Boys Go to Jupiter Review

Summary

• A hilarious and unpredictable coming-of-age story in Florida explores income inequality and alienation through wacky characters and catchy tunes.
• Billy navigates bizarre encounters as a Grubster delivery worker, grappling with the fine line between dignity and a living wage.
• Unique animation and music bring to life
  Boys Go to Jupiter
  ‘s surreal world of alien encounters, mutated fruits, and the absurdity of suburban Florida.

Art Sqool developer and 3D animator Julian Glander continues to be fabulously innovative in his bonkers feature film debut. Boys Go to Jupiter is a deadpan musical comedy that mocks ambling adolescence, delivery apps, and the entire state of Florida. Wacky characters break into catchy tunes to explain the highs and lows of a bored existence in the land of cheesy theme parks, mutated orange groves, and grumpy retirees. The (quite literally) out-of-this-world plot surprises with a thoughtful discourse on economic inequality. Glander sure says a lot with refreshing creativity.

Set several days after Christmas, a crew of disparate youth mills around a generic Florida beach with nothing to do. The always shirtless, mullet-sporting Freckles (Grace Kuhlenschmidt of The Daily Show) decides to show off his “amazing” rap skills. Beatbox (Elsie Fisher of Eighth Grade) dutifully adds the background rhythm as Freckles tosses the song out to the group. Peanut (J.R. Phillips), the adorable youngest, can only say “I am Peanut,” while Billy 5000 (Jack Corbett of Sex and the City), the story’s protagonist, couldn’t care less. Freckles comments he’s such a buzzkill after turning 16 and dropping out of school.

Peanut notices a purple, worm-like creature slithering on the sand. Billy ignores the alien because it’s time to make money. He jumps on his “swagway’ scooter to pick up a food delivery. Billy’s on a quest to make $5,000 and move out of his sister’s (Eva Victor) garage. He’s actually a math genius with a slick scam. Billy’s figured out a way to game the “Grubster” app to achieve his financial goal.

Julian Glander’s Unique Vision

A trip on the highway to Dolphin Groves, much to the annoyance of cars stuck behind his slow hoverboard, leads to a fateful encounter. The lazy and spoiled Rozebud (musician Miya Folick), Billy’s former classmate, can’t wait to show him the freaky fruit hybrids her millionaire mother is growing in their top-secret lab. Dr. Dolphin (the great Janeane Garofalo) is obsessed with dominating the fruit juice market. But her hopes of passing on the family business hit a roadblock with the entitled Rozebud. Billy has no interest in wealthy squabbles. He wonders if a lemon grown in moon dirt is valuable.

Glander, also known for his contributions to Adult Swim, the New York Times, and the comic 3D Sweeties, takes Billy on an odyssey of bizarre interactions. He’s the hapless gig worker subject to the petty whims of moneyed natives and obnoxious tourists. Each Grubster delivery opens him to unwanted conversations, belittling, and demeaning requests for more money. Billy’s desperation to get his own apartment pushes personal boundaries. Would you chew someone’s food for a few extra bucks? Grubster work is essentially slave labor. There’s a fine line between gross indignity and earning a living wage.

Boys Go to Jupiter can best be described as a cool art project with accompanying musical interludes. The brightly colored settings and characters are cubic and rounded with a limited focus on detailed definition. Facial features are somewhat generic and more in step with 2D physical representation. We never see the characters talking with a direct eye-to-eye line of sight to each other. There’s visual depth, but Glander takes an intriguing approach to forced perspective. Most of the scenes are shot looking down or slightly up at the action. It’s almost as if the audience is peering into a pet store vivarium. There’s also a video game, side-scrolling methodology to the narrative. Glander’s aiming for a collective experience. He isn’t trying to wow you with blockbuster CGI animation.

Strange Fruit

The music fits the unpolished nature of the film. You can picture Glander with a keyboard, guitar, sequencer, and drum machine writing songs that express his characters’ distinct moods and personalities. Freckles’ supercilious attitude swings from rap to hilarious folk ballads. Billy expresses his melancholy with dreamy, synth-pop-fueled vocals. Rozebud comes the closest to rock influences. But there’s never anything too heavy or aggressive. Metal fans won’t be racing to buy this soundtrack.

Glander gets his biggest laughs by lampooning Florida’s clash of cultures. Anyone who’s driven on the turnpike or I-95 has seen the rows of religious billboards damning sinners and praising the almighty’s glory between exits. Glander avoids a lawsuit from Disney and Universal by skewering less corporate tourist traps like gaudy mini-golf with a dinosaur theme. He also doesn’t spare pensioners who kick slackers off their lawn and enforce HOA rules like rabid security guards.

To say the plot goes in an unexpected direction is a vast understatement. Let’s not forget there’s an alien or two running around. Boys Go to Jupiter takes weird to another level. There’s definitely a point when the WTF factor gets overwhelming, unless you’re on magic mushrooms or something equally trippy. Glander deserves credit for his unique vision and style, but the film undoubtedly caters to a specific audience.

Boys Go to Jupiter is a Glanderco production. It premiered at New York City’s Village East by Angelika Theater as part of the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival’s Viewpoints.