Movie Review - Juno

We don't see a ton of movies, for the obvious reasons. The bulk of the entertainment in this house revolves around Dora, Diego and Little Einsteins. At least Emma and Johnny are old enough now to ask for shows like Planet Earth and Snowboard Diaries, both of which I can actually watch as well. Since our movie watching is few and far between it is a real bummer that most movies are a disappointment for one reason or another. The other night we watched Juno. I was preparing for the worst- you know, those movies that show every good or funny moment in the commercials. I was also expecting a show laced with some sort of political commentary or an underlying liberal agenda. To my surprise none of these were true. Juno was a funny, somewhat realistic, heart felt social commentary that touched on the good and some of the bad of society. There were interesting interactions between different groups, mainly the upper and middle class divide and the many social classes that define the High School setting. While many of these interactions are funny, they give a realness to the movie that others lack. I think the movie triumphed in it's ability to realistically and humorously depict all these interactions against the backdrop of such weighty subject matter as abortion and adoption. Obviously, the movie was not from a Christian perspective, but I think it was somewhat more powerful that a non-religious, typical highschool girl could see the value of life and the importance of helping others, even to the point of sacrificing her own body. Although the biggest attention getters in the movie are the themes of abortion and adoption, it turns out that the main theme is true love. In the midst of a less than perfect life we learn that true love can be right under our noses, if only we can recognize it.