Thoughts on JUNO

The wife and I saw JUNO last Sunday. I don’t do it often enough, but it is nice to break away from my sci-fi, fantasy, and action-thriller addiction, and see a movie like JUNO (which I guess is the exact opposite).

I really loved this movie. It was funny and poignant and particularly observant. My wife and I looked at adopting a year or two ago because we were having troubles conceiving. A lot of Vanessa’s (Jennifer Garner) emotions and actions in the film were spot on. Her character was very guarded emotionally – the disappointment is so great when something falls through, you can’t bear to get your hopes up. I thought Garner portrayed that beautifully. And Ellen Page, of course, was brilliant.

The soundtrack is doing very well, I hear, and the song at the end of the film still is reverberating in my head. Not to spoil the ending – okay, I am going to spoil it so CAUTION – but watching JUNO and Bleeker play guitar together on the sidewalk, playing that song by the Moldy Peaches, may be one of my favorite feel-good endings ever. I just had to smile as I watched it. Even though Juno has a crisis of faith on relationships in the film, the ending was a reaffirmation. It was very uplifting. Diablo Cody did an amazing job with the screenplay. I’m looking forward to what she does next.

But I guess JUNO did have Ellen Page (X3), Jennifer Garner (Electra), and J.K. Simmons (Spider-man 3), so maybe I’m still good. Go see the movie everyone – as Frank Darabont once pointed out with PAN’S LABYRINTH, your dollar at the box office is a vote for more great movies like this.