Nimrods is Lee Kirk’s hysterically funny new picture about a road trip to LA, where a young man and his entourage will be performing an opening act for a Green Day concert on New Year’s Eve.
This movie is everything you’d expect from this wild premise, and the actors have a great time on-screen in their well-written roles.
Mason Thames is featured in the movie as Tommy, a young man who has lost his dad and is therefore uncertain about where his life is heading. Tommy’s brother, Wayne (Keen Ruffalo), steers Tommy toward the idea that he will help launch a Green Day concert as the opening act. Thus, a story begins, which takes some sharp turns and is funnier than it has any right to be.
It’s easy to fall in love with Nimrods.
One of the reasons for this is Mckenna Grace in her role as Olivia, who is led to believe that Tommy is selling cold treats out of his ice cream truck. The actress gives off a radiance that makes her chemistry with Thames all the more credible.
Jolene co-stars in this new movie as Deb, a family friend, who finally locates Tommy and his entourage and does a little dance to celebrate her accomplishment. Little does Deb know that Tommy and co. will be stealing her car to the Green Day concert on time.
Kylr Coffman plays Fred, a tag-along character who is in his glory when the movie finally gets to the much-anticipated Green Day sequence towards the end.
Nimrods is a hoot to behold, but is not without scenes that make one feel sympathetic towards Tommy and his misfortunes in life.
This is Thames’ best and most nuanced performance to date. His scenes opposite Ruffalo are also heartfelt, and help make the movie all the more touching for the viewer.
Buffalo shows real promise as an actor with his turn in this film, too. His character is actually not a jerk, although he seems to be one at the film’s outset.
A hilarious sequence in the film comes when Chad (Ryan Foust) sneaks into the concert in a bunny outfit and obtains tickets to give away. Bobby Lee, as the security guard, tries to keep the entourage away from Green Day, with results that will have the audience cheering all the way.
Lee is great in this movie as the guy who is trying to block Tommy’s dreams from coming true, all in the name of his job as a security guard at the Green Day concert.
Additionally, Jenna Fischer has an important role in the film as the central mother character.
This movie is made even better by the Green Day music. These tunes are tailor-made for the movie, and the film seizes the opportunity to include songs that will be soothing for fans of the band.
It’s also noteworthy that the movie doesn’t really emphasize the exact year it’s taking place, which makes viewers get to make their own assumptions as to the time period this film is set in.
Thames is exceptional as the guy searching for redemption through appearing as the opening act for Green Day. This film surrounds him with characters who often give Tommy unsolicited advice and faulty information.
Case in point: he asks for onion rings, and a key character brings him back celery sticks!
Thames and Grace have such fine chemistry that will really appeal to the viewer, thanks to its sincerity.
Of course, the movie is rather silly if you examine it too closely, with the whole premise feeling like an excuse for some witty dialogue and terrific Green Day music.
Still, by the time the movie ends, it will win its audience over.
To quote Green Day’s most popular song, “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life),” in terms of summarizing the film for those who get to see it: “It’s something unpredictable, but in the end is right, I hope you had the time of your life.”
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Nimrods is now playing, only in theaters!
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Thomas Duffy
Thomas Duffy is a Critics Choice member who has written film reviews for most of his life, starting at age 11 when he crafted his first full length movie critique on the film, "Roxanne," a Cyrano story featuring Steve Martin. As a result of that review and other movie obsessive writing, Thomas was awarded a creative writing award in sixth grade. Thomas is the proud author of nine books, including two highly acclaimed novels, "To Never Know" and "Social Work." Thomas can be found on X (formerly known as Twitter) or at a New York City movie theater watching the latest hit or independent movie. You can also run into him at Tribeca or at the New York Film Festival.