Juno Know

Since I have basically become a prisoner to food poisoning these past few days and have trouble sitting up and doing much of anything, I decided to catch up on movies. One of my sorority sisters took pity on me and came over to keep me company and join in on my movie marathon. She brought over Juno, which I have been wanting to see for a while now because of the rave reviews it has received. I was curious as to what could be so amazing about a movie that involves a sarcastic, pregnant sixteen year old. I did not enter into the experience with very high expectations and the way the movie began did not raise them at all. It started off with Juno, the title character, reminiscing about her first sexual experience, which occurred in an armchair. She then made her way to a store to take a pregnancy test which, of course, was positive. Apparently, the guy who fathered the child was a friend who she had just engaged in sex with because she was bored. Hmmm... Anyway, after discussing the situation with a female friend, Juno decided to get an abortion. She went to the clinic and was waiting to receive the procedure but changed her mind. Predictable.

The movie took an unexpected turn when Juno decided to give the baby up for adoption when it was born but wanted to hand-pick the adoptive parents. After finding some good candidates in the penny saver (whatever that is), Juno told her parents about the unexpected pregnancy and the decision she had reached in regards to it. Though they would have much rather dealt with their teenage daughter having a drug habit, they took the news of the pregnancy in stride and decided to support Juno. She and her dad went and met the prospective parents and signed an agreement with them to give them the baby at birth. Throughout the course of the pregnancy, Juno forged a weird relationship with the prospective father. He ended up deciding to leave his wife and the plans seemed to be falling apart. I do not want to give away the ending but it was not as predictable as one would expect other than the fact that Juno ended up falling realizing she was in love with the child's father.

All in all, the story was heartwarming and it was a different look at the teenage pregnancy issue without involving a cheerleader or something along those lines. Juno's sarcasm and quick wit helped the movie along alot. I am still unsure if it deserved all of the hoopla that surrounded it but it is a movie worth watching.