Sometimes movies seem more life-like than real life.  I struggle to call this movie life-like as I know few witty teens like Juno MacGuff, but at some levels this movie is very real.  Twenty years ago it was surprising to see a young pregnant teen at a high school, now it's gossip fodder for a day, maybe two.

            This comedy follows a different path than most of the previous comedies I’ve reviewed from 2007 in that it doesn’t attempt to be overly funny, which in return makes it such.  The movie succeeds on many levels in that it gives breathing room and seriousness to a social situation, while still finding humor in the same situation.  For those of you that don’t know, “Juno” is the story of a high school girl (Juno) who becomes pregnant after a curious sexual encounter with her good friend, Paulie Bleaker.  She originally plans to abort the fetus, but after a scary incident at an abortion clinic she decides to reveal her secret to her parents and ultimately carry the baby to term.  Over the course of the movie she deals with the idea of being a pregnant teen, her feelings for Bleaker, and ultimately the idea of giving away a child that is growing inside of her.

            As you can see the storyline for this story is pretty heavy, and it only gets more difficult for Juno as the story progresses.  This movie relies heavily on the young acting chops of Ellen Page (Juno) who does a wonderful job of portraying her character.  It’s hard to imagine this movie working without her role in it.  There were legitimately one hundred places that this movie could have went wrong, but she held it together.

            Page does a good job of putting on a “one woman show,” for the most part.  Michael Cera is funny, but outside of a handful of scenes is largely forgotten- surprising to me as I assumed he was one of the main characters.  Obviously, his role had a main part with the plot, but his appearances on camera were kept to a minimum.  A few in the film I really enjoyed would have to include: Mark, played by Jason Bateman (the adoptive father), Juno’s father Mac, played by J.K. Simmons, and lastly Michael Cera.  Two characters stick out in my mind that bugged me throughout the movie, those being Leah (Juno’s best friend) and Juno’s step-mother, played by Olivia Thirbly and Allison Janney respectively.  Although this general dislike may have been more to do with their characters than anything they did personally in the film.

            Acting aside, this film worked well.  The script was funny, and there was nothing out of the ordinary to distract from the movie.  I was annoyed to some degree by the obvious attempts to make this “look” like an independent movie.  From the graphics in the trailers, to the opening credits, etc, everything seemed like it was made to remind you of “Napoleon Dynamite.” I also hated the fact that this movie was rated PG-13 but came off like a rated R movie. I had to deal with a thousand annoying middle school kids playing with cell phones, talking loudly, and getting up every 5 minutes.  It’s enough to make a man consider tying his own tubes.

Rating: 3 1/2 bananas

 

On the Rack: "Diggers" Rating: R

Genre: Drama

           Life isn’t all glitz and glamour.  In fact, life isn’t either of those things.  It’s unpolished and it doesn’t always flow.  Unlike most movies nowadays, “Diggers,” attempts to capture the reality that is everyday life for most people.  It ignores conventional movie trends to make every conversation flow perfectly, and it dodges any attempt to fit every piece together, instead this movie captures what life was like living in Long Island in 1976.  It ultimately leaves the job of piecing the parts together up to the viewer.

            This indie-drama follows the lives of four dead heads trying to make ends meet as a fishing company is buying up the land they once dug for clams.  They ultimately realize the difficulties that face them when their income begins to dry up, and the group of friends each begin to suffer in their own way as a direct result.  Hunt, the lead role played by Paul Rudd, must deal with his father’s death whom he feels he had unfinished business with.  Lozo is busy dealing with a house full of children, a wife who doesn’t get him, and the prospect of not making enough money to support them.  Cons is simply trying to “find himself,” somewhere between his drug deals and his friend’s problems, while Jack the resident womanizer is trying to fly under the radar as he sleeps with Hunt’s sister.

            Each role in this movie is separated from the others, yet somehow their work on the lake brings them together.  It’s assumed from the mannerisms, and the way they talk, that this is the way it has been for years but change is obviously occurring and they aren’t taking it well.  Once Hunt’s father dies, the middle-aged men realize that they aren’t kids anymore.  They each must find out who they are, and where they are heading.

            The film’s writer, Ken Marino, doubles as one of the more interesting and complex characters in the film, Lozo. I think the writing is immaculate, and his portrayal of Lozo is one of the more interesting parts of this movie.  Paul Rudd gave an adequate performance as Hunt.  He was stiff, and lacked a good range of emotion for the character, but it worked for this role.  ER fans may notice Gina, played by Maura Tierney.  Sadly, it was a forgettable performance more worthy of a television series.  There was only a few ways for this role to go wrong, and she fell into every one of them it seems.  While I appreciate Tierney’s previous work on television, she simply hasn’t been good for the movies (see “Welcome to Mooseport,” “Liar, Liar,” et. Al.).  For the most part she spends the movie looking either too excited considering her father’s recent death, or overly sad.

            One actress, however, can be praised for essentially doing everything the opposite of Tierney.  Lauren Ambrose, best known for her work on “Six Feet Under,” was exceptional as a love interest of Hunt.  Her character is mysterious, and leaves a lot to the imagination.  Every scene she’s in leaves you wondering what is going on in her head.

           Outside of the acting, the style of the film is pretty raw.  Considering the time, place, and setting of the movie, I would say it’s intentional.  I appreciate the simplicity of the movie for that reason, but I felt that something was still missing.  The movie lacks a main story-line, but that’s the beauty of this film.  It’s unconventional and if you like character-driven stories this may be a good flick for you.

Rating: 2 1/2 bananas

 

From the Vault: “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou” Rating: R

Genre: Comedy/Adventure

                This movie is a personal-favorite of mine.  It’s one of several Wes Anderson films that succeed due to his ability to please the senses.  Like past Anderson films, “Life Aquatic” is eye-popping to say the least.  Colors, costumes, dialogue... everything is carefully plotted out to create a curious world.  It’s hard to understand if the movie takes place in the present, past, or future.  But the color palettes and settings make you feel like a kid again.  Each time I watch this movie I feel like I’ve literally crawled into an alternate universe within Wes Anderson’s head.

            “Life Aquatic,” is the story of Steve Zissou.  After years of success touring the world and documenting his travels for the world to see, Zissou’s career appears to be drying up.  His latest film was a flop, and financial backers appear to be impossible to find.  Making matters worse there is an obvious strain between Zissou and his wife, Eleanor Zissou, he’s also recently met his middle-aged son for the first time, and an unknown species of shark has just eaten his best friend.  To say the least, his life doesn’t look pretty.

            Zissou declares that he will go out for a sequel to his latest flop, and will avenge his best friend’s death by blowing up what he calls a Jaguar shark.  Along for the ride is his recently discovered son, Ned Plimpton, a group of misfits who really know nothing about wildlife, and a group of unpaid interns.

            Bill Murray is impeccable in his portrayal of Steve Zissou in this film.  Without him, this film may have gone terribly wrong.  It seems that he and Anderson are on the same page when it comes to his characters, as they worked well together in “The Royal Tenenbaums.”  Murray has an ability to take a very dry humor, and make it work like no one else can in Hollywood.  It’s a position he seems comfortable with after roles in movies like “Caddyshack,” and “Ghostbusters,” that had similarly dry humor.  Outside of Murray, most will recognize Owen Wilson’s contributions as Ned Plimpton.  This is fine, but I would like to point out that while Wilson, like Murray, works well within Anderson films I think Willem Dafoe was quietly one of the most successful characters in the film.

            Cate Blanchett also proves that she can take on just about any role in this movie.  Few would call this a great career choice, but I doubt anyone would argue her ability to shine in this role.  It showed versatility, and for that I think she deserves credit.  Her role was definitely challenging, and she knocked it out of the park.

            One of the more entertaining aspects of the movie is the soundtrack which is, for the most part, David Bowie songs being performed by a crew member, played by Seu Jorge, in Portuguese.  Many of the wildlife in the movie are fictional animals too, just one more way that the writer and director showed some creativity in this film.

            “Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou,” is surely not for everyone.  I would be hard-pressed to say that ¾ of those that I recommend it to would agree with my assessment of it.  But it would be a disservice of me to tell anyone to avoid this film.  Because this is the type of film you love, or you hate.  And for those of you that love it, you will have a new appreciation of this type of movie.

Rating: 3 1/2 bananas

 

     Don't forget that you can always drop me a line, by emailing me Maxpower@arabianmonkey.com.  I'd love to hear what you think, or get recommendations on what movies you would like to see reviewed. 

 

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