Vox Nova at the Movies: Juno
Something weird is going on in Hollywood.
Six months ago, I went to see Knocked Up, the Judd Apatow comedy about an out of wedlock pregnancy. The movie was incredibly raunchy, but it also presented the case against abortion in fairly sympathetic terms. I remember thinking at the time that the film’s treatment of the subject was about as good as one could expect from a major Hollywood film.Turns out I was wrong.
Juno is about a hip, highly literate young girl, Juno McGraw who finds herself pregnant. At first, Juno sees abortion as the logical answer to her difficulties. She is, in fact, rather nonchalant about the whole thing (when asked by a friend where she will go for the abortion, she deadpans that she was thinking of going to “Women Now” because “they help women now”). She informs the father, a nerdy kid named Pauli Bleeker, of her decision. He is visibly devastated, but says nothing (after all, it’s her choice), and off to the clinic she goes. On her way to Women Now, however, she runs into a classmate (a foreign exchange student) who is protesting outside the clinic. They talk briefly, and as Juno leaves to go, her friend calls out to her, telling her that she doesn’t have to do this, and that her baby has a heartbeat and fingernails.
At first Juno seems unaffected by this newfound information. She enters the clinic and engages in banter with the dead eyed teenage receptionist, who offers her flavored condoms and basically tries to act worldly and mature. But as Juno fills out the paperwork, her eyes are drawn again and again to the finger nails of each of the people in the room. Finally, she just can’t take it anymore. She runs from the clinic and never looks back.It’s rare to see the anti-abortion position stated with such sympathy and simplicity as it is in this film, and the scenes inside the abortion clinic are just creepy. The film is not about abortion by any means (the entire treatment of the issue lasts maybe 15 minutes). It would be well worth seeing even without these scenes, however. Juno is a wonderful, quirky film full of pathos, interesting characters, and great dialog. It’s not a family film, of course (there is plenty of “adult” language and themes, though no nudity). If these are not a problem to you, I would highly recommend it.
Postmodern art at its finest. Juno is as good as it gets.
Thanks for posting this.
(there is plenty of “adult” language and themes, though no nudity). If these are not a problem to you, I would highly recommend it.
Well typically, a gratuitous boob shot is pretty important, but I suppose the absence of one will not be an unsurmountable problem. :)
First Things posted a great piece on the film today: http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/?p=947
I think a lot of these films reflect younger generations’ grave discomfort with the abortion-as-birth-control-and-it’s-no-big-deal mentality.
I went to see this movie a couple of weeks ago, I would agree with the writeup, it was worth the money.
Rick…HA! thanks, that water shooting out of my nose as I read that really helped…heheh
I heard it was a great movie. Now I MUST see it. Thank you so much for the write up! I am notorious for watching a movie about 2 years after it comes out. I will try and see this movie this year.
Thanks for the recommendation. Michael and I saw the previews and thought that it would be “positive” from an abortion standpoint.
We also watched Dan in Real Life with Steve Carell and turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. Very family-oriented, no adult language, no nudity… absolutely wonderful! Recommended!
Katerina,
I liked Dan in Real Life too. Quite funny.
Well, you know Juno might be worth seeing since it has Ellen Goodman’s knickers in a twist. Goodman’s take (paraphrased): “How dare Hollywood glamorize pregnancy and adoption?! Where are the films portraying the heroic beautiful truth of choosing abortion!?” sheesh
“On her way to Women Now, however, she runs into a classmate (a foreign exchange student) who is protesting outside the clinic. ”
Am I missing the relevant shows, or do only minorities, foreigners, or women get to be pro-life and/or religious in movies and TV?
Hollywood is simply relearning the very old truth that most people prefer Happy Endings. Great art can consist of stories with very unhappy endings, Hamlet springs to mind, but as the Lord of the Rings trilogy amply demonstrates movie goers will flock to well made movies where the good guys win. It is difficult even for the most ardent pro-abort screenwriter to make an abortion the center of a feel-good crowd-pleasing film. This development in recent films is quite heartening.