Juno: Pop-Culture Defined

There are a few things about today's pop culture that really bug me. OK, there are a lot of things, close to 10,000 things probably, that really bug me. One of which is the "famous just for the sake of being famous" syndrome. You know this one; the one where if one person gets enough press and you see his/her face plastered on every magazine that you gawk at passing time at your local grocery store as the person in front of you attempts to: buy groceries, get cigarettes, cash a check, order stamps, check the lottery numbers, buy a prepaid phone card, and order a caramel latte, then they are automatically famous. What it is exactly that these people ever do to garner such buzz is beyond me. But it works, obviously, because enough people are on board. I think mainly because they are literally bored...with their own lives.

I feel like sometimes films can catch a huge buzz in the same sort of way. Only, instead of being famous for the sake of being famous, they're weird for the sake of being weird. Now don't get me wrong, there's nothing that will get me to fall in love with a film quicker than a quirky, awkward sense of humor. I believe the first director of my generation to really nail it was Wes Anderson with Rushmore. The characters were eccentric and weird, but still vulnerable and believable. Plus, Anderson is able to pull off this strange sort of fairytale set in reality atmosphere that is so very unique to him and definitely defines his mark on film history. The thing about film making is that it is OK to "borrow" or steal ideas from your heroes, in fact, it can be cute when done tongue-in-cheek and not blatant, but much time has to pass before it can be done, otherwise it's just a fucking rip-off.

This weekend, I went and saw Juno with a couple friends, and I was pumped. I did my research, got into writer Diablo Cody's personal story, which is pretty cool by the way, and was all hyped up on the buzz surrounding the film. The producers secured an awesome cast in Ellen Page (Hard Candy), Michael Cera and Jason Bateman, from arguably the best television program in the last decade, Arrested Development, and Jennifer Garner, amongst others, and the trailers I saw really had me shitting my pants on this one. I was pretty much set to give it best film of 2007 based on these few facts alone. Oh, the disappointment I felt upon the first shot and into the first line.

The girl, Juno, is standing in a front yard staring at a red lazy-boy recliner slugging off a 64oz jug of Sunny Delight. A dog is barking wildly at her. She looks at the dog. "Banana! Shut your freakin' gob!"

I sunk low in my chair, stinging somewhere inside my chest with disappointment thinking "thanks a lot Napoleon Dynamite, you've single-handedly ruined the new generation of film makers". A little harsh, sure, but that's literally what went through my head at that moment and I've got to be honest. The rest of the dialogue didn't get much better. It was a bunch of witty one liners that really more serve as a stand-up showcase for Ellen Page than developing a heartbreakingly cute story about a girl and a guy who try to get past the awkward stages of courtship and just express their true feelings.

I do get what Cody was trying to get across here however. For whatever reason, and we've all been through it, when you're young, the toughest thing you can do is let the person you love know you love them. Shit, without the help of large amounts of booze, it's difficult even when you're not young; I can attest. The main character is a bit neurotic (another character-trait favorite) and insecure and has built up a defense as a result in the form of a sharp tongue, which serves to keep everyone at a distance, and that's fine and definitely understandable. But you can still pull that off and have some believable dialogue. Not every line has to make me laugh or giggle or chuckle. It's OK to make me sit for a second and do...nothing. People don't talk in one liners, especially uncomfortable 16 year olds.

"Juno, can I get you something to drink?"

"Yeah, I'll have a Makers Mark on ice, please"

Give me a break. Who is she, Don Rickles? I almost expected a drum roll and audience laugh track to be cued up. Nobody talks like this, I'm sorry.

The one saving grace about this film is Micheal Cera's Paulie Bleeker, who is Juno's love interest, and father to Juno's unborn child that she carries in her belly throughout the film. Cera has really created his own calling card as far as actors go, and that is the constant state of awkwardness. He is the undisputed king of the "audience's hands to their face watching between fingers" dialogue delivery. It's so painful you can feel it. He can make me laugh just by him looking away from someone, stealing a quick glance back, then looking away again. He's incredible. Bateman is great too, but his character, Mark, became a bit self-serving and I was quickly aware that Cody was using him to let everyone know what she is into personally.

Here's the plotline:

Bateman and Jennifer Garner are a young married couple who cannot conceive their own child. After one nightmare visit to the abortion clinic, Juno decides to give the baby up for adoption. Juno and her friend Leah (Olivia Thirlby) decide to check out the Pennysaver for adoptees and come across Vanessa and Mark's (Garner and Bateman) picture perfect ad. Upon their first meeting, Juno and Mark bond right away over their shared love of music. They discuss their love of Nirvana and Sonic Youth and how Iggy Pop and the Stooges are the best band ever and blah, blah, blah. Now, I don't know Cody personally and I try hard never to make assumptions, but for me, this whole segment of the film, and a loooong segment it is, mind you, is dedicated to "enlightening" us, the audience, on what is cool and what we should really check out. They discuss everything from "cool" underground Japanese comics and the crazy maverick horror film directors from the 70's. I felt like I was supposed to be thinking "man, I can't wait to go check this stuff out once this is over!" But I wasn't. So contrived.

The last quarter of the film won me back, however. The big turning point is when Mark, upon one final (thank Allah) commentary on what's cool in music with Juno, decides he's not ready for all this and he's going to leave his wife, Vanessa. Juno freaks out and the realness begins. She has a realization and makes a few rational decisions. She tells Bleeker she loves him (awesome), she has the baby (great scene), and she still gives the baby to the now single Vanessa, who wants nothing more in life than to be a mother. The final 25 minutes of this film are so charged with real emotion and real human spirit that if it was done as a short, it would have won an Oscar in that category, hands down.

In essence, I did like this film, not as much as I should have, but I did nonetheless. My point is this: you can make a weird film with weird characters and weird dialogue and weird whatever, but please, it can be done without it being thrown in my face. It's called subtlety, and subtlety is genius. I don't want to see another Wes Anderson rip-off, or another Napolean Dynamite or another Ghost World for at least another 20-25 years. Come on young writers, have some friggin' tact. Sorry, I was trying to be funny there, but I know you know what I'm sayin.

Oh, and despite my mean little rant about how Cody forces her pop culture suggestions on us, I must say, they did pick a pretty damn fine soundtrack to back this film. It's cute, lovely, and heartbreaking all at the right moments and plays just a big a part as the characters themselves. I'd suggest researching the artist's when you get a moment here. I know I will.

Let's hear it!