Good Boys

Despite my misgivings about preteens’ spewing raunchy vulgarities, filmmaker Gene Stupnitsky’s smutty coming-of-age story is amusing, particularly in this era of sensitivity towards topics like sexual identity, bullying, and objectification of women. Opening with a father-and-son talk about masturbation, the story centers on three awkward, affably innocent sixth grade boys who are nervously anticipating their first kissing party. Known as Bean Bag Boys, Max (Jacob Tremblay), Lucas (Keith L. Williams), and Thor (Brady Noon) have been friends since kindergarten. At their suburban middle school, they’re mocked as uncool by the Scooter Squad, led by Atticus (Chance Hurstfield). When Max develops a crush on a skateboarding girl (Millie Davis), he turns to Lucas and Thor to search for kissing information on the Internet, practicing on what they think is a CPR doll. When that fails to satisfy their curiosity, they use Max’s dad’s (Will Forte) expensive drone to spy on a real couple making out. Eventually, they embark on a precarious, five-mile trip to the mall. Meanwhile, Lucas’s parents (Retta, Lil Rel Howery) are planning to get a divorce. It soon becomes obvious that 12-year-old boys aren’t quite ready to cope with the harsh reality of adult sex toys, BDSM gear, and explicit pornography. Good Boys mixes shocking, fresh-faced spontaneity with snappy set pieces revolving around adolescent angst and child-proof locks. While hardly a classic, this is better than expected and should be considered a strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director/co-writer Gene Stupnitsky and producer/co-writer Lee Eisenberg, deleted and extended scenes (11 min.), and the production featurettes “Boys for Real” (3 min.), “A Fine Line” (3 min.), “Guest Stars” (3 min.), “Ask Your Parents” (2 min.), and “Bad Girls” (2 min.), as well as an alternate ending (2 min.), a gag reel (2 min.), and the brief “Welcome to Vancouver.” Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are bonus DVD and digital copies of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a winning comedy.] (S. Granger)