Juno <-> FA

[eiger]

hi everybody
since it's quite calm here for some weeks, lets talk about another movie that has some connections to FA.(there was some discussion in the thread "A love like this", but i think there is more to say)
Juno came in the cinemas here in germany directly after my FA-crush. when i had read some of the very positive critics on the internet, i already thought that there must be something about this film that's in FA, too. so i decided to see it, hoping it will help me to get through this strange state of mind after seeing FA for the first time, you all know what i mean. so i found myself sitting in a little cinema waiting for the original version of juno with subtitles and i expected a lot.
1,5 h later i was completely disappointed. well, the movie was funny, i had to laugh a few times, it was thoroughly "positive", i felt comfortable with its mood, on the other hand, i really hated most of the dialogues, which bothered me most of the time. for me, this juno was nobody you could meet in the street, no realistic character. on top of that, i couldn't find any of the elements that made me crazy about FA one week before. the next day juno was out of my mind and i continued to render homage to FA...
by now i am recovered from the virus and a short time ago got the juno DVD from a friend who liked the film. he made me to see it again, and i did so on last lazy sunday. now i still don't feel anyting about it comparing with FA, but this time, i realized some beautiful scenes and details that make it something special for me, too. I just think, the first time i saw it in the cinema, i was too much under this FA-spell to judge any other film.

"I'm pregnant" (one of these great details)


what's your experience with this movie?
what do you think about it?
where lies the connection to FA?

[kant1781]

Well, I don't think that there are too many connections - apart from the real-life ones pointed out in the other thread (that Ellen Page seems to like Fucking Åmål), and from superficial ones (like I pointed out that she's a great actress and I would trust her to be good in roles that Rebecka Liljeberg also would be good in - please note that I try to express myself as neutrally as possible ).
I repeat that I loved "Juno". You're right that Juno is not a realistic character, like Agnes and Elin, but not every film character has to be realistic. "Juno", to me, is much more of a comedy, and so its characters can't be taken that seriously. However, I must say that I loved the character - I really wish there'd be more girls like Juno in real life.
But, to come to the point, the simple reason why "Juno" shouldn't be compared to FÅ (and fares badly if it is) is, to my mind, that it isn't a love story, not a story about finding yourself in another person. The relationship between Juno and Bleecker is only a background to the having a baby / adoption story, and also Juno doesn't have to find herself at all - she is who she is right from the start (this is why the film is not realistic, by the way). So no wonder this film cannot arouse the same feelings in you! (Not that many other love stories can.)

[Ian]

Juno was okay, if rather overrated IMHO. Didn't particularly emotionally affect me, I have to say. Not that that's a particular criticism, since movies rarely do. With one obvious special exception.

[Alyson]

I really like Juno, i was looking forward to see it and wasn´t disapointed at all. It´s a nice story, shot in a very sweet way and there´s a new approach about the main theme.
It´s almost impossible not to be captivated by Ellen Page´s Juno. But she´s so secure of herself for a teenager which is too suspicious

Don´t know...maybe the only connection - or disconnection - between the two movies is that in Juno "The Reason wins". Cause i mean after watching the film for the 2nd time, i noticed that who sees it for the 1st time is not sure (until the end) if Juno is really going to give her baby, BUT she is confident about it all the time even when she cries in the car. Juno´s behavior seems very rational to me.
On the other hand, the characters of FA are all lost, confused about how they fell and driven by Love. So in FA, "The Emotional wins".
Does this make any sense at all?!

[mpox]

I liked Juno in spite of the dialog which wasn't all that good even in the original language, maybe here's a case where the German tradition of not-so-careful translation would be of benefit. I think any connection to FÅ is pretty tenuous though, aside from the lead actress being pretty adorable.

Juno does remind me a bit of of Saved! (trailer) which I've probably said before. It's also more of a comedy than FÅ but the characters feel more like real people rather than caricatures.