Juno

Juno is a comedy/drama about teen pregnancy. I have to apologize for the crankiness of this review. By all accounts I found it a lighthearted if a little sappy. Nothing terrible and even some moments where I smiled. But nonetheless some of the movie irritated me and it's hard to avoid touching on that.


Juno is a teenage girl who gets knocked up in a moment of bored sex with her best friend. Enter the witty quips and references to yesteryear from the mouth of a kid; does Hollywood ever have any normal kids that don't sound like they're channeling thirty year olds? Not saying that fifteen is too young to be witty or clever (I certainly was) but she's just well, too witty and clever.

As she resigns herself to the situation at hand, we see her going through the standard motions of what to do in this scenario: first she considers abortion but finds the concept unsettling after a short while in the abortion clinic. Then she decides to find the perfect parents to raise her bundle of joy. She does this with a loving and supportive set of friends and family, that almost makes me wonder if it's not a little sad to be giving the baby away when such a cool family is right there for it. Of course - that's just me, who lived it.

The movie turns far better when potential parents, Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman whose screen names escape me, enter the picture. They are what at first seems like a perfect couple plagued with the misfortune of infertility, but we begin to realize the man of the house has a different dream. Their relationship and performances are the best things about the movie and the only ones that were realistic to some extent.

The movie was funny, in a quirky way. I'm not saying it wasn't a good movie but I did find Juno annoying to listen to at times. I also object to the use of the phrase "Honest to blog".