Good Boys

Good Boys (2019) follows three sixth graders. They are invited to a party, they do not know how to kiss, and they set out to do research. The only tool they have is one boy's father's drone, and within a day the drone is gone. The entire plot is their attempt to get it back. The comedy runs on a gap in knowledge. The boys find objects and words belonging to the adult world, misunderstand them, and use them with total seriousness. The film does not present children as knowing; their ignorance is the material. Gene Stupnitsky directed and wrote it with Lee Eisenberg, both of whom came from the American version of The Office. Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg produced. It was rated R in the United States, which meant children of the age it depicts could not see it without a parent. The marketing made a joke of this, with videos in which the young actors claimed they were not allowed to watch their own trailer. It runs 90 minutes. Good for: adult comedy, stories about friendship, and the timing of its young cast. Less good for: the swearing and sexual content are heavy, and despite the title this is not a children's film. Several jokes repeat one idea, and the emotional turn near the end is rushed.