Juno

I went to the movies last night for the first time in probably a year at least. My friend Jennifer and I went to Applebee's for dinner. Then we were supposed to go to our first 'Twins Club' meeting afterward, but we both kind of looked at each other and said, 'Nah!' Instead, we drove to the movie theater to see what was playing. Both of us had wanted to see the movie Juno and talk about timing - we arrived at 7:25pm... guess what time it started?!?!? 7:25pm! So we quickly paid and ran to the theater and had our choice of seats (only 2 other people in the whole theater!)

Some stats about the movie Juno:
Release date: Dec 25, 2007
Rated: PG-13
Length: 96 minutes

2008 Oscars:
WON - Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
NOMINATED - Best Motion Picture of the Year
NOMINATED - Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (Ellen Page)
NOMINATED - Best Achievement in Directing

Ellen Page ... Juno MacGuff
Michael Cera ... Paulie Bleeker
Jennifer Garner ... Vanessa Loring
Jason Bateman ... Mark Loring
Allison Janney ... Bren MacGuff
J.K. Simmons ... Mac MacGuff
Olivia Thirlby ... Leah

Synopsis: Sixteen year-old Juno MacGuff is the type of girl that beats to her own drummer, and doesn't really care what others may think of her. She learns that she's pregnant from a one-time sexual encounter with her best friend, Paulie Bleeker. Juno and Paulie like each other, but don't consider themselves to be exclusive boyfriend/girlfriend let alone be ready to be a family complete with child. Although she would rather not be pregnant, Juno is fairly pragmatic about her situation. Although there, Paulie really leaves all the decisions about the baby to Juno. Initially she decides that she will have an abortion, but that's something that she ultimately cannot go through with. So she decides to have the baby and give it up for adoption. But first she has to tell her father, Mac, and stepmother, Bren, that she is pregnant. The next step is to find prospective parents for the yet unborn child. In the Pennysaver ad section, Juno finds Mark and Vanessa Loring, a yuppie couple living in the suburbs. During the second and third trimesters of Juno's pregnancy which she treats with care but detachment, Juno's relationships with her family, with Paulie, and with the Lorings develop, the latter whose on the surface perfect life masks some hidden problems.

My thoughts: The movie was really very good. It was perfectly paced, the 90 minutes seemed to fly by. I loved the music and plan to find the soundtrack on iTunes. Ellen Page was fantastic! I have never heard of her before and knew she was young, but wow. Very impressive. This is a funny and touching film where you fall in love with the characters and the storyline. I highly recommend it!

Sountrack info: Juno Soundtrack

A small sampling (from youtube):
All I Want Is You

Anyone Else But You

I'm Sticking With You

Tire Swing