BOYS GO TO JUPITER

(Check out Jessica Baxter’s Boys Go to Jupiter movie review, it’s in theaters now. Seen it? Join the conversation with HtN on our Letterboxd Page.)

Writer/director Julian Glander, best known for his 3D animated video game, ART SQUOOL, and Adult Swim contributions, gets personal with his feature debut, Boys Go to Jupiter. This animated slice-of-life musical conjures Scott Pilgrim vs the World, Barbie, Playmobile toys, and The Florida Project. But Glander and his producing partner, Peisin Yang Lazo mash up their evident influences in a way that feels wholly unique. It’s hardly the first film to depict that nebulous, confusing, and sometimes scary period betwixt teenhood and adulthood. But it feels fresh in so many ways. This one has sleeper classic written all over it. I wouldn’t be surprised if future filmmakers one day cite this film as an influence.

The story follows Billy 5000 ((Jack Corbett, host of NPR’s Planet Money TikTok series),, a suburban teenager and recent high school drop-out, who is languishing in the dead zone between Christmas and New Years Eve. He decides that the best way to get his life on track is to earn $5000 delivering food via the Grubster app.He commutes on a Swagtron hoverboard, taking him across the paths of many oddball characters, who are voiced by a staggering roster of talent. Among them: an ineffectual security guard (Julio Torres, Problemista), the downtrodden owner of a mini golf course (Joe Pera), a fanatical Christian woman (Sarah Sherman, SNL), a spirited octogenarian (Cole Escola, TVs Search Party, Broadway’s Oh, Mary!), and the diabolical CEO of an orange juice company (90s comedy legend, Janeane Garofalo), who also happens to be the mother of Billy’s crush, Rozebud (indie musician Miya Folik). Influencing his misadventures at every turn is a donut-shaped alien he accidentally picks up during a delivery, and a worm-like creature (Tavi Gevinson) who may hold Billy’s fate in their… whatever it is that supernatural worms use instead of hands.

Meanwhile, Billy checks in with his friends, including the supportive and aptly-named Beatbox (Elise Fisher, Eighth Grade), a wild card called Freckles (Grace Kuhlenschmidt, TV’s The Daily Show), and the friend group scapegoat, Weenie (Chris Fleming). The crew are usually getting into some manner of suburban mischief. i.e. “We’re going down to the train tracks. Do a little train track stuff.” His family, including older sister, Gail 5000 (Eva Victor, Sorry, Baby) provides motivation in the form of tough love.

Billy frequently maintains the sardonic tone of the narrative, especially when he deploys his delivery slogan: “Have a Grubby day!”. It’s unclear whether this is official Grubster protocol, or a phrase of his own devising. Although we do learn that official company policy forbids the passing on of regards. This is, after all, a community in which cops dismissively describe a fatal accident as, “The Old Slippy Trippy Special”.

Glander’s delightful electronic soundtrack also echoes Scott Pilgrim with its’ absurdist symbolism (there’s even a song about a garbage truck!). The musical interludes elevate the magical realism of the story – one minute Billy is skating away from a food pickup, and the next he’s flying over the city with his unwitting donut companion. Gander eloquently describes the music as “fuzzy shoegaze bedroom pop”. Lyrically, they feel stream-of-conscience, but from the consciousness of a poet. Glander also sites Miranda July as an influence and it’s here that I see her the most. Occasionally, the music is self-commentary such as the track, “If you were into freak jazz, you would know”. Mark my words, this soundtrack will sooth a generation.

It’s sometimes hard for my old brain to get into the chunky vibe of 3D animation, but Gander has sold me with his unique blend of rigid, candy-coated shapes, and the occasional soft, dreamy background. Floridian pinks, blues, and greens are extremely reminiscent. The humidity practically oozes through the screen. The bodies are where the Playmobile comparison comes in. But sometimes, characters are just eyes and a mouth through an opening in a door or window. My favorite frames are the passing scenery, including a lot of very Floridian billboards (many donning vaguely threatening religious messages). The animation leans more psychedelic during the musical numbers. The scenes that take place in the factory bring to mind MomCorp from Futurama. Gander’s suburban Florida is a brightly colored façade, barely concealing the sinister undertones of economic stagnation. The visuals perfectly complement the tone of the script, deftly oscillating between silly, poignant, and fatalistic.

Boys Go to Jupiter also makes a great addition to the maudlin Christmas movie canon thanks, not only to the narrative timeframe, but also the haunting ballad, “Winter Citrus”, sung by Miya Folik – a song so nice, she sings it twice. Folik previously contributed some terrific songs of her own to the soundtrack of the 2023 Megan Stalter comedy, Cora Bora.

Due to budgetary constraints, it took Julian Gander and Peisin Yang Lazo four years to make this movie. How inspirational, then, that it came out so layered and flawless. The rewards of rewatching this film will be lush.

The spacey title refers to a school yard taunt, “Girls go to college to get more knowledge, boys go to Jupiter to get more stupider”. This perhaps echoes in Billy’s mind as a boy who won’t be going to college. But it also evokes otherworldly vibes. Florida hardly needs aliens to feel like another planet sometimes.

– Jessica Baxter (@TheBaxter)

Liked it? Take a second to support Hammer to Nail on Patreon!