Juno

It is my firm belief that Juno was a gift to the striking writers of America. Obviously written and produced well before the strike began, it is my belief that it caught so much buzz from critics and ultimately was nominated for so many Oscars as a peace offering to all the writers.

Now, don't get me wrong. Juno is a good film that shines positive lights on many topics that can and will affect young people today. That's why it resonated so powerfully. The dialog tries extremely hard to be hip and kitschy and modern. While there were a few lines of dialog that I couldn't quite stomach, the overall tone and feeling that is projected carries the film enough to forgive these minor annoyances.

The heart of this movie is love and goodness. Teenagers are typically written off as stupid and immature when it comes to love and sex. But to present these problems with a backbone of caring strikes a chord where many have failed. While Juno's pregnancy may have been unplanned, it wasn't a conception void of emotion. Juno comes to realize she truely does love Pauly Bleeker. (side note: Who wouldn't? Michael Sera is a force. He is gold in everything hie does) Juno has enough self awareness to also realize she doesn't want to be a mother.

This screenplay delves into topics that are touchy and hard to deal with. Juno's abandonment issues with her own mother, abortion, adoption, marriage, and emotionally infidelity all get touched upon. Where the script truly shines is that it hits all these tough subjects with enough humor and levity that it doesn't feel like a heavy experience when you come out on the other side.

Getting back to my point that this is a gift to the writers. I think that Ellen Page does a wonderful job as Juno. I think it's great that so many critics and awards recognized Diablo Cody as the writer. As an independent woman writer she comprises such a small contingent of what gets written and produced these days. But it is an important market that will surely be looked at further in the years to come. And by nominating this film as one of the best pictures of the year, the Oscars are letting some of their elite status light shine down on a small indie picture that when released was probably destined for a small splash. But money doesn't lie, and lots and lots of people have gone out and suported this good movie.

I think the buzz surrounding this movie was a plea to the writers. An attempt to remind them that they are relevant and supported. An attempt to showcase new talent. I can't say it's undeserving of the attention and praise, but due to the dialog that focus's so much on what is going on TODAY, I think that the lasting legacy of this film will not be the film itself, but what it did to the industry.