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In Movies Blogs
Honest to blog, I don’t know what to think about “Juno”
 
By Molly Snyder Edler
OnMadison.com Staff Writer

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More articles by Molly Snyder Edler

What is a blog?  For OMC, it is a short blurb that we write when the mood strikes us.  It can be first person, funny or informative. In short, a blog is whatever we want it to be. Published March 20, 2008 at 3:04 p.m.

I guess I'm on a movie blog kick this week. Tuesday I wrote a blog about the film "Once" and now I feel compelled to serve up my opinion about "Juno," which I finally saw yesterday.

I recognize that just about every pants-wearing person on the planet knows the plotline of "Juno," but just in case you've been trapped under a pile of diapers, it's an Academy Award-winning film about a pregnant teenager (Ellen Page) who decides not to have an abortion and instead gives up her baby for adoption.

Like most viewers and reviewers, I really liked "Juno," however, I'm a little uncomfortable with the positive portrayal of a 16-year-old giving birth.

It bothers me that Juno barely struggles physically or emotionally during her pregnancy. Instead, she wears larger-sized, hip clothing, saves the emotional life of an infertile woman (Jennifer Garner) and has a kick-ass post-partum relationship with the baby daddy (Michael Cera).

My opinion has nothing to do with being pro-life or pro-choice -- I think both groups would agree that an unexpectedly pregnant teenager is an unfortunate situation.

And as an adoptive mother, I am emphatically supportive of a woman choosing adoption if she feels ill equipped to raise the child herself, but when a blockbuster movie glorifies teen pregnancy, I feel duped, like I'm watching a clinic protestor masquerade in bohemian clothing.

Perhaps I'm missing something.



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