Nimrods Movie Review

I’ve got to be honest, I didn’t know I liked so many Green Day songs before going into this, so I wasn’t all that hyped about watching the movie. After, I realized how many of their songs I do know and like. ​

Not a Green Day fan? You will be after watching this movie. And if you are already a fan, the band features a new song called “I’m Never Gonna R.I.P.” It’s quite good, fan or not.

The movie is loosely based on them and is the perfect coming-of-age story about three teenage boys who take a road trip from Kansas City to Los Angeles because they were, unbeknownst to them, lied to about Green Day wanting them and their band to open for them at the Hollywood Palladium on New Year’s Eve. Chance of a lifetime, right? They’re going to take that chance by any means necessary. They have a “borrowed” car, under thirty dollars, and a dream. These boys are Tommy (Thames), Fred (Coffman), and Chad (Ryan Foust).

The storyline from writer/director Lee Kirk, husband of Jenna Fischer from “The Office” fame, came from his sitting down with Green Day and asking them to tell him all the crazy things that happened to them on the road. The movie comes from the memories they shared, which is pretty crazy but inspiring all the same.

Green Day

These boys are charged up from a lie Tommy’s brother Wayne, played by Keen Ruffalo, son of actor Mark Ruffalo. Keen shares his father’s “average Joe” approach to acting. Wayne is not kind to Tommy, and Keen is good at it in the role. Wayne makes a call, lying to his brother about the show. He believes the lie because they had just met Green Day and slipped them a demo. Chad and Fred are along for a ride; they don’t know what they’ve gotten themselves into. They meet Olivia, played by McKenna Grace, and get to play some of their music and get to hear hers. She has a pivotal role. She helps them have the best time of their lives, after all.

Chad seems like the odd man out… a fish out of water compared to the other two, who are unconventional and unorthodox; he’s essentially showing how different they are from everyone around them and how awful their decision-making is. He doesn’t really seem to fit with them, but he’s a drummer, and that drummer’s mom has a credit card they can use to get them to L.A. All those things considered, he’s in the band. Fischer as Jodi, Tommy’s mom, was great and is hardly recognizable. Her character was desperately needed to top things off.

This has a lot of comedic elements, a lot of ups and downs, that you’re going to have a good time with. It’s well written, and there are great, likable characters. I don’t want to give away anything more, but I have to say that if you like punk and/or Green Day, this is a Must-See! See this on the big screen if you can.