JUNO

jessica - that was indeed, a really random post.

however, my saturday was bizarrely similar. i spent some time at starbucks, watched a late night movie, and was awkwardly caught between two friends. funny how that happens.

anyway, the movie i watched was JUNO.

it was predictably napoleon dynamite-esque in its made up adjective interjections (paulie bleeker, the boy in the poster, continually uses the word 'wizard' when others might say 'sweet', 'cool', or as only napoleon can 'flippin awesome'). sadly, bleeker only has a small part in the film, but he is plenty endearing in his few scenes. juno and her friend who shall remain unnamed because i forget her name are fun, but the laugh out loud bits of dialogue were actually provided by juno's father (j.k. simmons) and stepmother (allison janney).

for example, after juno told her parents that she was pregnant, the two took a moment to reflect with juno out of the room.

simmons: did you see that coming?
janney: yeah, but i was hoping she was expelled or into hard drugs.
simmons: that was my first instinct too. or a dwi, anything but this!

and then there is juno's baby sister, probably three or four years old with the worst name on record. a moment at the dinner table:

simmons: liberty bell, if you put one more baco on that baked potato, i'm going to kick your little monkey butt.
(in liberty bell's only bit of acting in the film, she laugh/smiles at juno after this comment.)

a couple more quotes before i get back to my homework. this one requires some scene-setting. juno decided very quickly that she was going have the baby and give it to a couple that was unable to have their own child. during the first meeting with this couple, juno and the husband end up playing guitar upstairs while juno's dad and the wife (jennifer garner) are sitting uncomfortably silent downstairs with the attorney. the following small talk ensues:

simmons (noticing a machine through an open closet door): what is that thing?
garner: it's a pilates machine.
simmons: what do you make with it?
garner: oh, you don't make anything with it. it's for exercise.
simmons: oh. my wife ordered one of those tony little gazelles off of television. you know, the guy with the ponytail. i don't know about that guy. he doesn't look right.

however, the film was not all laughs and was actually surprisingly heartfelt. juno is a sardonic, thinky teen and there is never a moment when her family and friends aren't wholeheartedly supporting her. i thought for sure her flakey friend would flake and her parents would fly off the handle, but neither happened. i'm pretty sure that this is the bit that requires the willful suspension of disbelief, but for what other reason do we see movies?

finally, one little line that seems appropriate for the blog.

juno: i never realize how much i like being at home unless i've been somewhere really different for a while.


note the cheeseburger phone. :)