Good Boys

A sixth grade version of Superbad, this comedy walks some shaky territory, but the naïve quality of the boys crossed with the broad, goofball, vulgar humor makes for a surprisingly sweet story. Co-produced by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, Good Boys deliberately walks in Superbad's footsteps (Rogen and Goldberg wrote that movie), but the twist is that the Beanbag Boys really don't know much about the world, and the chasm between their imagination and reality creates quite a few pretty good jokes. It's definitely shocking to see and hear such young kids swearing and talking about sex and drugs, but it's all actually a part of learning how to grow up and belong.

The three boys make a great squad, teetering between playing kids' games and jumping headlong into the adult world (Stranger Things tackles similar, painful themes). They're interested in forbidden, grown-up things like sex and alcohol, but find them strange, shocking, and abhorrent when they actually come into contact. Better still, when they have a knockdown, drag-out argument, it ends with all three of them in tears. Though they try to act a certain way, they are actually totally unfiltered, and refreshingly honest because of it. Good Boys isn't a movie for kids, perhaps not even high schoolers, but it's for anyone who ever navigated the pitfall-laden labyrinth that's the end of childhood.