Songbird
Dec
26
Juno the Junebug
Filed Under Film Box
Pip here and I finally got around to seeing this little jewel, and I really liked it. So if you don’t want to read any more there you have it. This one was penned by relative newcomer Diablo Cody and helmed by the Reitman boy (you may have heard of a few of his dad’s films) who impressed me with Thank You For Smoking, and has really impressed me with one of the more heartfelt, cute and cuddly films to come along in a while.
I will say that I was annoyed with the movie for about five seconds, and only about five seconds. It was just too well written, too witty for its own good, and too archetypal… but that only lasted for five seconds. It seems that I must grant an executive pardon for overwritten and too witty for their own good teenagers, because once you live in the world for just about six seconds, you really do fall in love with everything and pretty much stop worrying about it. On first glance all the characters are one dimensional, here we go again, type people. Actually, I think every time you meet a new character there’s a five second window of “ugh”. But I’m tellin’ ya, at six seconds, she’ll have you at “wizard”.
The wonderful thing about Juno are the characters, not necessarily their dialogue. They are all living and breathing people. When you meet them seem like people you’ve met a thousand times over, but they’re really not, that’s just the smiley exterior. Kinda like real life people in that way. Everyone gets their moment to shine, but it’s not really like that… you don’t know it’s happening when it’s happening. You really end up loving everyone in a different way. Some relationships in the film seem like something for one minute until you find out some other bit that takes it to a whole new level. There’s no black and white, if anyone is at fault it’s everyone.
I’ll admit something else, I’m a crier… yeah I cry in movies. And not just at… say the end of Braveheart or something. I cry at the end of Braveheart upon viewing it for the 48th time. I’ll cry while watching Amelie walk the blind guy down the street… or when the brother can’t fly because he’s colorblind. Really anything. I am at their mercy. That said, I actually haven’t cried in a film in a while… I don’t know if it’s just the type of film or what, but I haven’t. And we should take note of that. However, in this film, once I found out what was really happening and the sacrifice that was made and everyone’s reaction to it, coupled with everything that had happened in the film so far… I let ’em loose. Happy day, this is what I go to the theater for.
Not to cry really, just… well the whole thing… you… um… you get the point.
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6 Responses to “Juno the Junebug”
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Rachel - Music, FilmAggregator Love
Awww I find it endearing that you cry at movies, I cry at movies all the time and I have to say I laughed and cried while watching this gem indeed. Highly recommended.
Well done on the review old Pip! ;-)
love this review.
i cant WAIT to see this.
Now, see, I almost never cry in movies. I actually almost never cry at all. Which isn’t necessarily a good thing. Until the last year or so — some combination of menopause and increased vodka intake and I’m busting out in tears all the time. It feels better than I expected. So, cry away, that’s my advice.
I couldn’t cry in Braveheart, though, because I had my eyes closed like half the time. Too much blood and sweat and awfulness.
This movie does look cute but I probably won’t see it until it’s out on Netflix. We hardly go out to movies at all lately. So tell me, if we were going to just get to one, before the weekend is over, what do you suggest?
As in a movie in theaters? Probably this one! On Netflix… well jesus, that’s going to open up a can of worms! I’d need to know what you’ve seen and spout off a list of essential viewings and make you watch the most important.
:)
i just got back from seeing this, and i totally agree with your review. especially the part about the witty dialogue and how it’s kind of unbelievable at first how she–or all of the kids–can toss it off so easily. but then it morphs and grows on you and you can believe the characters. really a great little film.
oh, i cry at movies, too, and ALWAYS when a baby is born. i think even my husband was crying then.
i know everyone is lauding juno’s performance, but bleeker (who will always be george michael to me) was just as good. all the performances were wonderful.
pip – you hit the nail on the head… 16 yr olds dont talk the way the characters in this movie talked… though i thought the bleeker character was phenominally written and more atune to a real high schooler. i did thoroughly enjoy it but the dialogue was hard to get past. juno was just a bit too witty, too sharp, too clever all the time for my liking. and i thought the smoking pipe was over the top… i would have replaced that with a ring pop or something to that affect…. it lacked some of the realness of its frequent comparison, Little Miss Sunshine.