I love this kind of love.
While I consider myself a big fan of movies, I don’t think I have ever seen a movie three times in the theater. This last week I saw Juno for the third time and I have to say, I enjoyed it more every time I saw it. This fall when I saw a trailer for Juno I was set on seeing this film. I loved the cast, the look of the film, all of it seemed to have potential. My first viewing was before the holidays, and with good friends who are also good movie partners. The next time I saw it was with some friends that wanted to see Juno specifically. I mislead them into thinking I hadn’t seen it and got to enjoy the film for a second time. Finally this last Friday, my co-workers were set on seeing a movie in the afternoon. That’s one of the things I love about my job, some days we just stop work and hang out. Most days we work late and make it happen but this particular day there was someone that needed some cheering up. So it was off for some authentic Mexican cuisine in Simi Valley and some time at the cinema.
Overall, I really enjoyed this film. I thought it was a humorous take on teenage girls who all too often are misrepresented and one dimensional. I liked the father and step-mother characters and I found their care for Juno to be endearing. Jennifer Garner was well cast and played her part well. I often forgot that this was Sydney Bristo, which says a lot. Jason Bateman is always a delight, he has definitely stepped it up since Teen Wolf Too. He gave a great subtlety to a part that could have come across stereotypical and creepy. And to top it off George Michael from Arrested Development was perfect I really hope actor Michael Cerra continues to make smart choices. So far he's doing better than his co-star from Arrested Development, Maeby (i.e. Deck The Halls).
Overall this movie had a great cast that worked well supporting the lead character. While I wasn’t going into the film not knowing Ellen Page, I left the theater a fan. While most will think she gave a great performance because of her witty dialogue. I thought she brought an emotional depth and honesty to the role that was great. I was not surprised that she was nominated for an academy award. (Though I would be shocked if she won.) The scene after she had the baby brought me to tears. Now I am not a real crier when it comes to movies, but this got me.
Now with all of these great actors and solid performances, it brings
me to my only complaint about the film. The writing. Juno was written by Diablo Cody, an author turned stripper turned screenwriter. The first time I saw the film, I walked out of the theater happy but not ecstatic. I couldn't quite describe what it was that I didn't like. As I mentioned before, on my first viewing I was accompanied by good movie partners. Standing in the lobby of the Arclight, I started to talk with my friend about it. I described my overall enjoyment but not liking something I couldn't put my finger on. He then said "yeah, I felt the same way, it felt like the characters all sounded the same. Where is this town with all these witty people. As a writer you want different characters to have a distinct voice" Don't you love those moments when you feel something but can't describe it and someone just sums it up in a few words. It helps to see movies with a friend who has a degree in screenwriting from NYU.
Everyone sounded the same, from the lead character, to parents, to
random strangers. It made it feel a little monotonous. Throughout the film, the characters have a vocabulary that is similar to that of church-going teens. The film had a few expletives but instead used substitutes that is a part of the language of many young people in conservative families. Additionally it was witty joke after witty joke. I know my friends get frustrated when I do that and I too found myself frustrated. The second time I saw it was at a Saturday 10:40pm showing at the Grove and the audience wanted to laugh at everything. They wouldn’t let anything go, they felt the need to laugh at every moment, no matter how sentimental. (More on my “Movie Theater Facism” in another post.) So it is this complaint about the writing that keeps Juno from the level of Good Will Hunting and Little Miss Sunshine.
I was talking with a friend about this film and he said that the people he worked with thought the film was a conservative fluff piece, supporting the pro-life movement. It made me laugh and showed that bias on either side of an issue can be blinding. The film does involve a scene where a young person leaves an abortion clinic, but it never makes a preachy statement about Roe v. Wade. The film if anything would be considered pro-choice in the fact that a parent asked if Juno had considered abortion. The only pro-life character is shown to be naïve and out of touch.
So, with various frustrations, I remind myself of what I started with; a good movie, with a great cast and an endearing story. So good in fact, that I saw it in the theater three times.
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