The best way to describe Good Boys is that it's a cross behind a live-action version of "South Park" and Superbad. After Superbad became a huge hit in 2007, it seemed like the youth-oriented R-rated comedy would make a major comeback. Instead, the genre all but disappeared. Over the past dozen years, the R-rated comedy has been virtually non-existent with only a handful of comedic studio releases carrying the restrictive rating, so it's a great surprise to see something like Good Boys finally hit theaters again.
Some might say that Good Boys sticks a little too close to the Superbad formula, and there's probably some truth to that. At times, the film does play like a middle school remake of Superbad. That said, I think it's even funnier than Superbad was, so it's hard to hold that against it. Where Good Boys is different than most R-rated youth comedies is in just how young the protagonists of the film are. Having sixth graders swear like high schoolers typically do in films is kind of shocking to see in a mainstream motion picture. Not since Up the Academy (the little seen MAD Magazine film) has a theatrical comedy dared to show middle schoolers as they really talk. For some, this will seem offensive. For those who are younger, this will be seen as entirely realistic, which is what makes Good Boys as successful as it is. It's rare to see a comedy that is both realistic and funny. The only scenes in Good Boys that don't work are the ones that seem a bit too over-the-top (the arm scene for example). 90% of the time the events in Good Boys seem like they could happen in real life, and that makes everything more interesting to watch.
One major advantage the film has over most recent movies is absolutely perfect pacing. There is not a minute wasted here, with almost every moment going towards excellently timed jokes, necessary character development, and moving the story forward as quickly as possible. The usual awful exposition that can be found in a lot of broad comedies doesn't exist here. There were some great lines in the red band trailers that didn't make the final cut, but I didn't miss them too much. Good Boys is easily has the best pacing of any comedy this decade.
Hopefully, Good Boys is a box office success. It's not quite a masterpiece, but it's as close to a comedic masterpiece as I've seen this decade. This is raunchy gold. Highly recommended. 8/10
Some might say that Good Boys sticks a little too close to the Superbad formula, and there's probably some truth to that. At times, the film does play like a middle school remake of Superbad. That said, I think it's even funnier than Superbad was, so it's hard to hold that against it. Where Good Boys is different than most R-rated youth comedies is in just how young the protagonists of the film are. Having sixth graders swear like high schoolers typically do in films is kind of shocking to see in a mainstream motion picture. Not since Up the Academy (the little seen MAD Magazine film) has a theatrical comedy dared to show middle schoolers as they really talk. For some, this will seem offensive. For those who are younger, this will be seen as entirely realistic, which is what makes Good Boys as successful as it is. It's rare to see a comedy that is both realistic and funny. The only scenes in Good Boys that don't work are the ones that seem a bit too over-the-top (the arm scene for example). 90% of the time the events in Good Boys seem like they could happen in real life, and that makes everything more interesting to watch.
One major advantage the film has over most recent movies is absolutely perfect pacing. There is not a minute wasted here, with almost every moment going towards excellently timed jokes, necessary character development, and moving the story forward as quickly as possible. The usual awful exposition that can be found in a lot of broad comedies doesn't exist here. There were some great lines in the red band trailers that didn't make the final cut, but I didn't miss them too much. Good Boys is easily has the best pacing of any comedy this decade.
Hopefully, Good Boys is a box office success. It's not quite a masterpiece, but it's as close to a comedic masterpiece as I've seen this decade. This is raunchy gold. Highly recommended. 8/10