Title: Juno
Director: Jason Reitman
Starring: Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, J.K. Simmons, Allison Janney
Time: 96 minutes
We had heard about this movie, of course, but only got around to seeing it this past weekend. It was definitely worth the wait. For those of you who don’t know, it’s a story about a pregnant teenager, which might not sound like a funny, sweet movie, but in the end, that’s what it is. A little on the quirky side, but not as quirky as Lars and The Real Girl, and less sappy in the end. Good music too. J.K. Simmons as the father is probably one of my favorite characters, of course, next to Juno herself.
Title: Death At A Funeral
Director: Frank Oz
Starring: Matthew Macfayden, Keeley Hawes, Alan Tudyk
Time: 90 minutes
Like Juno, we had seen the previews for this several times. For me, what really got me was that this was directed by Frank Oz, who also directed Bowfinger, which is one of my all-time favorite Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy movies. This one, though, I think was a little bit more tightly-scripted with a huge standout performance form Alan Tudyk as the boyfriend of the daughter of the man who dies to whose funeral everyone is going. Very funny, but not for younger viewers, because of language. Yet in context, extremely hilarious — and in the end, a surprisingly moving ending that almost makes you cry, if you weren’t already crying tears of laughter.
