Juno

For whatever reason, I've had some time to watch some movies as of late. My wife and I watched Juno last night, finally. My brother and sister, and about a million other people, had told me (ok, begged) me to see it. I am glad I did.

Running about 92 minutes, there doesn't seem to be any wasted space in the thing. It follows the 9 months of a girl named Juno and her ill-timed and unwelcome pregnancy. Beyond the super cool phraseology and the obscure pop-culture references, and beyond the alien-like quirkiness of Juno herself, the movie just feels real. Usually, movies dealing with issues like teenage pregnancy, choice, abortion, adoption and marriage do so at either end of the ideological spectrum (usually to their detriment). And that usually means much of their content is untrue, and therefore feels unreal to the viewer. Juno deals deftly with said issues, but in an intensely personal and real way. And that's only because the movie is so open. For example, the opening scene has Juno buying multiple pregnancy tests in the corner store and taking them right there in the bathroom. As she comes in and out, she debates with the cashier about what the tests might mean. And this happens in full-view of anyone around. This sort of openness does not stop for the whole movie, and the viewer is better off for it.

I know that the makers of the film are not happy that the pro-life crowd has claimed this movie as a pro-life vehicle. And I can understand why. Juno is not meant to be an apologetic for choosing life and adoption, or an argument against abortion. Its only intention is to shine a bit of light on a little girl named Juno and the big issue she faces.

I do heartily recommend Juno, but of course advise you to check out the content review at Kids in Mind before you see it.