From the makers of “Superbad,” Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen, and former writers of “The Office,” Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky, comes an R-rated teen comedy that wants to raise the stakes by lowering the age. If you thought high schoolers were only susceptible to aggressive, pre-mature exposures of drugs, sex, and violence, “Good Boys” now brings you a trio of sixth graders who are about to undergo their own raunchy coming-of-age.
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The synopsis of “Good Boys” is:
Three sixth grade boys ditch school and embark on an epic journey while carrying accidentally stolen drugs, being hunted by teenage girls, and trying to make their way home in time for their first kissing party.
Leading the trio of young boys is the ever-likable personality of Jacob Tremblay (“Room,” “The Predator”). Given his presence in roles as a child of innocence and wonder, this escapade will surely be a surprise to audiences. It seems the film as a whole is trying to subvert the teen comedy genre simply by lowering the age of the kids. It’s a clever maneuver, but also a risky one, as it remains to be seen whether this will appeal to the general audience or turn them off.
An air of controversy hangs over the production, not due to the combination of its subject matter and sixth graders, but to an unfortunate use of blackface involving one of the stand-ins and child actors. While the makers have apologized after initially justifying it for cinematography purposes, it does still linger over the production. Breaking taboos and defying expectations of age is an ambitious approach to the teen comedy genre, but that ambition is squandered once a controversy like this hits.
Nevertheless, there is plenty of talent behind the film, and it will be interesting to see the comedy of first-time director Gene Stupnitsky applied to a familiar, but new take on the genre.
“Good Boys” will debut at this year’s SXSW and is scheduled for release on August 16.
