November 10, 2008
Music Man and I had a chance to watch Juno last weekend. I’d heard so much about it, and the buzz was good, but I wasn’t certain what to expect.
I put it on late-ish on last Saturday night (that was Extra Hour night), figuring if it didn’t hold my attention, I could go to sleep…and if it did, I’d have that extra hour to fall back on.
I watched the whole thing, and so did Music Man, and I really loved it.
I loved many things about the movie–I loved the witty, erudite dialogue. I found it almost Jane Austen-ish, but in the 21st century. The plot was not predictable–and believe me, I tried! Every time I sort of thought I knew where it was going, and what was going to happen, I was wrong.
That’s a good thing.
I enjoyed Juno’s relationship with her parents–it was realistic because it was neither perfect nor completely dysfunctional. And I loved the TicTacs in the mailbox. The romantic in me just loved it!
Juno reminded both me and Music Man of our friend Steph, who performs as Tonks & the Aurors–in looks and mannerism. Plus Juno plays the guitar too! (So all through the movie, I kept thinking of you, Steph!)
Anyway, I was easily able to remain awake for the whole thing, and I laughed and cried and really enjoyed it…and I appreciated how it ended. I’m thinking about letting my daughter watch it someday when she’s a tish older.
For me, making it through the movie without falling asleep (especially when curled up in bed, but the couch will do in a pinch) is a mark of success! Music Man is fond of rolling his eyes when I suggest putting a movie on after 10 pm, because he knows that 9 times out of 10, I’ll fall asleep during it.
And he’s right. I do. So when I make it through a movie, that’s like an automatic five-star review.
Now, Music Man? He’ll stay up and watch till the Bitter End…even if the movie sucks. He can’t turn it off. Poor guy.
Me? I’m ruthless like that with books and movies and TV. If it’s not holding my interest, I’m done.
What about you?
November 10th, 2008 at 10:58 am
I’ll usually sit through a movie, but I tend to give up on books pretty quick. Though now that I have Netflix, I\’ve been giving up on movies more easily — it\’s easier when you don\’t feel like you should get what you pay for, as you would with a normal rental.
As for Juno, I\’m glad I went to see that in a movie theater. Had I been watching it at home, I may have turned it off after the first scene, which I thought was PAINFUL in it\’s attempt to be endlessly clever and hip and trying WAY too hard. NO PERSON ON EARTH talks like that. \”One doodle that can\’t be undid,\” \”your eggo is preggo,\” \”Oh my blog\” — blecch! I still had major problems with the idea that two supposedly smart, educated kids would not use protection, but overall, it was a cute movie.
I have a ton of movie reviews on my blog today, too.
November 10th, 2008 at 11:01 am
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November 10th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
Me, I’m like your Music Man. I stick to it until the bitter end for some reason. My husband is like you - he’ll turn it off or stop reading if he doesn’t like it. He always teases me that I’m no longer in school, and if I don’t like the book, why am I reading it? I figure, it’s a good experience, it helps you better define WHY you don’t like something if you can talk intelligently about it, which you can’t do if you never watched/read, right?
And other times, I’m pleasantly surprised. For example, one of my favorite books EVER is Wuthering Heights, but only because I slogged through the first 100 pages (of my version). I hate the first 100 pages, even when rereading, but I know the reward is worth it in the end.
However, knowing this about myself, I don’t even start some books or movies. I skip a good number of movies and books that people rave about if I have any inkling that it’s not really up my alley.
November 10th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
I’ll sit through until the bitter end — unless it sucks. Then I’ll turn it off. But then again, I also will go to sleep very often to a well loved movie. I’ve seen the first 30 minutes of 2005’s Pride and Prejudice, but not the rest because I fall asleep. I think sleep timers are magical.
I’m more likely to fall asleep to baseball than I am a movie. Especially if Joe Buck is calling the game. I just love his voice!
November 10th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
Hubby and I really enjoyed Juno too. I’m always a bit afraid to see movies that get a lot of hype because I think I might be disappointed. For instance, I didn’t think Jerry McGuire didn’t live up to the hype for me. Sure, it was fine, but I was expecting to be blow away. I wasn’t. But Juno lived up to the good reviews.
I have a tendency to stick to a movie (or even a book) until the bitter end. Even if it’s sub-par, I keep thinking, “It’s GOT to get better.” I think the most recent movie I did that with was The 13th Warrior with Antonio Banderas. I’d never seen it, and my TiVo picked it up. I got to the end of it and thought, what was the point of that movie?
November 10th, 2008 at 8:43 pm
If I am at the Movie theater, I will stay to the end of a Movie, just because I don’t want to step on someones foot on my way out. As for Videos or Movies on TV, forget it. If I don’t like it, I’ll go read a book or fall asleep, or Change the Channel if I am alone. But if a Movie is Borderline, I May watch it to the end just to see if it gets better or worse.
Oh, Completely off topic, but I Had to say this Anyway….I Found out Today that Baby #2 is a Little Boy! He’s Due in Mid March, so I’ll Have As Shadows Fade to read while I am in the Hospital! YAY!
November 11th, 2008 at 12:28 am
I must agree with a previous poster that the beginning of the first act is fairly painful. I think the movie doesn’t really get its legs until the scene at the abortion clinic.
However, I do love the movie. A lot. I agree that it has a great message in the end. I encourage a lot of parents to see the movie, in hopes that they’ll show it to their kids one day and discuss it with them.
I saw it the first week it came out with my sister and said to her in the car “I want to be Juno” to which she replied “you are Juno”. 40 unsolicited comparisons later, and I guess she’s right.
Now I just worry that people will think I’m a Juno-Poseur, when I’m actually just like this!
November 11th, 2008 at 12:33 am
Oh, and this summer, I was an extra in a movie starring Ellen Page. I experienced some cool stuff on set, but what surprised me the most was when I got to be next to Ellen Page and find out that she’s a good 3-4 inches shorter than I am. She’s seriously tiny.
So…look for this pink haired hooligan in the movie “Whip It!” coming soon.
November 11th, 2008 at 7:23 am
I agree about chucking books, movies and TV shows if they aren’t good. There’s so much good stuff out there that there isn’t time to waste on the bad stuff. I also think that just because it’s “well respected” doesn’t mean I have to like it. I spent too long reading what I didn’t like in high school and college.
I heart Juno. SO good.
November 13th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
I am so glad you enjoyed Juno. For so many reasons, including the fantastic soundtrack, it is one of my favorite films. Every time I’ve seen it I find something new that strikes me as really clever and interesting. The parent/child relationship is fantastic. And little Liberty Bell just makes me smile every time I see her.