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Director: Lee Kirk
Starring: Mason Thames, Kyler Kaufman, Ryan Faust, Jenna Fisher, McKenna Grace, Angela Kinsey, Kean Ruffalo, Ignacio Diaz-Silverino, Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, Tre Cool, Harper Marie Kirk, Fred Armisen, Bobbin Le Jolac, Bobbin Lock
Running time: 107 minutes.
Rating: R
★★★ (outside ★★★★)
Like bands Kiss and the Foo Fighters may have tried it first, but it still feels natural to have a movie revolving around Green Day’s music, or to be a fan of it. And if you can say something about writer/director Lee Kirk’s surprisingly enjoyable road trip comedy NimrodsIt looks and feels like it was made in the 90s Empire Records-Fans of this genre’s vibe should appreciate it. The only catch is that its story does not take place in that period, but a kind of retro 2026.
Of course, the biggest motivation for setting this up in the present is to set the entire span of Green Day’s decades-long catalog to the soundtrack. So it makes more sense to set it in the mid-to-late 90s Dookie In the era, there is still a well-intentioned attempt by Kirk to recreate it through some aesthetic and stylistic choices. Despite the plot’s inspiration in their early days traveling to gigs in a van, Green Day’s not-so-everything approach scores high points. Or in this case, a stolen cab and a broken ice cream truck.
It’s December 20th and best friends Tommy (Mason Thames) and Fred (Kyler Kaufman) ditch school before going on winter break, devoting their free time to rehearsing with shy, sheltered drummer Chad (Ryan Faust) in their unfortunately named band Analog Dogs. And while they dream of hitting it big like their idols’ Green Day, Tommy fights with older brother Wayne (Kean Ruffalo), whose mother Jodi (Jenna Fisher) fired him, while still grieving the boys’ late father.
Tommy and Fred, desperate to see their favorite band in concert, play a phone prank to convince Wayne and his hysterical best friend Keith (Ignacio Diaz-Silverino) that the Analog Dogs have been chosen to open for Green Day’s New Year’s Eve show in LA based on a demo they submitted. Believing this, Tommy, Fred and a reluctant Chad steal Wayne’s car to get there, along the way Tommy has several misadventures with free-spirited rocker Olivia (McKenna Grace). But the real challenge is not just getting to the show, but somehow proving that they belong.
One of the film’s most endearing qualities is that you’d swear these events weren’t happening now, inspiring a genuine throwback quality that pays homage to teenage road trip comedies, especially as the plot catalyst helps the music define its time. And given their continued longevity, an argument can easily be made that they are overdue for such treatment. But the real stars are this ragtag group of likable burnouts, who walk straight off the set. Freaks and geeks.
Black phone Thames is the most recognizable of the cast, effectively playing Tommy as the sympathetic hero and weak dreamer of the group. After losing his parents, all of his attention turns to the analog dogs, often at the expense of school and his already strained, uncommunicative relationship with his less-than-stellar older brother. Kyler Kaufman’s Fred provides much of the broad comedy, with such wide-eyed, inexplicable reactions you’d imagine he’s at an all-time high. So much so that when he takes on the shrooms in a truly memorably trippy sequence, you wonder how any of them can be told.
Ryan Faust has perhaps the strongest sub-plot as the dilapidated Chad, who is always on the verge of quitting, struggling to overcome the fears and insecurities instilled in him by his crazy, overprotective mother (Jolene Blalock). As Olivia, McKenna Grace is a joy sharing an effortless chemistry with Thames that fits the story and never seems forced. Ruffalo’s turn as big brother Wayne takes a late peak but arrives at an interesting, affecting place after he and Keith decide to bring the boys out to LA.
Many of the jokes and gags land on their stay at a roadside motel with a creepy manager (a hilarious Fred Armisen) who puts Norman Bates to shame, whether it’s an unpleasantly awkward stop at a biker bar. We’re not given much of a read on Analog Dogs’ talents aside from a couple of brief appearances, but that hardly matters when Green Day’s music does most of the heavy lifting. from Dookie to Insomnia to warning And directly American Idiot And 21st century divideIt’s a lot. And that’s not even including the unreleased live and exclusive tracks that fill the rest of the soundtrack with their biggest mainstream hit that climaxes and fits the film’s conclusion.
A great way to approach this is to use Green Day’s songs as a storytelling anchor for these fictional characters we grow to care about. And given the band’s presence as credited producers and writers on the project, it’s easy to believe they had some degree of creative influence in how this played out. A curiously retarded aging Billie Joe Armstrong, Tre Cool and Mike Dirnt appear, briefly, purely functional, leaving attention to their fictional counterparts despite the wall-to-wall presence of their music.
While the soundtrack may border on overkill for some and amount to less, Kirk earns an easy pass by doing his main job exceptionally well. Plus, anyone pissed off by a more green day given what they signed up for is just comical. So even if their shows are still a stretch to appeal to this young audience, the fun comes in entering an alternate present that’s entirely possible. You could say they know enough to put them at the center of their own universe, but honestly, that’s all fans really want from a movie featuring their favorite band. And by cleverly going a few steps further, Nimrods It also reaches out to more casual viewers looking for their own nostalgia fix.
