Friday was Juno, Saturday was P.S. I Love You

Juno – 4/5.  A beautifully crafted movie about a 16 year old who gets “preggers” and realizes early that she’s not ready for it.  Some pro-life consideration later, she offers it for adoption with a nice couple.  The thing about this movie isn’t the ups and downs (there are few), it’s the realism of the characters.  Sure, Juno can be seen as your typical old-young teen (loves the 70s) that many people pass through.  What seperates her and her family is the simple straight talk and frankness that exudes from each scene.  When she announces it to her parents, no one freaks out into hysterics.  There’s an air of normalcy, of relatable characters that you simply do not find in other movies.  As wild and extreme as knocked up is, Juno is your family.  And that’s why I love it.

P.S. I Love You – 2/5 stars.  Hillary Swank is not a comedic actress.  She is the straight faced schmuck from whom jokes are directed off.  Think Luke Wilson in old school.  Now, I’m sure this was a good book; for it to reach movie status it must have been.  However, the whole thing reeks of phony and the only interesting character is the one who dies 5 minutes into the movie.  The fact that he stays as a voice over and the SOLE catalyst for anything is disturbing.  The GF shed a few tears (insert standard tear-jerker moment) as is custom.  However, when the best scene is found in the deleted section (when Gerry gets the holiday package), you know you’re in for a rough ride.  That being said, if you need some points, might as well tough it out.