Juno: Meh
In my grand tradition of seeing movies months after everybody else on Earth has (”Hey guys! I just saw Heat!”), I finally watched Juno. I’m not totally sure why I didn’t like the film more…technically it’s not a bad movie. I mean, it has all the elements of a movie I should like: an offbeat but relatable and well-written story, good characters played by good actors, a great soundtrack and several laugh out loud and/or quotable lines — but it just didn’t seem to live up to the hype.
Actually, this same sentiment applies to my feelings about its titular character. She likes shitty punk music, shitty horror movies, has a biting, sarcastic sense of humor, plays guitar and knows how to properly flip people off (without the thumb). On paper, this sounds like my dream girl. In theory I should fucking love this girl, but instead I found Juno extremely annoying. Not Daria annoying, but pretty goddamn close. Sitting through the movie was like spending 90 minutes with somebody you should really be getting along with but they’re wearing an unforgivably stupid shirt. Sorry, but Juno is the movie equivalent of the band you can appreciate for their catchy hooks or artistic integrity but whose albums you would never purchase.
A couple side-notes:
1. Michael Cera may be typecast after his role on Arrested Development and is probably doomed to play the same character in every movie, but it’s a character I never tire of. Please keep making movies with Michael Cera as the awkward kid.
2. The thing about the girl that smells like soup was stolen from So I Married an Axe Murderer. Uncool.
3. I know that Juno is a relatively low budget movie but c’mon…6.5 million dollars couldn’t buy a convincing fake pregnant tummy? This is something I notice a lot in movies that show a gestating fetus with a gut wrapped around it; the crazy, crazy shit they can do in movies these days…yet any shot of a mother’s swollen tummy looks like a novelty stomach you’d buy at the stupid gag shop downtown. Or fuck, I don’t know…maybe that’s what it REALLY looks like. Fortunately I’ve never been that close to an unborn baby — is there something about pregnancy that makes the skin look like rubber and diffuse light differently than the rest of your skin?
I don’t have a way to wrap this up, so here’s some AIM logs.
December 20th, 2007
(3:14:46 PM) Bill: oh wow juno is getting insane reviews
(3:14:49 PM) Shawn: yeah
(3:14:55 PM) Shawn: I really want to see it based on those
(3:15:02 PM) Shawn: I’ve been hearing buzz about it for like a few months now
(3:15:07 PM) Bill: im just worried that like
(3:15:12 PM) Shawn: TYPE CAST
(3:15:12 PM) Bill: michael cera
(3:15:13 PM) Bill: yeah
(3:15:14 PM) Bill: haha
(3:15:16 PM) Shawn: yeah
(3:15:18 PM) Shawn: but you know
(3:15:20 PM) Bill: he can play one character
(3:15:22 PM) Shawn: I really don’t mind that
(3:15:23 PM) Bill: its a funny character
(3:15:31 PM) Bill: but its like john heder
(3:15:31 PM) Shawn: “A controlled slide”
(3:15:33 PM) Bill: hahaha
(3:15:43 PM) Shawn: that embedded him in my comic hall of genius
(3:15:50 PM) Bill: hahhaha
(3:15:56 PM) Shawn: if that’s all he ever does for his ENTIRE career
(3:16:03 PM) Shawn: that’s funny to me, and that’s all I need
February 5th, 2008
(7:40:00 AM) Bill: oh i watched i want someone to eat cheese with
(7:40:02 AM) Bill: it was alright i guess
(7:40:17 AM) Bill: my hopes were high for jeff garlin/sarah silverman
(7:40:23 AM) Shawn: ah ha! I knew it!
(7:40:30 AM) Bill: it wasnt bad
(7:40:35 AM) Shawn: hah
(7:40:35 AM) Bill: i laughed quite a few times
(7:40:37 AM) Bill: but it was
(7:40:39 AM) Bill: uneven i guess
(7:40:48 AM) Bill: when it was over i was like “okay…”
(7:40:48 AM) Shawn: hey, it happens man
(7:41:04 AM) Shawn: I did that at Juno, me and mal are the only ones in the universe
(7:41:11 AM) Shawn: that could’ve cared less
(7:41:12 AM) Bill: oh yeah?
(7:41:23 AM) Shawn: I watched it, and when it was over, I kind of wanted my money back
(7:41:31 AM) Shawn: I was not impressed
(7:41:37 AM) Shawn: the soundtrack is freaking great
(7:41:43 AM) Shawn: …and thats about it
(7:41:45 AM) Shawn: for me at least
(7:43:08 AM) Shawn: So, you know, it happens with the movies, sometimes, they just, you know…don’t do it
QFT.
February 14th, 2008 at 9:15 am
do you really save AIM logs?
February 14th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
My client logs them, yeah.
February 15th, 2008 at 11:00 am
i saw the movie b/c of whats his face from arrested development too. i wanted to punch the girl in the face on occasion throughout the movie, but overall i actually liked it.
but yeah, that girl totally was way too over confident for being in high school, i think thats why she irritated me.
February 16th, 2008 at 4:44 pm
I haven’t seen Juno OR Heat.
February 17th, 2008 at 6:30 am
Wow Bill…I completely agree with you. What you wrote is exactly why I don’t want to watch the movie. I think “Juno” wants to bill itself as an indie film, but it seems a bit contrived. Know what I mean? Like it’s trying too hard…the music, the art for the movie, etc. Frankly, the main actress seems a bit annoying. And don’t get me started on what I overhear from people “raving” about this film”…(hint: girls/guys with knit caps who eat tempeh…)
February 17th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
ive never seen heat 2
February 23rd, 2008 at 9:25 pm
I saw Juno…twice.