Good Boys
Short description
Good Boys follows three sixth-grade friends, Max, Lucas and Thor, who find themselves in over their heads when a drone they were not supposed to touch gets destroyed. With a party and the attention of older classmates on the line, the boys skip school and set out across the San Fernando Valley to replace the device before their parents come home. Their plan quickly unravels, pulling them into encounters with police, older teenagers and a case involving stolen drugs, while their friendship strains under the pressure of their own bad decisions.
The film is the directorial debut of Gene Stupnitsky, who wrote the screenplay with Lee Eisenberg and went on to direct No Hard Feelings in 2023. It was produced by Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg and Eisenberg, and centres on a young cast led by Jacob Tremblay, Keith L. Williams and Brady Noon, with Molly Gordon, Midori Francis and Izaac Wang in supporting roles. It is a comedy set during a single chaotic day in suburban Los Angeles.
Made for around 20 million dollars, Good Boys earned roughly 111 million dollars worldwide, a strong return for an R-rated comedy built around child actors. On IMDb it holds a 6.7 rating from about 89,000 votes, and on TMDB a 6.8 from around 2,000 votes. The critics' rating of 6.6 from 247 reviews places it close to the audience scores, suggesting broad agreement on a modest but effective comedy.
What's left behind the scenes
- Three of the child actors playing the lead roles had to deliver lines whose meaning they did not understand. Director Gene Stupnitsky and screenwriter/producer Lee Eisenberg never answered the children's questions about what the lines meant, instead directing them to their parents for explanations.
- According to Jacob Tremblay, he was barred from theaters for screenings of this film due to his age. He showed theater employees his own image on the posters, but it didn't help. Consequently, Jacob and his friends had to find someone over 18 to escort them into the auditorium.
- The three child actors (Jacob Tremblay, Keith L. Williams, and Brady Noon) were often given lines to say without being told the context or situation. Director Jean Stupnicki and screenwriter and producer Lee Eisenberg never answered the children's questions about what it all meant, and sent them to their mothers for explanations.
- There was a scene in the film, later deleted, in which the kids visit the store for the first time. The saleswoman tells them that the drone was advertised at $550, but with taxes, it costs $598, and then kicks them out of the store when they admit they don't have enough money. She puts them out the door and tells them to return with the full amount. When the characters return with all the money, she informs them that the drone has already been sold, causing Max (Jacob Tremblay) to snap. Only the kids' second visit to the store made it into the film, and this episode was reshot, leaving only Max's reaction.
- Around 300 child actors auditioned for the role of Thor, but it went to Brady Noon, primarily because of how he delivered the line, “Four miles? How the hell are we gonna walk four miles!?” at the audition.
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