The “complex” Taika Waititi movie Jon Favreau loves most
The career of Jon Favreau began in the age-old profession of acting, with appearances in the likes of Rudy, PCU and Seinfeld. After meeting fellow actor Vince Vaughn, he co-wrote the 1996 comedy-drama Swingers, in which he also starred alongside Vaughn, and then followed up with efforts in Deep Impact and Daredevil.
Favreau might be best known by some realms of cinema fandom for his contributions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, directing and producing the Iron Man films, as well as either starring in or producing movies such as The Avengers and Spider-Man: Homecoming.
With such a significant hand in the MCU, Favreau has never stopped short of offering his praise for his colleagues and peers. When it comes to Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi, Favreau looks to have a deep and profound admiration for one of the New Zealander’s efforts, although it’s not one of his Marvel movies.
Discussing Waititi’s 2019 historical comedy-drama JoJo Rabbit, Favreau pointed out the fact that Waititi took a big risk in even making it in the first place. He told Variety: “This movie is not safe on any level. Anyone who ventures into the Hitler comedy subgenre is guaranteed a bumpy road.”
JoJo Rabbit tells of a ten-year-old Hitler Youth child who discovers that his mother is hiding a young Jewish girl in their attic. His beliefs and ideals are thrown into question, and he must battle against his imaginary friend, who just so happens to be a comedic take on Adolf Hitler.
Favreau then compared Waititi to two legends of comedy, who also subverted the genre by going rather close to the bone when it came to historical figures. “Taika walks in the path of absurdist comedy stalwarts Mel Brooks and Charlie Chaplin at a time when not sticking the landing has zero margin of error,” he said. “But when you do stick the landing, it is all the more impressive.”
The Swingers actor was impressed by Waititi’s bravery in taking on such a complex topic, which had the potential to upset so many. “It is one thing to challenge the formula in a Marvel Thor sequel,” he said. “It is quite another when you’re painting a sympathetic portrait of kids coming of age while being corrupted by the Third Reich.”
He added: “I love when filmmakers are not afraid to throw themselves into a triple axel, not knowing if they can land it. I also appreciate when comedians are willing to take on complex topics that can potentially offer insight over dogma and make a thoughtful case against the evils we together face as humans.”
Check out the trailer for JoJo Rabbit below.
