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Blu-Ray : Highly Recommended
Ranking:
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Release Date: November 12th, 2019 Movie Release Year: 2019

Good Boys

Overview -

Good Boys graces home video from Universal on Blu-ray + DVD + Digital in this raunchy coming-of-age comedy about three elementary school friends who embark on an epic adventure of drugs, beer, and a kissing party as they discover themselves and what it means to be an adult. It's a ton of fun and highly enjoyable. The 1080p HD image looks divine while the DTS-HD 5.1 mix sounds superb. Bonus features don't add a ton of information or insight, but they are funny enough to warrant a look. Highly Recommended!

 

Just how bad can one day get? The creative minds behind Superbad and Sausage Party take on sixth grade hard in this innocent yet raunchy comedy. 12-year-olds Max, Thor, and Lucas decide to skip school in an attempt to learn how to kiss in time for a kissing party. Their odyssey of epically bad decisions involves some accidentally stolen drugs, frat-house paintball, and running from both the cops and terrifying teenage girls!

OVERALL:
Highly Recommended
Rating Breakdown
STORY
VIDEO
AUDIO
SPECIAL FEATURES
Tech Specs & Release Details
Technical Specs:
Blu-ray + DVD + Digital
Video Resolution/Codec:
1080p AVC/MPEG-4
Length:
95
Aspect Ratio(s):
2.39:1
Audio Formats:
English: DTS-HD MA 5.1
Subtitles/Captions:
English SDH, Spanish and French
Special Features:
FEATURE COMMENTARY WITH DIRECTOR & CO-WRITER GENE STUPNITSKY AND PRODUCER & CO-WRITER LEE EISENBERG
Release Date:
November 12th, 2019

Storyline: Our Reviewer's Take

Ranking:

Three young friends find themselves banning together in the R-rated misadventure of a lifetime in Good Boys. When you have Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Jonah Hill, and the producers/writers of The Office work on a movie together, you know you’re bound for big laughs, and that’s exactly the case with this movie. Superbad could be a close relative to Good Boys, but replace the three high school friends trying to get laid with three elementary school kids who want to hit up a make-out party and finally kiss a girl. The underlying themes of friendship, growing up and moving on are all on display here, where the charm and innocent vulgarity mix perfectly with each other. Good Boys is so freakin' funny!

Max (Jacob Tremblay), Thor, and Lucas have all been friends since kindergarten. They live on the same street and their parents all know each other. The three friends are known as the Bean Bag Boys and spend every waking minute together, playing games, playing with a flying drone their not supposed to and having those talks that 10-year-olds think is very important, you know, kissing girls and when the next gaming session will be. These three kids are all well-mannered and honest, but they can curse like sailors while still trying to figure out the right pronunciations for adult lingo relating to sex. Throughout the main story, Max, Thor, and Lucas have to get to a party and retrieve a lost drone. This sets them on a coming-of-age journey of indecent proportions that include sex toys, infiltrating a frat house, drugs, and a sex doll.

Their innocence to all these explicit objects is a breath of fresh air and is invigoratingly funny. It brings you back to your own childhood, first exploring these actions' feelings. On top of that though are the great friends you have when you’re young when you don’t have to worry about bills, work, or serious relationships. All that matters is hanging with your best friends every day and that’s what Good Boys gets right. It feels natural.

The three young kids play these characters very well. Their delivery, dialogue all feels natural and something that I would have said when I was younger. Their camaraderie is infectious and their wholesome take on the world that combines flawlessly with raunchy discussions is something I could watch all day. Good Boys is one of those movies that everyone can enjoy and is this current generation’s American Pie and Superbad.

 

Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-ray

Universal sells Good Boys to Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital Copy combo pack. The discs are housed in a blue plastic case with a cardboard sleeve featuring the three kids from the film. Inside, you'll find the digital code that you can download for Movies Anywhere.

Video Review

Ranking:

Universal pilots Good Boys onto 1080p HD Blu-ray + DVD + Digital with a 2.40:1 aspect ratio that looks excellent with its bright color palette and vivid detail.

The film is mostly set on a bright, sunny day with interiors of a school, a mall, and a convenient store, amongst other well-lit places. Exteriors are beautiful as well with crystal clear blue skies, luscious green leaves on trees, along with some dazzling tween clothing that displays beaming primary colors. One scene close to the end of the film takes place in a modern-looking basement with some neon lighting, which has a soft glow to it, keeping with the mood of the kissing-party. Another scene has a big purple filter that glistens perfectly. Black levels are inky without any crush and skin tones are always natural.

The detail is often picturesque and lively, revealing beautiful wide shots and authentic closeups. Individual hairs on the kids, the threads in their clothing, and some light makeup effects look exquisite. The slow-motion shots also exhibit details in the dust, water droplets and paintballs flying across the screen. Wider shots of the interior backgrounds in the mall and households showcase the wood and stone fixtures well.

Lastly, there were no major video issues or disappointments, making this Universal presentation an enthralling sight to see.

Audio Review

Ranking:

Good Boys comes with a lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio track that is as spirited as the three young men in the film. There aren't any big Hollywood type of explosions or gunshots since this is a dialogue-driven comedy, but it has some good atmospherics where it counts.

Sound effects of skateboards, vehicles driving by on the highway, and even a paintball stick up has a robust sound to it, complete with a smooth rumble of bass that enhances that low end. The sound of the drone in the film has all the necessary twirling mechanics to make it sound like it's in your viewing room. Other big moments of sound come from the school setting where you'll hear other kids talking, laughing and opening lockers, in addition to people commuting in the mall. It's never overly loud, but just right for this type of comedy.

The other element of this audio mix is the soundtrack, which is full of rap and hip-hop music, which always dominates the track when the music cues hit. The bass comes full force with songs like "Nobody Speak" by Run the Jewels, where other songs and crescendos are pitch-perfect. Dialogue is always clean and easy to follow along with and free of any audio problems.

Special Features

Ranking:

There is about 29 minutes worth of bonus material, including deleted scenes, an alternate ending, a gag reel, and more. An audio commentary track with the filmmakers is also included and worth your time. The rest of the extras are very short and could have been combined into one or two bonus features. Luckily there is a "PLAY ALL" button so you don't have to worry with the remote a dozen times. Also of note is that Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg are featured in most of the extras as talking heads, but are absent on the commentary track.

  • Audio Commentary - Director Gene Stupinsky and producer Lee Eisenberg have a wonderful time talking about making the film. It's light-hearted, funny and full of anecdotes from the set. It's a delightful listen.

  • Alternate Ending (HD, 2 Mins.) - A sweet alternate ending that embraces the innocence of the young kids wanting to know about adult situations.

  • Deleted and Extended Scenes (HD, 11 Mins.) - There are 11 scenes in total that were left on the cutting room floor, all of which are worth your time if you liked the film, but don't further any of the storylines or characters. The best one is the "First Kiss", which doesn't go as planned.

  • Boys for Real (HD, 3 Mins.) - The cast and crew talk about casting the three kids in the film and how well they delivered the lines.

  • Gag Reel (HD, 2 Mins.) - Seems like this should've been longer, but a collection of missed cues, flubbed lines, laughter, and dancing onset is the center of this bonus feature.

  • Welcome to Vancouver (HD, 1 Min.) - The kids talk about shooting on location in Vancouver and actually shooting at Jacob Tremblay's real school.

  • A Fine Line (HD, 3 Mins.) - This focuses on the mix of kid and adult comedy with the cast and crew talking about if the kids understood the meaning of some of the more risque jokes.

  • Ask Your Parents (HD, 2 Mins.) - The cast and crew talk about working with kids in a rated R setting.

  • Bad Girls (HD, 2 Mins.) - A quick look at the two female antagonists in the film with some cast and crew interviews.

  • Guest Stars (HD, 3 Mins.) - The cast and crew talk about the cameo roles in the film and plays out more like an extra gag reel, showcasing clips of these guests cutting up on set.

 

Final Thoughts

Good Boys is a lot like Superbad but can stand on its own with its innocence and hilarious cast. There's a lot of heart in the film along with non-stop gut-busting laughs. It's a highly re-watchable movie. The video and audio presentations are both commendable and the 30 mins or so of bonus material are worth your time, even if there isn't a ton of it. Highly Recommended!