juno

ive been wanting to see this one for quite a while now. even before it got all the oscar attention ive had my eye on it. i figure anything with jason bateman, the kid from arrested development, and kitty pryde from the x-men movies was going to be at least ok. as it got more and more attention i figured i should definitely check it out.

well, saturday i finally got around to it, and boy was it worth it! the movie was hysterical! if you dont know the story line of this movie then you really need to stop living under that rock of yours. but just in case, ill summarize it for you. its about a 16 year old who gets pregnant and decides to go through with the birth and give the child up to a couple who hasnt been able to conceive. its not the story thats getting everyone talking, its the writing that makes this movie great. the style of conversation among everyone is a bit different. everyone is highly intelligent and amazingly witty, which just doesnt happen in real life. it almost teeters on the wes anderson style of quirky, but it has a lot more heart. after about the first ten minutes you start to accept this hip hyper-reality and can really get into the characters and their relationships with each other. the main character juno is very self confident and certain that she knows everything. and for a while, we believe her. she is so sure footed and wise beyond her years that she thinks she can handle whatever life throws at her, and for much of the film we are prone to agree. but one of the themes that the film (expertly) explores is the idea of naivete.

over all the film is certainly one of the funniest of the year, and also is surprisingly touching.

[editor's note: i saw this in the theater on a date.  in case you are wondering- yes, the date went well, i have since married her!]