The creators of Good Boys apparently think having sixth grade boys use profanity, drink beer, and other adult situations is funny enough to carry a 90 minute movie. It’s not.
The Production: 1.5/5
Three best friends embark on an epic 4-mile adventure, ditching school to replace the drone Max (Jacob Tremblay, Wonder) accidentally destroyed when they were trying to spy on two teenage girls. The drone belonged to Max’s father (Will Forte), who expressly forbid Max to touch the drone while he was out of town on a business trip. The three boys call themselves “The Beanbag Boys,” and often feel awkward at school. Max has a crush on Brixlee (Millie Davis), Thor (Brady Noon) is an aspiring singer, and Lucas (Keith L. Williams) has just learned that his parents are getting a divorce. When Max is invited to a Kissing Party by “cool kid” Soren (Izaac Wong), and knowing that Brixlee will also be attending, is what sets the adventure in motion.
Writers Lee Eisenberg & Gene Stupnitsky (who also directed) have our young cast dropping f-bomb after f-bomb while also occasionally drinking beer and raiding a parent’s closet of sex toys and placing them in precarious situations (like crossing a freeway during rush hour) for much of the films 90 minute running time. I did not laugh once, not even a chuckle or a smile. Somewhere underneath all the profanity and sex jokes lies a story about three 12-year old boys who must suddenly come to terms that their friendship will change as puberty beckons. I really wish the latter was the main focus, as that may have made for a better movie. Unfortunately, it’s not.
Video: 4.5/5
3D Rating: NA
Good Boys was captured at 2.6K and 3.4K resolutions on Arri Alexa Mini and SXT cameras, presumably completed as a 2K digital intermediate. Universal’s AVC-encoded 1080p transfer retains the film’s theatrical aspect ratio of 2.39:1, and is a slight disappointment from the studio, who has had an excellent track record of late with their new Blu-ray releases. Overall, it is not a bad transfer, with vivid colors that are not oversaturated, sharp detail, and decent contrast and black levels. There is some minor noise that creeps into the picture now and again, noticeable if you are looking for it.
Audio: 3.5/5
Good Boys comes with a default DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track that, unfortunately, is a pretty standard front-heavy comedy mix. Surrounds are used ever so sparingly, even during the freeway crossing scene and the drone chases. LFE is also weak, not really supporting the film’s occasional use of music. Dialogue is clear and understandable throughout.
Special Features: 3/5
Most of the extras are nothing more than EPK fluff, and the commentary is quite boring, as well.
Alternate Ending (1080p; 2:00): Not all that different from the ending the creators eventually decided to use.
Deleted and Extended Scenes (1080p; 10:26): Eleven scenes are included – Turtle vs. Tortoise, Benji Don’t Like That, Customer Service, Ball Pit Shenanigans, Tracking Molly, Stealing a Glance, Upsell Fail, Max Explodes, Best Friends, Traffic Jam and First Kiss Heartbreak.
Boys for Real (1080p; 3:12): The main cast and their personalities.
Gag Reel (1080p; 2:07)
Welcome to Vancouver (1080p; 1:07): Apparently star Jacob Tremblay lives and even went to school where the movie was shot.
A Fine Line (1080p; 2:41): The use of foul language in the film.
Ask Your Parents (1080p; 1:45): More on some of the inappropriate material.
Bad Girls (1080p; 1:45): A brief look at the two teenage antragonists of the film played by Molly Gordon and Midori Francis.
Guest Stars (1080p; 2:39): A look at some of the extended cameos in the film.
Audio Commentary with Director/Co-Writer Gene Stupnitsky and Producer/Co-Writer Lee Eisenberg: The two men joke a lot in this track as they discuss the making of the film, often laughing at their own jokes.
DVD Copy: The movie in 480p and Dolby Digital 5.1 audio, plus all of the special features listed above.
Digital Copy: An insert contains a code to redeem a digital copy on Movies Anywhere.
Overall: 2.5/5
I struggled to find any humor or entertainment value out of Good Boys. For the curious, I’d recommend a rental first.
Todd Erwin has been a reviewer at Home Theater Forum since 2008. His love of movies began as a young child, first showing Super 8 movies in his backyard during the summer to friends and neighbors at age 10. He also received his first movie camera that year, a hand-crank Wollensak 8mm with three fixed lenses. In 1980, he graduated to "talkies" with his award-winning short The Ape-Man, followed by the cult favorite The Adventures of Terrific Man two years later. Other films include Myth or Fact: The Talbert Terror and Warren's Revenge (which is currently being restored). In addition to movie reviews, Todd has written many articles for Home Theater Forum centering mostly on streaming as well as an occasional hardware review, is the host of his own video podcast Streaming News & Views on YouTube and is a frequent guest on the Home Theater United podcast.
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