An hour and a half I cannot get back...

[Big Gulp]

Anyone else feel less than overwhelmed with the movie Juno?  I liked Thank You For Smoking, and with all the good reviews this movie got I figured it'd be up my alley, only it really, really wasn't.  It's like they dipped the entire film in hip, for fuck's sake.  From the boyfriend in the intentionally goofy retro track outfit to the "quirkiness" of the main character, it's like they deliberately tried to say, "Hey, this kid's sassy and edgy!  And look at the quirky world we've created!"  And the dialogue, sweet Jesus, the dialogue.  It got to the point where the main character became so flat out goddamned annoying with the clever little sarcastic one liners that I started wishing for her to miscarry and die.  And what the fuck's up with her little rockstar persona, going on and on about the Stooges?  I'm 33 and from Ann Arbor so of course I've heard of 'em, but a 16 year old girl from nondistinct midwestern town?  I'm not buying it.

The entire movie just gave me the distinct feeling of being cloying, too self-consciously smug with itself, and written by some jackass 30-something who needs to get over themselves.  Okay, you can call me a soulless prick for not liking the movie now.

[Abagadro]

I hated it with a passion.

[schild]

It was crap.

And I only listened to 5 minutes of it.

By mistake.

[Samwise]

I liked it.  But then, I watched AVP2 on the same plane ride and thought that was pretty good too.  So my airborne taste in films is maybe a bit suspect.

[Rasix]

Liked it.  Seems like I'm a sucker for Apatow stuff and don't hit my grumpy old man button when I watch movies (just here).  That being said, at times it laid the hip down pretty hard a times.  Not enough for me to dislike the movie though.   

Why does this need its own thread?  Movie bitching already has one.

[Selby]

I didn't give a shit about it.  I caught about half of it and felt the whole thing was just so... bleh.  It was like they deliberately tried to go out of their way in how quirky they could make everything.  It didn't work for me.  The other half felt it was all right, but not worth a movie ticket for it.

[tazelbain]

You know that thing that a lot people liked, but you didn't, you should make a thread about that.

[stray]

Never seen it. But your "hip" description sounds like a Wes Anderson film.

I know kids who like the Stooges though (among others). In fact, kids seem to be really fucking cool, as far as music goes nowadays. Better than my peers at least.

[Llava]

Every complaint I've heard about this movie matches up exactly with the negative impressions I received from the trailer.  On the other hand, there's a very hot girl who thinks I'll like it... so I'll probably watch it with her and keep my cynicism to myself.  Hell, I did it with Napoleon Dynamite.

[Morfiend]

This is kind of how I felt about Knocked Up. Havent seen Juno yet, but the girlfriend really wants to, so I am sure I will soon.

[Phildo]

Just downloaded it tonight and planned to watch it tomorrow.  Ought to be fun going into it with negative expectations.

To sidetrack: I never walk away from Wes Anderson's movies feeling that they're hip.  It's like they're so incredibly SQUARE that hip people like then anyway.

[Dtrain]

My girlfriend and I enjoyed it. I'd call it a decent date movie.

It's not high art or anything, but I think far too many people expect that sort of thing out of every film they see.

Sometimes movies are just amusing fodder to while away the time, and they're not worth getting too uptight about. I learned this lesson when I watched Mall Rats, started to analyze the crap out of it, and in a sudden bout of introspection found myself to be an incredible douche and stopped.

Also, while I refuse to learn actor's names and when I can recall the name I feel I enjoy things less, whoever the girl was in the movie she was pretty hot. 

That's right, 2 pedobears, the extra one is for extra creepy and also drunk (and creepy.)

[schild]

That movie wanted to be high art more than any other movie I've seen in years.

To sidetrack: I never walk away from Wes Anderson's movies feeling that they're hip.  It's like they're so incredibly SQUARE that hip people like then anyway.

Hipsters are the new mods. Mods were the new squares.

[Dtrain]

I don't think the movie wanted to be anything except maybe napoleon dynamite with a point and a hipster vagina.

[Fabricated]

I didn't enjoy Juno at all due to that faux-hipster shit (people don't act like the ones in Juno...ever), but it didn't have anything memorable to quote thankfully much unlike Napoleon Dynamite. I may have had to hurt someone if we had another group of "IT'S A LIGER" "YOUR MOM GOES TO COLLEGE" and "...GOD!" quotes for every high schooler<->college student to say between Dane Cook lines.

[MrHat]

I bought it when it came out on DVD.

I'm not awesome enough to hang out with you guys.

[Llava]

Here you go.  Enjoy your new community.

[Morfiend]

Here you go.  Enjoy your new community.

Hey, he cant go there, he doesnt even play games any more.   

[MrHat]

I'm such a poser.

[Nebu]

So... how do you feel about the English Patient?

[Triforcer]

I join all the criticisms above, and decline to present my additional criticisms as they veer toward the political.  Overall: sucks. 

[UnSub]

To steal someone else's quote about "Juno":

If you are a guy, do not watch this move - your penis will fall off. Also: WORST SOUNDTRACK EVER.

It didn't deserve the hype it got. It was well acted, but the first 30 minutes of dialogue is ATROCIOUS. Diablo Cody crammed every bit of fan fic-inspired 'cool' dialogue she could into it she could and, apart from "It's not an etch-a-sketch" with regards to the pregnancy test, it was painful. If I ever hear someone say "Honest to blog" in real life, I WILL HIT THEM.

Fortunately then Allison Janney and JK Simmons appear and they bring the standard up.

And yes, an awful soundtrack. Juno spends her time talking about early punk - how edgy - and what does the audience get to hear? Irritating acoustic duets. Wonderful.

Such things make me suspect that Reitman Junior possesses the same sentimental flaws that have shown up in the later work of Reitman Senior.

[Llava]

"Honest to blog"

You're kidding, right?

There's no way that dialog got into a movie with this much hype.

[DraconianOne]

"Honest to blog"

You're kidding, right?

There's no way that dialog got into a movie with this much hype.

You mean a movie written by a "famous" former-stripper-turned-blogger with a book deal?  Of course not.

[MrHat]

I liked the soundtrack so much, I bought it...

[Selby]

And yes, an awful soundtrack. Juno spends her time talking about early punk - how edgy - and what does the audience get to hear? Irritating acoustic duets. Wonderful.

Yeah that annoyed the fuck out of me.  "punk punk punk punk... acoustic guitar complete with mostly nonsense lyrics that don't keep the beat."  If that's your thing, fine.  It annoyed me more than it worked.

[Phildo]

Made it about fifteen minutes in.  I came out still feeling OK about Michael Cera and hating two-chord singer-songwriters.

[schild]

I didn't enjoy Juno at all due to that faux-hipster shit (people don't act like the ones in Juno...ever)

You don't get out enough.

Or you go to college in the middle of nowhere.

Because hipster-jackasses do act, almost to a razor sharp hone, exactly like the assholes in this movie.

[DarkSign]

Hipsters will be around even after the bomb drops.

[Paelos]

I didn't enjoy Juno at all due to that faux-hipster shit (people don't act like the ones in Juno...ever)

You don't get out enough.

Or you go to college in the middle of nowhere.

Because hipster-jackasses do act, almost to a razor sharp hone, exactly like the assholes in this movie.

WTF is a hipster? I never hear that word around the south.

[sigil]

Here you go.  Enjoy your new community.

My soon to be ex is one of the higher ups there. Managing that place is like watching sausage get made.

[Phildo]

My soon to be ex is one of the higher ups there. Managing that place is like watching sausage get made.

Drama?

[lamaros]

My soon to be ex is one of the higher ups there. Managing that place is like watching sausage get made.

Drama?

Of the OJ Simpson or Sweet Valley High type?

[Llava]

so I'll probably watch it with her

I know myself well.

Yup, it was awful.  Thing is, you can see the potential for a good movie there.  The characters, when they're not drowning you in cringe-inducing dialog rife with pop culture references the way victims of bubonic plague are rife with buboes, are actually fairly interesting and even complex.  The plot is alright, and avoids drowning in cliches.

But the dialog.  Oh god the dialog.  It, and the hype surrounding this movie, turn an acceptable, cute, moderately-entertaining flick into a quagmire of idiocy and disappointment.

[shiznitz]

It was crap.

And I only listened to 5 minutes of it.

By mistake.

schild runs a great website and all, but he is a pretty damn good contra-indicator for the most part. That, of course, pleases him.  Just know that going in.