After hearing that the 90s punk rock band Green Day were putting out a road trip teen comedy about a trio of dumb teenagers travelling the country to see the band play in Los Angeles called Nimrods, I couldn’t say I was rushing to preorder my tickets. But after watching the 107-minute movie, I’m extremely glad to say that my expectations were beaten up thanks to heartfelt performances, beautifully placed music drops, and a much greater appreciation for the band’s music and roots.
To provide context for this reviewer’s previous feelings on Green Day, I grew up in the Midwest when it felt like the band’s American Idiot hits were played on the radio multiple times an hour at all times of the day. The songs American Idiot, When September Ends, and Boulevard of Broken Dreams were played so much that it built a different perspective of the band than if I’d heard the Dookie and Nimrod albums first. Thankfully, that put my guard down to be assaulted by the amount of punk rock vibes the movie Nimrods exudes.
The film follows Tommy (Mason Thames) and his bandmate Fred (Kylr Coffman), a pair of troubled teens that you’d never want to meet, but can’t help but wonder what kind of adventures they fall into. After Tommy’s older brother, Wayne (Keen Ruffalo), plays a cruel prank that convinces Tommy that his band, the Analog Dogs, was invited to open for Green Day. As the lead singer, Tommy must wrangle his two bandmates and get to LA in time to perform the gig of a lifetime.
Tommy is joined by his long-time friend and often chaotic jokester, Fred, who performs bass for the three-part band. Along with their uptight mommy’s boy drummer Chad (Ryan Foust), the young band hits the road, and like any good road trip film, things go very wrong. The three characters’ differing personalities create several interesting dynamics that lead to plenty of fun confrontations, giving each time to shine with both comedic and emotional moments.
Mason Thames continues to be a strong leading man as Tommy. He delivers a performance that feels like the distillation of teenage optimism and determination that gets him and his boys out of several bad situations. But Thames’ ability to play a character who somehow manages to ooze confidence while at the same time seems at risk of breaking into tears at any moment helps make him a standout in Nimrods talented cast.
While Foust’s performance as Chad leads to several of Nimrods best laughs thanks to his straight-laced character being thrown into consistent chaos, it’s Coffman’s Fred who goes through my personal favourite arc in the movie. He begins the movie as an obnoxious and carefree joker who is forced to grow up with several emotional confrontations that see him evolve, along with the audience’s respect for Kylr Coffman’s acting.
“The cast and script’s ability to balance drama, comedy, and heart fires on all cylinders for most of Nimrod’s runtime.”
Besides the three main leads, Nimrod’s supporting cast is filled with performers who have more than proved their ability to command the screen, and they don’t let the film down for even a second. The Office’s Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey, and the always hysterical Fred Armisen threaten to steal the show but instead provide perfect chances for the main cast to shine even brighter. Still, I will think of Armisen’s ominous motel manager character every time I drive by a shady lodging.
The cast and script’s ability to balance drama, comedy, and heart fires on all cylinders for most of Nimrod’s runtime. There are a few moments in the movie that drag, when jokes don’t land, and the cliches of a road trip movie can feel tired, but just around the corner is either an extremely charming interaction or an emotionally resonant musical moment that feels expertly placed to bring the movie back into a high that feels even better after a brief low.
During their travels, the Analog Dogs can’t help but play a couple of shows that produce some legitimately entertaining musical sections. Late into their adventure, Tommy becomes infatuated with the mysterious Olivia (Mckenna Grace), who is another character with so much on-screen charisma that it’s a shame she isn’t in more of the film. Still, she helps lead the movie into one of its most fun scenes that creates an absolute dream of a dirty punk show that will likely inspire viewers to find their closest scrappy live music performance after watching the film.
Thankfully, Nimrods is not a biopic or a theatrical musical that attempts to create a plot from Green Day’s music like the movie Across The Universe did with The Beatles. It’s confident enough to tell its own story that effectively captures the chaotic teenage spirit and several moments that are unequivocally punk rock in the most entertaining ways.
Green Day members Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, and Tré Cool do play versions of themselves in the film in only a couple of brief scenes. The movie makes the clever move of not letting the band dominate the runtime so that the movie’s plot and characters can flow more effectively. However, without spoiling too much, the third act does suffer from musical performances that feel a touch too long, but they do not take too much away from an otherwise satisfying ending for one of the most heartfelt road trip comedies I’ve seen in years.
The ingredients used to make the Green Day-produced road trip comedy Nimrods seem like they would be a recipe for disaster, and there are a few scenes in the movie that almost send the whole experience into a ditch. However, by the time the credits rolled, I was wiping away tears, smiling like a dummy, and anxious to throw on an old Green Day vinyl.
