Jojo Rabbit

Well that's weird. You can say that about a lot of this movie, but I'm specifically referring to the unusual fact that this movie's most notable conceit--Hitler as the protagonist's imaginary friend--was in fact completely unnecessary. This would have been a better film overall without it, if writer and director Taika Waititi had had the belief to just let his young lead go on this journey on his own. One suspects that  Waititi indulged himself, largely to get himself in his own film. (Perhaps someone told him once that he kind of looks like Hitler, and an idea was born--though perhaps not a great one.) There are other issues: a certain unevenness in tone--possibly unavoidable, given the Anne Frankishness of the plot--some of the funny isn't quite up to satirical snuff, and (one of the worst transgressions for this viewer) this is one of those movies that seems to think the world would get better simply through people dancing (it wouldn't--sorry). All that reads a little harsh, probably too harsh in fact; you can watch this one and find it enjoyable and ticklish (except for one very jarring moment); it's just not as good as some made it out to be.