Headed to the Bijoux: Juno

Through a very fortuitous series of events Kathy and I got out to see a movie this afternoon. Stylistically I was strongly reminded of Napoleon Dynamite except that this movie had the advantage of being funny, at least in parts. The thoughts that rumble through my head are relatively predictable...

As usual, Hollywood optimizes characters until they're utterly unrecognizable as people. If kids in high school have interests as deep and wide as the ones portrayed in this movie then where are the adults with such interests? Perhaps it's merely a Midwestern trait but most people I know are much more grounded in the simpler things in life. Juno introduces us to teenagers who act more like my father than any teenager I've ever met. I'd love to meet such people if they actually exist or at least swap CDs with them. The soundtrack for this movie, which featured songs I've never heard by an artist I've never heard, was also brilliant; pity I'm too lazy to find out more about the music involved.

I was also amused to see that the movie revealed 'dark man secret #3': Every man who is not the eldest of 12 is scared shitless by the idea of having a baby. Now that is not to say that they will admit it; clearly women have a visceral need to have children and no man wants to step on that, especially in a new marriage. Men will say (as one of the movie's characters did) that they're looking forward to having a child and ready to be a parent but when it comes down to it we don't know beans about babies. Babies are delicate, illogical and the most important thing in a new mother's life so it's a damn scary prospect that as men we might be called upon to take care of one with exactly 0 previous experience. In the end though the wife builds the father she wants for her child in the first year. If your husband isn't the father you expect then it's your job as mother to correct him; in all likelihood he doesn't know crap about taking care of a small child. OK, I've wandered far enough off topic ...

For somewhat ineffable reasons I find the father in this movie very personally relatable. When things are at their worst for the daughter he's cool, calm and collected. His dry sense of humor also seems familiar. Funny, I always seem to see myself in these screen people. My wife says this guy is me forwards, backwards and all directions in between:



I'd call that totally and utterly inaccurate but you make the call on your own.