Film Review: ‘Good Boys’ Misses the Mark But Manages to Land

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CHICAGO – The innocence of childhood is about to be wrecked for the gazillionth time, c’est la vie. “Good Boys” is a raunchy film with foul-mouthed middle schoolers going on wacky adventures. The pretzel logic to set up these adventures are weak, but the core of the conclusion is the strength.

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 3.0/5.0
Rating: 3.0/5.0

Forcing the boys who play the roles to spew some of the stupid lines and do some of the actions bordered on child cruelty, but the likability of the crew eventually pulls it off. The film is best when it focuses on common childhood angst like the first mix with the opposite sex and how friendships change when time marches on. This is actually toward the end of the film, as the boys do everything else to get to a “kissing party” that one of the popular kids are throwing. That everything else includes sex dolls, wanton destruction and drug buying. Yeah, that’s gonna happen. There is a lot to wade through to get to the point, which might have been just as effective without the high concepts.

The “Bean Bag Boys” – Max (Jacob Temblay), Lucas (Keith L. Williams and Thor (Brady Noon) – have been friends since childhood, but are moving together to middle school and sixth grade. On their first day, they score early with an invitation to a party with the popular kids, but learn also it’s a “kissing party,” and they don’t know how to kiss. Max then borrows his Dad’s drone to spy on neighborhood teens to learn how.

That was his first mistake, which leads to a series of adventures which includes lots of drone mishaps, a couple of teenage girls who are their rivals and misunderstandings having to do with a surprisingly easy access to a bunch of sex toys. Past those dreary high concepts, there is the core of the Bean Bag Boys friendship, which ultimately rules their destinies after all.

“Good Boys” opens everywhere on August 9th. Featuring Jacob Tremblay, Brady Noon, Keith L. Williams, Will Forte, Lil Ray Howery, Stephen Merchant and Michaela Watkins, Written by Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg. Directed by Gene Stupnitsky. Rated “R”

StarContinue reading for Patrick McDonald’s full review of “Good Boys”

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Keith L. Williams, Jacob Tremblay and Brady Noon in ‘Good Boys’
Photo credit: Universal Pictures

StarContinue reading for Patrick McDonald’s full review of “Good Boys”

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