A good movie

To be honest, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but, since it was directed by Taika Waititi and since it was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well check it out. In fact, I planned to watch it way earlier but it got removed from Netflix and it took me more than a whopping 7 years to finally watch the damned thing. Anyway, it was Waititi’s last independent feature he made in New Zealand before being hired by Marvel/Disney to direct the smash hit ‘Thor: Ragnarok’, easily one of the most enjoyable Marvel installments. So, this movie did have a solid reputation and, if it didn’t really blow me away, it was still pretty good though. It’s rather funny to read some other reviews saying that it was really ‘original’ but, with all respect, I don’t agree at all. Indeed, it was basically a odd couple who slowly became fond of each other, one of the oldest gimmicks ever (In the IMDb trivia, it is even mentioned that the plot is actually really similar to ‘Up’ which is definitely the case). To make things worse, they went on some kind of road-trip which was just some lazy writing but, at least, it was refreshing that this road-trip didn’t have an actual destination. So, I didn’t think it was some great stuff or anything really original but I did appreciate the approach and the typical quirky tone that you always get in Waititi’s work. Indeed, I have to admit that the damned thing was often quite funny. Finally, the cast was pretty much pitch-perfect. Sam Neill has always been a dependable actor and it shows that the guy can play pretty much everything, even such daft comedies. However, the real wild card here was Julian Dennison though. Indeed, the kid was pure comedic gold and he gave easily one of the most entertaining child performances I have ever seen. Apparently, afterwards, he was also in ‘Deadpool 2’ but I saw it years ago and I barely remember it so I really have to rewatch it now. Anyway, to conclude, even if it might not be a masterpiece, it was still a decent watch and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in Taika Waititi’s work. 

7/10