Thoughts on Juno

The DVD for Juno (that teen-has-a-baby smash hit starring Ellen Page) released on April 15, and the promotional efforts were enough to remind me that I'd been meaning to see it. Conveniently enough, the film is currently showing at the University Mall Theatre in Fairfax (though why it's still out, I can't be certain). So I decided to watch the movie last night - way to be the last one on the bandwagon, right? - and I must say, I was pretty disappointed. It's not that Juno was bad -- it's just that the media hype had me expecting so much more.

The dialogue was fast and realistically unique, which was one of the biggest praises of the film from critics and casual fans alike. But I missed the outstanding wit that was supposedly there... Cody Diablo's script coaxed a few out-loud laughs from me, but as a whole it wasn't a particularly witty movie. In fact, I was more sad than amused -- where it didn't get laughs, the film earned a few tears. I think it works as an interesting look at people, but not as the fast-paced teenage-pregnancy charmer everyone seems to be claiming it is.



One of the other great praises for the film was the soundtrack, which featured a lot of Kimya Dawson. The music was passable; at times it felt cute and indie-appropriate, but occasionally I wanted a little more pitch and polish (for shame!). The soundtrack is probably a better buy than the DVD, though.

All in all, I think the praise for the movie ruined it for me. It's amazing how sometimes media attention can lessen the greatness of a work in some cases, and absolutely benefit it in others (and here I'm thinking of the slow-burning popularity of Across the Universe and Once, both of which I adore).

I guess I'll have to head to the Cinema Arts theatre for some off-the-beaten-path movies in the future. But then, isn't how this whole mess got started anyway?

The mainstream critics really know how to ruin a good thing.