she who speaks

More than a year after the nationwide release and countless raves, I can finally say that I’ve seen Juno, though now I’m a little bothered by all the love it and Ellen Page have gotten; I just don’t get it. I admired the cinematography and the score, but I cared about every other character in the movie more than I cared about Juno. Rather than smart and quirky, she seemed pretentious, immature, and utterly naive all the same time. Which, granted, 16-year-olds can definitely be, but Juno felt more like a precocious 13-year-old than 16, based on the teens I’ve known. Juno’s been called a “liberated female” character, but I saw a girl who was emotionally detached from the situation and never really came to terms with the whole holy shit, I have a live person growing within me realization. Maybe it’s just that I’ve known someone who’s been in similar circumstances. I also wasn’t happy with how the film glossed over the realities/side-effects of pregnancy; the symptoms that Juno suffered somehow were all presented in a very cute light, like aww, she’s throwing up in the urn and lying about it, hee!

[Note: Spoilers following, just in case there are people who have not yet seen the film]

You know what movie I’d prefer to watch? The one about Vanessa (Jennifer Garner’s character) and her quest to become a mother — the failed attempts, the previous adoption that fell through, and the disintegrating marriage as she tries to power through it all and keep her hope and dreams alive. Jennifer Garner stole the film for me, and I loved the peeks of vulnerability that shone through the Perfect Mom veneer. I wanted to love Juno as well, but I just didn’t. Perhaps my expectations were just too high after all the hype.

Tagged: juno, movies, rant, review