Review: Love's at the heart of Taika Waititi's brilliant Nazi-mocking satire 'Jojo Rabbit'

There’s quirky charm and so much historical baggage to be had when Taika Waititi, playing the goofiest take on Adolf Hitler ever in his brilliant satire “Jojo Rabbit,” greets a young German boy with bromantic exuberance and says, “Heil me, man!”

Written and directed by Waititi, “Jojo” (★★★★ out of four; rated PG-13; in theaters Friday in Los Angeles and New York, expanding through fall) plays Nazis, Hollywood’s go-to villains, as complete ninnies and pushes boundaries without goose-stepping over the line of good taste. More importantly, though, the rousing adaptation of Christine Leunens’ novel “Caging Skies” teaches a resonant lesson on love vs. learned that's set during one of the most heinous periods in history.

Centering on a conflicted 10-year-old boy (Roman Griffin Davis) and his loving mother (Scarlett Johansson), “Jojo” looks at Nazi Germany’s anti-Jew world view and aims to take away its power through relentless mockery. Familiar faces like Sam Rockwell, Rebel Wilson and Stephen Merchant play various degrees of buffoonery, while “Heil, Hitler!” is demoted from white supremacy salute to a “What’s up?” greeting.

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It’s the waning days of World War II and the Allies are close to defeating Hitler’s army, yet Jojo remains blindly fanatical to the cause. He goes to Nazi youth training weekends, which involve burning books and throwing hand grenades, but he’s bullied because of his small size and lack of a killer instinct. Jojo's main confidante is Adolf, his hero come to life as imaginary friend/hype man/self-help guru.

After blowing himself up, a scarred, recovering Jojo does odd jobs for Captain Klenzendorf (Rockwell), a gay Nazi soldier losing confidence in the war effort, though always under the watchful eye of mom Rosie. With Jojo’s dad working out of the country, Rosie tries to keep the politics to a minimum in her house. But Jojo finds out her biggest secret: His mother is hiding a Jewish girl, Elsa (Thomasin McKenzie), behind a wall in the bedroom of his late older sister.

This blows the kid’s mind since he’s been taught Jews are monstrous, mind-reading devils who should be hunted down. Instead, Jojo is drawn to Elsa’s fiery strength – as he and his mom also grow closer in heartfelt fashion – but he’s also torn: He’s been taught to turn in Jews, though knows doing so would threaten both him and Rosie.

Johansson really shines in her role as a loving parent who has her adorable eccentricities yet tries to keep Jojo from growing up too fast. The youngsters are stellar as well: Audiences will fall for McKenzie as easily as Jojo does, Davis is a star in the making, and Archie Yates is a hoot as Jojo’s nigh-indestructible pal Yorki.

Waititi (“Thor: Ragnarok”) balances dark comedy and a warm heart throughout, plus embraces his inner Mel Brooks when setting footage of Hitler-heiling legions to The Beatles' German version of “I Want to Hold Your Hand.” But it’s what the New Zealand director does in front of the camera that’s most remarkable.

Playing the most evil person pretty much ever – and with such virtuosic style – would seem tricky for any thespian, though Waititi’s genius comes through in Adolf’s arc: Sure, he’s all witty and weirdly appealing at first, yet as Jojo turns more of his attention toward Elsa, Hitler subtly transforms into the petty, angry monster from the history books, with Waititi exhibiting the dramatic real-life mannerisms of the infamous dictator.

“Jojo Rabbit” succeeds even with a high degree of difficulty, given the sensitivities of the subject matter, the emotional undercurrent of a mother’s devotion to her son and the breaking down of artificial walls to let love in. As much as it makes you laugh, Waititi’s must-watch effort is a warm hug of a movie that just so happens to have a lot of important things to say.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Jojo Rabbit' review: Taika Waititi goofs on Hitler in fab WWII satire