Good Boys

Good Boys is like a middle-school version of Superbad. It concerns boys who are on a quest to party, where interaction with girls is desired. Therefore it isn't surprising that Seth Rogen and Evan Thomas are behind both films.

This film may be shocking to some older people, as they may not realize how profane sixth-graders can be. These boys swear like truck drivers, and after having taught sixth grade for a few years I can attest that this language is accurate. However, this film still manages to be sweet because the boys maintain an innocence that even Internet porn can't ruin. When defining a nymphomaniac, one of them says it's when a girl has sex on both land and sea, and think a string of anal beads is a necklace.

Max (Jacob Tremblay), Lucas (Keith L. Williams) and Thor (Brady Noon) are tight friends who call themselves the Bean Bag Boys. Tremblay gets invited to a party by one of the popular kids, and is told it will be a "kissing party." Never having kissed before, and having a crush on a particular girl, he and his friends try to learn how to kiss. They stumble upon porn on the computer, but are disgusted, and end up using Tremblay's father's drone to spy on their teenage neighbor (Molly Gordon) to watch her kiss. She ends up with the drone, but the boys end up with her handbag, which \contains some drugs

Thus the plot is set in motion. The boys go to the mall to buy a new drone, but it's four miles away, which is like another country to them (it will also involve crossing by foot a busy highway). What is fun about this is the personalities of the boys. Williams is especially endearing, as a boy who can't help but be honest and follow the rules. He tells Gordon that she doesn't need to do drugs (the anti-drug education is deep with him). Noon is would-be cool guy who loves to sting and longs to be the lead in the school musical, but allows himself to be shamed by a bully who calls him "Sippy Cup" after he can't bring himself to sip a beer.

Good Boys culminates at the party, where I was amused to see that in this age of social media and advanced technology that Spin the Bottle is still played. The film shows that children mature at different levels--Tremblay wants nothing more than to kiss his crush, but the other two boys aren't ready for that (Williams would rather play video games).

The film's bittersweet message is that the friends you have when you are young may not be your friends forever, as people grow apart. The metaphor used is that of a crab who needs to find a new shell every once in a while. The truth of this may have you thinking of your school days friends.

The three young actors are excellent. I've only seen Tremblay before--he was terrific in Wonder. The film was ably directed by Greg Stupnisky. It's not a great film, by any means, but was exactly the light fare I was looking for on a day I stayed home from work with a bad headache. 

Ironically, the film is rated R, and it's a hard R, with the language and discussion of sex. If you are a good boy, you can't see it. Not yet.