The most perfect thing since the last episode of Six Feet Under

Jordan and I went to the movies tonight and saw Juno. I loved it. It painted such a raw, unpolished picture of high school--the skinny awkward boyfriend, the gnawed off fingernails... All the things you remember (or at least I do). This is one of those movies I will keep noticing things about in my mind for the next two weeks. There is a handful of teenage pregnancy movies out there, and most of them are strained cautionary tales which shamelessly give themselves away (i.e., Fifteen and Pregnant starring Kirsten Dunst. Just read the title and you can save yourself the trouble of watching).

This movie delves into previously unexplored realms of cinematic teenage pregnancy which I will not go into because you should see the movie yourself. It is not like Saved, which is another of my favorites. While Saved is exaggerated and satirical, Juno is authentic. What impresses me is that Juno managed a definitive, satisfying ending without betraying the rest of the movie. (I learned that this can be tough from writing short stories in college.)

I haven't even mentioned the soundtrack yet. The standout songs have a folksy earthiness to them I loved. This necessitated a late Wal-Mart run for the CD, which I ripped open as we walked across the parking lot so I could play it right away in the van. I'm listening to it as I type. I'll be wanting the DVD when it comes out too. This was a darn good movie.