A writer's perspective on Juno

Last week, J and I went to see Juno. This is a charming, delightful film that has gotten itself nominated for a bunch of things, including Academy Awards. And while I loved the film and would see it a dozen more times, I had a writerly (that's what J called it) problem with it.

Don't read any further if you haven't seen Juno and you really want to.

Because there are spoilers here.

Yes, that's right, spoilers.

Below here.

So stop reading.

You know, if you don't plan to see the movie.

Everyone okay? Good.

Juno is brilliantly acted and had some of the funniest dialogue since Superbad. Michael Cera, a Superbad alumnus, plays Paulie Bleeker, father of Juno's baby. He is an amazing actor and a superfunny one at that, but he wasn't in as much of the movie as I thought, and I was a bit disappointed by that. It turns out that his relative absence was not just a personal issue, I thought it really hurt the dramatic arc of the movie. The whole point is that Juno becomes disillusioned by stuff I won't go into here, and has an argument with Paulie so they're on the outs.

Rapidly losing faith in humanity and love, she has a heart-to-heart talk with her Dad--a staple of any girl coming-of-age film--wherein she asks him can love survive in this crazy-ass world. After the talk, Juno comes to realize that she loves Paulie. It's her big epiphany.

Problem is, Paulie hasn't been in the dramatic action all that much so we're left wondering why she loves him. I know, his distance is part of the point; Juno keeps him at an arm's length throughout the pregnancy. This is her journey alone. I get that. But then give me something to base this love on. A handful of scenes doesn't really do it for me. Give me a flashback, a memory, some more pictures, something else. Just because the best friend states Juno loves Paulie during a conversation early in the movie, it doesn't mean I believe it or her.

This is a topic that has come up among the members of my online writing circle (OWC). The idea that you can write a story in which two people declare love for each other at the end must have a build-up to show where the love comes from. Don't just let me assume that they're soul mates. Show me that they are.

I dunno. Maybe I just like Michael Cera a lot.

I don't want to take away from Diablo Cody's achievement either, which is pretty monumental. Hell, I'd like to be the next DC (but with novels, not scripts), but as a writer, I thought I needed to say something about it. Because, as a writer, I feel like I need to say SOMETHING all the damn time.

~Hero