Over the last several weeks I've had several conversations with teens and adults alike about the movie "Juno" (starring Ellen Page). As one would expect, opinions about the movie have varied greatly. So I figured, why not one more. Here's my take on the movie (originally posted on netflix.com as a part of my movie community reviews):
**SPOILER** First off, I'm a sucker for wit and sarcasm - both of which are packaged very well in the tiny character of Juno. Wit and sarcasm aside, however, this movie is nothing more than a film celebrating a teen's search for self-identity, only to find it through a consequence-free pregnancy. Sure, she's not like the "other" high school kids and mom and dad are disappointed, but it's amazing that a film that attempted to pride itself on some emotionally-charged sequences somehow manages to conclude with very little emotional baggage for Juno (considering what she had been through and the choice(s) she made). Matter of fact, it's the opposite - she is now able to go on about life happy and in love with the boy that was always there but she didn't really notice (or at least notice her true feelings for). So note for my daughter: pregnant is cute and a good path for self discovery. Check.
Ok, so this may be jumping the shark a wee-bit, but not an all-together illogical conclusion: Teen has sex with a convenient friend to cure boredom - teen unexpectantly gets pregnant – decides to have the baby (very good choice) – gives the baby up for adoption to a woman (Jennifer Garner) who is made out to be a hero for wanting a baby, but is actually self-absorbed and newly single (that’s a wholly different conversation) – teen falls “in love” with the baby’s teen daddy and they live on happily ever after playing their music.
It’s a bummer because I really wanted to enjoy this movie. Until next time… that’s what Juno is all about Charlie Brown…
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2 comments:
Although I agree with most of your comments, I think you may have misrepresented some elements from the end of the movie. I think she was very sad about losing her baby, and she was learning how to be herself at the end again. She was learning that she still was a teenager, even though she made a horrible mistake. I was happy that she made the right decision by not aborting her baby. Her parents also handled the situation very well, by looking for a solution instead of kicking her out of the house.
Do you carry around emotional baggage for the choices you've made?
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