One should never go to a party empty-handed

After a very long wait (aka, two weeks after the nationwide release date), I was prepped and psyched to go see Juno, the newest installment in a very exciting series* of intelligent comedies that have been released recently. While most studios choose to put out crap like White Chicks, RV, and Little Man, many (generally independent) studios seem to be choosing to release far more interesting and intellectual comedies. Case in point, Knocked Up, Stranger than Fiction, Superbad (which despite in-your-face vulgarity, genuinely captures the insecurity and vulnerability of the high school geek), and the recent Academy Award winner and Best Picture nominee Little Miss Sunshine. As an avid movie lover (and admitted fan of the occasional "stupid comedy"), I am very excited to see that filmmakers seem to be making a return to a John Hughes-like approach to humor: using true, human emotion, and intermixing humorous situations that are more plausible than ridiculous.

*I use the term series because, even though most of these movies have no intended plot connections, they often share producers, actors, and directors. For example, Judd Apatow and his crew (including Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill), have had a heavy hand not only in recent favorites Superbad, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, and Anchorman, but Apatow also had creative power in the cult TV classic, Freaks and Geeks. "Series" does not imply that the movies go in sequence, or that the characters all know each other. It just implies that they all have a similar outlook: that the outsider is just as, if not more, beautiful than the "perfect" molds of "people" in many movies.

That being said, I have been waiting to see Juno since seeing the first trailer I don't know how long ago. A movie about a cute 16-year-old who gets pregnant after her first sexual encounter and then decides to give the baby to a homogenized suburban couple? Sounds like a good time. And the fact that Michael Cera plays the awkward, lanky, unlikely so-and-so who impregnates our heroine just makes the movie that much more appealing. But what I was really excited about wasn't the cast, but the simple yet undeniably brilliant idea of taking a situation which is already uncomfortable and painful to watch (high school for anyone who is different), and adding the ultimate discomfort (pregnancy). So, here's a recap. Michael Cera, Ellen Page, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, and Allison Janney in a movie about a girl who is maybe slightly larger than myself (about 5'4" and 115 lbs. after a rainstorm) who ends up pregnant after one carnal adventure with perhaps the most awkward kid since Anthony Michael Hall. What more could you ask for as far as humorous situations go? Very little. All in all, Juno looked to be a recipe for excellence. But in turns out that while being rather funny, Juno isn't your ordinary high school comedy. After seeing the movie that I waited so long for, I walked out of the theatre feeling a blend of emotions I was not expecting. The great thing about Juno was that, while being witty and hilarious, it was also truly heartfelt and honest.

When I went into the thatre, I did not expect that the movie would be dealing with adoption so heavily, and as someone who is adpoted, I was very happy to see a movie that dealt with unwanted pregnancy with adoption as opposed to abortion or the "well, we got pregnant so now we have to get married" mentality (no offense to Knocked Up). In a world (and a country) where teen pregnancy is a growing issue, it's kind of refreshing to encounter a movie that approaches the scenario from a "let's deal with this in a way that's going to make someone elses life better" perspective. Having heard the story of my own adoption, and knowing full well the impact it had on my family's lives, I had serious trouble keeping myself from sobbing loudly from the middle row when the film reached its climax.

I'm not saying that I want to see the end of movies like that capitalize on cheap laughs and shallow storylines, I'm the first to admit that when I'm in a bad mood I turn to that kind of thing. But walking out of Juno I had an influx of confidence in the future of American film. I had a similar feeling walking out of Stranger than Fiction and Little Miss Sunshine last year. I like a hearty laugh, I really do. But at the end of Juno I was even more satisfied because not only did I laugh, I felt. And that, above all, is what movies are all about.