Nimrods

by Mike McGranaghan

Green Day broke onto the scene in the ‘90s, and there’s a reason why they’re still popular three decades later. Their music speaks to the kind of youthful rebellion that never goes out of style. Even as their sound matured in the American Idiot years, their punk attitude remained firmly in place. The rockers continue to extend a middle finger to the establishment with politically charged songs and concert rants. Nimrods is love letter to Green Day but also to the importance of believing in yourself.

Tommy (Mason Thames) is a high schooler in a band called Analog Dogs with his best friends Fred (Kylr Coffman) and Chad (Ryan Foust). They hatch a plan to slip their demo tape to Green Day during a local in-store appearance. It goes awkwardly, to say the least. Tommy’s older brother Wayne (Keen Ruffalo) decides to prank him, having a friend call his cell phone pretending to be drummer Tre Cool and inviting Analog Dogs to open for the band in California on New Year’s Eve. The three teens steal a car and hit the road, while Tommy’s widowed mother (Jenna Fischer) grows worried. Along the way, they meet another teen singer, Olivia (McKenna Grace), with whom Tommy strikes up serious chemistry.

Nimrods is partially a road trip comedy. The guys face their fair share of obstacles along the way, a lack of money being chief among them. Funny scenes are built around them ending up in a country bar full of rowdy bikers, one of them ingesting magic mushrooms, and encountering the creepiest motel owner (Fred Armisen) this side of Norman Bates. Additional humor comes from the bickering Tommy and friends continually engage in as they unknowingly make their way toward a concert gig that doesn’t exist. Every time a bandmate wants to back out, Tommy is quick to remind them that the very act of taking off without parental approval is the exact sort of Green Day-like rebelliousness they need to make it as a band.

Writer/director Lee Kirk makes sure to infuse the movie with heart to offset the broader moments. The reason for the emotional distance between Tommy and Wayne becomes heartbreakingly clear toward the end. Similarly, Olivia’s confidence helps inspire Tommy to not give up on his rock star dream. Thames and Grace, reunited after Regretting You, have a pleasant, easygoing rapport onscreen that allows the Tommy/Olivia subplot to exist as more than than a throwaway romance. At its core, the story deals with how a broken teen uses music as a means of healing himself from the inescapable pain in his life.

Everything is set to a soundtrack of classic Green Day songs. Billie Joe Armstrong, Tre Cool, and Mike Dirnt show up at various points in the movie, allowing it to feel like a genuine extension of the band. They’re pretty good at playing themselves, too. The movie’s finale features concert footage, so this is not one of those cases where a popular musical act’s name is merely capitalized on.

Several of the more outrageous comedic scenes, particularly the outcome of the encounter with the motel owner, brush awkwardly against the ones intended to be heart-tugging. A slightly inconsistent tone isn’t enough to ruin the fun, though. Nimrods is sweet, funny, and chock full of awesome tunes.