SXSW 2019: The raunchy Good Boys is an instant comedy classic

Many teen or pre-teen comedies usually star actors much older than their roles call for, likely in some attempt to avoid emotionally scarring a group of child actors with the rampant sex and violence that these raunchy films usually traffic in. The upcoming Good Boys avoids all of those concerns by casting actual children in the lead roles, resulting in one of the most hilarious teen-adjacent comedies in years.

Produced by Superbad writers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, Good Boys has a lot in common with that 2007 comedy hit, while updating it for a newer generation. The film follows three 12-year-old best friends who get in way over their heads after accidentally destroying an expensive drone (a device unheard of in the simpler Superbad era) ahead of their first “kissing party” later that night. Known as “The Beanbag Boys” (because they like sitting on beanbags), the trio do everything together, and band together to raise the money to replace the drone in hopes that they will all land their first kisses that night. Their mission of course spirals out of control, resulting in a drug-dealing scheme, a battle of wits between a pair of Molly-hungry teenage girls, and plenty of other increasingly insane hijinx.

The three boys are all well-defined characters, and each exhibit distinct traits of that horribly awkward moment right before puberty full kicks in. Max (Room‘s Jacob Tremblay) is the most sexually curious of the group, who hopes to finally kiss his school crush at the party. Thor (Brady Noon) acts tough but dreams of a life in musical theatre, while Lucas (Keith L Williams) is a sweet-natured do-gooder who lists “rules” as one of his favourite things. Their chemistry together is pitch-perfect, with each complimenting the others in a number of ways. This is a true ensemble cast, rounded out by the always dependable Will Forte as Max’s father, the scene-stealing combo of Lil Rey Howery and Retta as Lucas’ parents, and Molly Garden and Midori Francis as the teenage girls who just want to secure their drugs and go see Kendrick Lamar.

The plot here is fairly unremarkable, but the smart script by Lee Eisenberg and director Gene Stupnitsky keeps things briskly moving along from one raunchy set piece to the next before you even have a chance to finish laughing (the laughs were so prolonged at the SXSW premiere that a good half of the film’s dialogue was simply swallowed up by the audience’s laughter). The gag of innocent-looking 12-year-olds endlessly dropping f-bombs might get tiresome for some, but if you laugh at the concept once, then you’re likely in for the long haul. Director Gene Stupnitsky sure never tires of it, showcasing each of the kids’ many profanity-laced outbursts with a near reverence for the foul-mouthed material.

The film keeps upping the ante in terms of shock value, from placing the characters in mortal danger to having them dress up and innocently play with a wide array of S&M outfits they discover in a back closet. That innocence is what really makes Good Boys work — this could have been a mean-spirited look at a group of obnoxious pre-tweens, but these boys all mean well, and that good-natured spirit makes you continually root for them, right up to the surprisingly emotional finale.

Like the many Judd Apatow productions that influenced it, Good Boys is essentially a sweet coming-of-age story disguised as a raunchy comedy. It takes the basic structure of Superbad and fleshes it out to encompass issues affecting pre-teens today, from weaving the notion of consent into even their imaginary sexual encounters to deciding who your real friends are in an increasingly niche cultural landscape. It also proves the age-old adage that watching adorable children swear is always going to be really fucking funny.

Good Boys is in theatres on August 16.