Jon Favreau Opens Up About the Triumph That Is Taika Waititi's JOJO RABBIT

Director and actor Taika Waititi’s most recent film, Jojo Rabbit, was one of my favorite films this year. The movie about a little German boy who is in Hitler’s army and has an imaginary friend in the form of a bumbling Adolf Hitler is a film that stole my heart. I laughed, I cried, I was all in for this film, and it was incredibly full of heart. And Jon Favreau agrees.

In a recent article written by Favreau for Variety, the actor and The Mandalorian director sings his praises of the film, first addressing what a risk it was to make it in the first place.

This movie is not safe on any level. Anyone who ventures into the Hitler comedy subgenre is guaranteed a bumpy road. Taika walks in the path of absurdist comedy stalwarts Mel Brooks and Charlie Chaplin at a time when not sticking the landing has zero margin of error.

But boy, did he ever stick the landing. Favreau went on to explain that when the stakes are that high and you do pull it off, it’s “all the more impressive.” It was quite a feat, as the subject matter and storyline are so far out. Favreau continued to talk about the way the film made him feel, and said:

I personally love stories with heart, hope, and that make me laugh. I love when filmmakers are not afraid to throw themselves into a triple axel, not knowing if they can land it. I also appreciate when comedians are willing to take on complex topics that can potentially offer insight over dogma and make a thoughtful case against the evils we together face as humans. In this case, it took a Polynesian Jew dressed as Hitler to accomplish these things.

It sounds crazy, but it just works. Jojo Rabbit is a wonderful film that I can’t recommend enough. Check it out if you haven’t yet, and hopefully we will see it get some love and recognition this awards season.