Movie: Juno

Juno

I'll have to admit that when this movie first started, I thought it was going to be one of those prototypical indie films. You know, the ones with the oh-so quirky characters, a bouncy indie rock soundtrack, and dialogue that require a gold medal in verbal gymnastics from the actors wrapped around a pedestrian plot. It stared out that way.

But as the movie went on, it grew out of that and on  me. Most of it has to do with the acting. The cast is pitch perfect. Every actor is absolutely right for their role, especially Ellen Page. Watching this, I made a note to remember her performance. When she breaks Meryl Streep's record for Oscar nominations, I could say I remembered her when.

Marks also go to Diablo Cody, who has become a media darling from this movie, for taking the plot in well-set up yet unconventional turns.

The characters are complex and believable. Yes, they are quirky, but realistically so.

I really liked the movie and could identify with the characters. I'm glad I didn't dismiss it outright after the first several scenes. Highly recommended.

Trailers:

• Mad Money: Diane Keaton, Queen Latifah and Katie Holmes star as what appear to be cleaning women who slowly steal money from a bank. Kinda like a female Goodfellas with forced humor. Katie Holmes gave up the Batman franchise for this? Wow. Marrying Tom Cruise wasn't the craziest thing she did.
• Made of Honor: My Best Friend's Wedding with a dash of role-reversal. Seems funny. It appears that Patrick Dempsey's career arc has brought him back to romantic comedies, with some success. I bet Christian Slater is jealous.
• Stop-Loss: Ah, another movie about the Iraq War. This one's about the troops who are forced back into service after their time is supposedly up. If teh lack of success experienced by Lions for Lambs and Rendition tells us anything, it's that people would rather know nothing about the war in Iraq, and stay away from those kind of movies in droves.
• Under The Same Moon: The story of an Mexican boy who must cross over to the US and find his mother after his grandmother dies. Inspiring story, or putting a cute face on a hot button topic? You decide.