Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Good Boys’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

While we all lament the fact that Hollywood loves to use gimmicks to draw us into the theaters from time to time, sometimes the wild and quirky idea(s) they come up with are pretty darn effective in garnering our attention and getting us to the theater. Because once in a while, an off the wall gimmick just seems too good to pass up and you have to know whether or not the gag that the movie planned is going to work in seamless fashion or not, and that particular brand of curiosity is precisely why I felt the need to head to the theaters to see the new movie Good Boys, since its premise was quite the gimmick when all is said and done.
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Because, let’s be honest, everything that popped up advertising wise for this motion picture made it seem as though it was going to be Superbad with a bunch of tweens, and that does sound like an intriguing venture in its own right. After all, the aforementioned Superbad was a wonderfully hilarious comedy, one that captured the essence of the high school experience to a tee, and when considers the fact that a fair chunk of the creative team behind that movie was involved with this one, such as Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, one would expect that this particular picture would feature a similarly hilarious story that tugs at your heart strings and well, the good news is that Good Boys accomplishes all those things.

For it really is a damn funny film through and through, and much of what makes the inappropriate jokes work here is the sheer fact that we are dealing some naïve tweens who simply don’t quite understand some of the things that the audience does and some of the awkward moments they find themselves in because of that, leads to some side splitting moments for certain and the wonder of the jokes don’t end there. Because there are also some wonderfully original jokes to be found in this film, the kind that leave you with tears streaming down your face as you watch these kids get into some unique situations and while the comedy is wonderful in its own right, it’s the heart present in this movie that makes it worth your while.

Because this motion picture really does take you back to those days when you were in your tweens, where you wanted nothing more than to be cool and fit in at a new school, and where you started to believe you knew what was best for you, when you really didn’t and this is honestly quite the incredible plot element to find within the framework of a comedy movie. Because it’s really what draws you in, and it’s really what keeps the film going in your mind long after it has come to an end, because you find your mind drifting back to those days in particular, where everything was handled in absolutes and the drama was at an all-time high and that wistfulness just makes this film special in its own right.

In the end, this a movie that I highly recommend. Because you really can’t go wrong with losing yourself within the framework of a raucous comedy for an hour and half, and in all honesty this is one that I honestly might need to see again in order to make sure I didn’t miss any particular joke or gag while I was wiping the tears from my eyes. But all hilarity aside, what makes this movie truly special is the sheer fact that it really does elicit a sense of self-nostalgia while you watch, since it reminds the audience of a simpler time in our lives, when the biggest problems we faced was whether or not we’d make it to a big party or see our friends and well, being able to reflect upon that while having a hearty laugh is a wonderful and magical experience, one that you’ll only find on the silver screen. 

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