Juno

I got to go see "Juno" with Jess last night, and we both really enjoyed it. You may remember that we saw "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" together back in October, and that's the last time we got to see a movie in the theater together. Our tastes in film can be very different, but when there is an overlap it makes the expereience so enjoyable. We laughed at many of the same scenes, felt compassion for certain caracters, and of course since we are married we disagreed here and there too. I would like to explain what made this film so good, perhaps even great, but it's not a simple thing to do. "Juno" had depth. Not just layers of writing, or allusion to something that may or may not be there, but true depth. What first tipped me off was early on in the film when Juno (the main character of course) enters an abortion clinic fully intending to have an abortion. Outside she was met by a classmate who is picketing the clinic. There is a short exchange in which the classmate informs her that her baby probably already has hair, a heartbeat and fingernails. Juno has seen the bumper-stickers and picket signs before and continues into the clinic. Once inside she seems to have a tendency to notice all the little details that make us uncomfortable in any clinical enviornment, and she soon leaves, with he baby intact. What's great about the shot is that we get to see her noticing women tapping their fingernails, painting their fingernails, etc. Did her baby's fingernails save it's life? I don't think the movie is so simple as to suggest that, merely it points out that it can be those seemingly insignificant statements, or little details that add up in making us who we are, and help determine the choices we make and the way we approach life.
There a have been quite a few movies made, especially since this low-budget independent film craze began, that attempt to make comedies centered on realistic situations. What seperates "Juno" from what is mostly crap, is that it has real people, dealing realistically with realistic situations, and it's really funny.