Perceptions from a Pewboy

Yesterday, I treated myself to a cinematic double feature. I saw the 3:15 showing of “Cloverfield” and the 5:00 showing of “Juno.”

“Cloverfield” is a frenetic, spectacle-rich, and highly entertaining New York monster movie filmed entirely with the hand-held video camera of one of the characters. (Think “Blair Witch Project” meets “Godzilla” meets “Independence Day.”) The cinematography imbues the film with a very personal quality, thereby highlighting the rawness of the characters’ emotions and buttressing the sense of realism that permeates the film. Also worth noting is “Cloverfield’s” refusal to provide any elaborate explanation concerning the monster’s origin. Did it come from outer space? Or the sea? Or an underground cave in Central Park? The fact that these questions are left unanswered only serves to highlight the characters’ sense of confusion and uncertainty about what is happening in their city. It is difficult, in fact, not to think about September 11th, 2001 when watching “Cloverfield.” Both settings illuminate the advent of an unanticipated monster in a city that is left horrified and crippled in the wake of the monster’s destruction.

Be warned, however: The Internet Movie Database forum on “Cloverfield” is replete with complaints concerning motion-sickness resulting from the intentionally shaky cinematography. The perpetually vibrating footage produced by the hand-held video camera can certainly produce headaches and nausea! Have a Dramamine handy.

Now, to “Juno.”

“Juno” is the story of a bright and creative teenager (named “Juno”) who finds herself unexpectedly pregnant. The film chronicles Juno’s journey from her child’s conception to his birth and all of the decisions, conversations, and relationships that she faces along the way.

I rarely say this about a film, but I really fell in love with “Juno,” and I did so for a number of different reasons. I fell in love with it because of the way in which it beautifully personalizes a delicate issue (specifically, teen pregnancy) that is all too often reduced in contemporary discourse to little more than statistical analysis and moral pronouncements. I fell in love with it because of the way in which the film offers a spot-on critique of the simplistic and dismissive way with which pregnant teens are often dealt while at the same time avoiding the temptation of taking potshots at the pro-life position. (In fact, one of the film’s minor characters, a teenaged pro-life advocate who stands in protest outside of an abortion clinic, actually provides the message that sends Juno on a redemptive journey toward maturity. With her poor grammar and her simplistic placard, this pro-life teenager is a bit of a caricature, to be sure. But, unlike many films, “Juno” does not treat the pro-lifer’s message as the antiquated thinking of an unenlightened mind. Quite the contrary, the film seems to sense that there is something good and noble about a teenager’s willingness to choose life.)

Most of all, I fell in love with the film because of the wonderfully funny and heartfelt performances of its actors. Ellen Page is a revelation as “Juno.” Her Oscar nomination for best actress is well-deserved (as is the film’s Oscar nomination for best picture). Page’s performance is as witty as it is poignant, as insightful as it is playful. She creates a teenager on screen who marvelously counterbalances her sarcasm with tenderness and whose toughness is undergirded by a palpable vulnerability.

The cast also includes Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman (who co-starred together in last year’s “The Kingdom”), Allison Janney, and J.K. Simmons (the gifted character actor who plays J. Jonah Jameson in the Spiderman films). The screen chemistry among the ensemble of actors makes the interaction of their characters a pleasure to experience. They make us want to hear their story. Beyond that, they make us care.

“Juno” is the first film written by Diablo Cody who has a background in both blogging (!) and stripping (!!!). Her screenplay is brimful of clever banter and references to popular culture that are both humorous and appropriate. Jason Reitman (Ivan’s son) directed the film. Jason Reitman’s last film was the powerful satire “Thank You for Smoking.” I’m sensing a deft touch in his directorial style.

In the aftermath of the revelation of Juno’s pregnancy, her stepmother offers this heartfelt comment: “Someone’s going to get a special blessing from Jesus in this garbage dump of a situation.” In many ways, that proclamation is the theological conviction that drives the entire film. To be sure, “Juno” is not specifically Christian in its tone or content. But, as a believer, I had no difficulty discerning the redemptive presence of Jesus in the film and, not surprisingly, he was doing what he always does—bringing special blessings out of garbage dumps.

Trackback this Post | Feed on comments to this Post