I saw the movie Juno last night, and I have question for those are more insightful than me:  What’s the deal with the title? 

And no, I’m not a complete dummy — I know the mythological ’story’ behind the name, and yes, I heard the title character’s explanation in the movie; but I can’t help but think there’s some slick, subtle ‘a-ha’ kind of explanation that I’m missing.   In fact, Juno the character’s explanation is what makes me think this, precisely because she gets it wrong.  Her rendering is so badly mangled — she mixes up the Roman/Greek elements and misidentifies Juno’s ‘husband’ — that I suspect the director was toying with us.  So what gives?  Was the character goddess-like?  In a way, but not so much that this simple explanation is satisfying.  Is there some some deep, profound, allegorical meaning in the plot that mirrors some obscure detail from Roman mythology?  None that my feeble mind can come up with.  If any readers out there have ideas, let fire.

About the movie:  One reviewer compares the film to last year’s Little Miss Sunshine, and I don’t entirely disagree.  Both are feel-good movies, but Juno is a bit more restrained.  Because of this, it’s a little more sophisticated than Sunshine in some respects; but it doesn’t have those emotional highs because of it’s refinements.  The subtleties stem primarily from the fact that the movie doesn’t go for any “cheap shots” or cheesy plot elements, and instead remains understated and avoids histrionics.  The director toys with viewers a bit, making you think that certain characters will turn out to be hyped-up caricatures of one sort or another; but in the end,  he holds back.  The plot — which is one that requires a resolution — kept me guessing until the end.  All told, it’s worth the ten bucks for admission; just don’t expect a work of art.

I saw it at the Kabuki Theater, which is an unusual venue  because it’s the only movie house in San Francisco that actually assigns seats.  Kind of like going to see a play, only at movie prices.  They have a decent looking fusion-type restaurant there, but we opted instead to venture out, because Kabuki is in the heart of Japantown.  We wound up at Korea House (yes, that’s right; in Japantown), which was a noteworthy find:  It’s inexpensive and fun, particularly if you have the cook-at-your-table barbecue.  Add it to your list of best restaurants in San Francisco. 

Posted on January 4th, 2008 by Thomas
Filed under: San Francisco