What do you know? For the first time in about two years my husband and I got to see a movie by ourselves--in a movie theatre!Why is this rare? Two reasons--we don't have family nearby who can offer free/discounted babysitting.
When JM was a baby, and we did a movie night. Between dinner, movie, snack, and the babysitter--it was a $100 night. I looked at the hubbie and said, "I love you, but we can't afford this." We then knew we would need to rent movies to watch them affordably.
But because we were visiting our inlaws, we had an afternoon of babysitting. JM freaked a bit. It made me realize, we do need to go out more often. He shouldn't have a conniption when his parents go out on a date.
Anyway, we saw the movie "Juno". Loved it! Multilayered storyline, yet not overwhelming. It's basically a teen pregnancy from start to finish. It's nice in that it is light and somewhat comical, but definitely touches some tough topics. I really like her teenaged dialogue and yearning to be be cool. She, Juno the pregnant teen, is a mouthy geeky type and her performance earned her an Oscar nomination.
Some things were somewhat unrealistic. Her parents reaction was very calm, and that just doesn't happen.
What really intrigued me as I stepped back and really thought about it--all the different male roles. Juno's father, her boyfriend, teachers, and specifically, the adoptive father. All of them were very well portrayed showing that men have a hard time stepping up to the plate and being a man when it comes to childbirth, and specifically teen pregnancy. Yet when I sat back and thought about the women's roles it was pretty typical. Juno's best friend, step mom, and specifically, the adoptive mother of the baby. As flawed as each one of these women were--they stepped in and made Juno's pregnancy workable. Trust me, each one of these women were flawed. The variation of the characters specifically the men and the women, made this movie fascinating. That added with her quirky dialogue kept it light, yet not disrespectful.
The cinematography coupled with the music reminded me of "Napoleon Dinamite". That is where the similarities stops. But because of that, I am sure this movie will appeal to teenagers, and truthfully, it would be very appropriate for teenagers to see. There is nothing hugely inappropriate. I think a few swear words and a very implied sex scene.
I also cringe when I see Hollywood's depiction of adoption. There is always some huge myth that just angers me. It angers me because people, specifically women in a crisis pregnancy, will watch that movie and take what is being presented to them as fact. They will choose abortion over the untruth they have been fed about adoption from a movie. I just braced myself to get a tension headache.
It didn't happen. Adoption was presented very truthfully in this movie. It also shows the absolute nail biting that adoptive parents experience, and I think that has upset my cart a little the last few days, because obviously, I resonate with that.
But in the end, I am left with one thought. My hubbie agrees. This movie really does show how men can really buckle under the pressure of a baby and impending baby. Men, Juno thought, had the guts to handle it.
I really recommend "Juno".
1 comment:
I finally saw Juno! I thought that in the first 5 min. I would not like the characters but that changed quickly. I loved the movie and so did my husband. You gave a very accurate review of it.
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