D'YOU KNOW JUNO?

Went to see Juno last week. And loved it. If you haven’t seen the little indie film that’s become something of a national touchstone and conversation starter, go and see it, because it will make you laugh, and then--if you’re a human being--it may make you contemplate the way we deal with pregnant teenagers in schools and society.

I am an adoptive parent and a biological parent—and so, perhaps see unintended pregnancy as both potential heartbreak and blessing. I am old enough to remember sad-faced girls disappearing to “live with an aunt” in a distant city, and specific school rules against teenage mothers anywhere near the classroom. Shame and recrimination over unwed motherhood (try The Girls Who Went Away by Ann Fessler for some gut-wrenching stories of humiliation) have faded in an era of feminist determination and celebrity pregnancy-without-legality. In general, that’s probably a healthy thing. At the very least, pregnant girls attending classes (if not delivering the valedictory address) make reality visible: teenagers have sex, and sometimes, teenagers become pregnant. What to do about it is the question. Juno, a smart kid with a kind of realism-meets-mouth persona, quickly realizes that she’s not prepared for or capable of being a parent, and opts to have the baby and give it to a deserving couple.

In The Nation, Katha Pollitt detects a less appealing subtext in the movie: Juno is a pop-culture manifestation of an anti-abortion trend. Pollitt points out that abortion, rather than teen pregnancy, is now construed as a “badge of shame and irresponsibility”—and buttresses her case by quoting presidential candidate and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee who said that 16-year old Jamie Lynn Spears “made a good decision” in choosing to complete her pregnancy. Facts from Pollitt’s article: 29 percent of pregnant teens have abortions, 14 percent miscarry, and 57 percent carry their baby to term, with fewer than 1 percent of these relinquishing their babies for adoption.

Well. I didn’t get any particularly pointed political messages from the movie, which seemed far less preachy or falsely hilarious than lots of entertainment-industry offerings on unplanned pregnancy. If there was an underlying theme to Juno, it might be something like: No major life decision is ever completely right or wrong. Life is risky; as the plot develops, the deserving couple getting Juno’s baby turn out to be equally imperfect—adoption is not always the textbook solution, either.

The movie is full of tiny vignettes suggesting what it’s like to be pregnant in high school, neither glamorizing nor vilifying the situation—including a shot of Juno walking down a crowded hallway between classes, her pregnant prow parting streams of gawking classmates, and a stare-down with a school attendance secretary who looks down her nose when Juno returns from a doctor’s appointment. Juno’s geeky sort-of boyfriend, Pauly Bleeker, is a fully realized character, sweet and intelligent, but still under his mother’s judgmental eye and clueless about parenthood. A scene where Bleeker’s mom opens the door to find Juno in full bloom is classic; we may have made progress in equity of sexual responsibility, but girls are still bearing the obvious consequences and the lion’s share of life disruption.

After the birth, as Juno lies weeping on her hospital bed, Pauly climbs into the bed in his dirty track spikes to comfort her, and her father assures her that her time will come, too. And that’s a good way to end a movie about teenage pregnancy, I think—with the clear intimation that all babies need mature and responsible parents.

Comments

[Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach]

I especially liked the way this movie portrayed the step-mom role. Very real.

It was a great movie to watch with the girls in my life- 25,23,19,17 and spurred lots of conversation. The parallels
to a typical large high school was fairly realistic and might serve as an eyeopener for many parents.

I was also intrigued with how witty and smart Juno was about things in which she was interested (punk rock, etc.) My heart kept screaming- passion-based learning will help all kids reach their potential.

Great review Nancy- thanks for sharing.

[Nancy Flanagan]

Thanks, Sheryl. I also saw it with my 22-year old daughter. There was a group of middle school-ish girls behind us, who kept up a steady stream of comments and hilarity. As we were leaving, my daughter said "I worry about them--they were laughing at all the wrong things." So it's a movie that has layers of meaning; even though it's a PG-13 movie, a lot of the subtleties and opportunities to think deeply about teen pregnancy might be missed by a younger teen.

Thanks for posting.

[Mary Tedrow]

I remember a discussion with a young teacher. One of her students came back to show off her new baby. "I didn't know what to say!" the teacher exclaimed, realizing that maybe a teen mother didn't represent the best of all worlds for the either the new baby or mother.
Guess I've had too many babies. The correct answer should be say, "Beautiful baby" because the baby is a fact now and raising that little bundle is now the issue. And, no matter what, in a few short years the baby will be in a classroom whatever the circumstances of the birth. Don't we all just want to be loved?

[Nancy Flanagan]

Ain't it the truth? We teach everyone's babies, and they all need, if not our love, certainly our commitment and attention.

A listserv I read is debating whether "Juno" would be a good discussion film for teenage girls. It's probably too real and too raw to serve as a cautionary tale for school reproductive health programs, and there is a hopeful, rather than a happy ending, which might bother folks with an agenda. Still, anyone who teaches in HS these days is forced to think about unplanned pregnancy. You could do far worse than Juno.