs in the movie were not given away in the trailer. There is not a single scene that doesn’t have a funny moment in it. Even when things get serious at points, there’s still something humorous happening. But let’s break down why you should watch this movie.

Constant Laughs

The Good Boys‘ twitter account posted a quote from MovieWeb stating that you will laugh for 90 minutes straight. Usually a statement like this is an exaggeration, but in this case it’s true. The majority of the humor is just in the things the kids say. They’re at that weird age where you have to act like you know more than you do and they were very loud and very wrong on almost every topic throughout the movie.

You get a lot of this in the trailer but it truly was constant. By doing this, the movie was able to have conversations that were important to advancing the story still have you dying laughing at the misuse of words, items, and phrases. I was crying laughing within the first 15 minutes and was crying laughing (or maybe just crying) when the credits ran as well.

The last time I had an experience like this was when I saw Game Night (completely slept on movie) and the first time was probably when I saw The Hangover. This was the pre-teen version of a movie like The Hangover and it played every note beautifully.

Great Acting

Man, Jacob Tremblay is a powerhouse. I’m still upset he didn’t get an Oscar nomination for Room, but he definitely hasn’t let that slow him down. Somehow he is still only 12 and he will soon be going through that pre-teen transformation and I really hope he comes out on the other side of it in position to continue his run.

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Most know him from the serious roles but as Max in Good Boys he was able to cut loose and displayed amazing comedic timing. He was still able to look like the sweet innocent kid we’ve grown to love but then he opened his mouth. Even then, when he was cussing and talking about sex it was all matter-of-fact. The differences between the three kids allowed each of them to stand out in their own way.

Moving to Keith L. Williams (also 12), his presence in the crew was incredibly important. He was the biggest of the three but just a big soft teddy bear throughout. While the other two were talking about growing up way too fast and trying to prove to the other kids how mature they were, Lucas was usually the voice of reason.

Sometimes that voice was too vocal as he consistently snitched and exposed secret plans. He just couldn’t stop telling the truth and it somehow shocked his friends every time. He would just go down a rabbit hole of confessions, ones that most kids wouldn’t dream of. He was raised TOO correctly.

Finally, Brady Noon’s Thor. Having only previously appeared in Boardwalk Empire, he’s the only one of the three I hadn’t seen before. His character was great on multiple fronts. On one hand, his annoyance with his little sister took me back to my youth and being annoyed by mine. Then you move to the assortment of things in his house that kids shouldn’t see.

They were so present that he didn’t even think much of them. His parents were very active sexually but have not yet had that conversation with him, clearly. His character was the main culprit when it came to going out of his way to fit in. He has a passion that he’s about to give up because it’s not perceived as cool and this is his battle throughout the film.

Good Boys also gets the most out of its supporting cast as even characters who have one scene (like the cop) had memorable moments.

Nostalgia

As expected, a lot of people are upset about the language in the film and the things the kids are exposed to. However, having been a middle-schooler in three different states I feel confident in saying that this movie captured that age rather well.

Of course, it was a bit exaggerated, it’s a comedic movie, but the discussions they were trying to have were very real. When you’re in that age range, you think you’re supposed to be growing up quickly. You no longer want to be seen as a little kid. This is the age where you experiment and get in trouble. The age when the peer pressure is its strongest and you start to hide parts of yourself or change who you are to fit in. All of these pressures, the different personalities between the kids, and the stressful situation they’re put in start to tug at their bond.

I remember going to the sixth grade, too. I cut my rat-tail off because that was a kiddie haircut and I was going to be a big boy now. It was now more important to be into girls and hormones started to be out of control.

It was also the time when I started to realize that some of the things I was into weren’t considered cool and I started to change my image to better fit in. All of these things are addressed in the movie in smart ways that allowed them to hit home without changing the vibe of the movie.

Overall

Good Boys definitely lived up to the hype from the trailer on the comedy and had a better story than expected as well. All of the kids in the movie were amazing and they were backed up by strong supporting acting. Typically, comedies aren’t the types of movies I’d pay to see twice but Good Boys might be an exception. There’s so many funny moments that I feel like I would likely pick up on something I missed the first time around if I see it again.

Don’t hesitate, get those tickets.

Good Boys is now available in theaters.