Last summer, I was pregnant. It was hot, I felt like a beached whale, and it was particularly difficult because it seemed that every time I saw a movie or television show featuring a pregnancy, there was a horrible problem and the pregnant woman was miserable through the entire thing. "Knocked Up," "Nine Months," and many others feature a couple in which the man does not want to grow up and be a daddy. "Fifteen and Pregnant," "For Keeps" and other movies you can find on Lifetime all show teen moms struggling and juggling to keep up. I was even unfortunate enough to watch the episode of Deadwood in Season Three where Mrs. Ellsworth has to abort her baby because it might kill her if she doesn't. The show is wonderfully written and dramatic, but I was simply not in the correct physical state to appreciate that episode.

Every movie about pregnancy is somewhat depressing and a little awful...until "Juno" came along, that is. The movie is upbeat, witty and immensely humorous. The title character is exactly who I wished I'd had the self-confidence to be in high school. She refuses to bow to society's expectations and knows her own worth. She chooses her course of action based on her own intuition and feelings, rather than doing what others might try to pressure her to do. She also seems to do the best she can with the information she's been given.

No one thinks getting pregnant in high school is a good idea. Juno is no different. She realizes that she's made a mistake, and decides to go in for a "hasty abortion." When it dawns on her that she can't go through with it, she opts to give the baby to a worthy couple in a traditional closed adoption. That's the gist of the story. But Juno is so much more. It takes you back to high school, giving you a glimpse of the life of the social outcast through a humorous lens. Every line of dialogue written is worthy of praise and every quirky action taken by the main characters feels immeasurably real.

The worst criticism I've heard about the movie is that it doesn't touch enough on the pain of giving up a baby. I can't fully agree with this assessment. Juno makes it clear that she does not want the child or anything to do with raising it. She insists on a closed adoption and doesn't even want to hold or look at the baby after its birth for this very reason. Still, there is a touching scene near the end of the movie with Juno laying in her hospital bed, being spooned by the baby's father and crying. Had this film been a drama, I would not have approved. This movie IS a comedy, though, and I think that one scene did more than its share to get the point across that, despite all her preparations and lack of desire to be a mother, it was still hard to give her baby away.

In my opinion, this movie is what the writer's strike is about. This movie, despite it's amazing cast of talented actors, would not have been half as successful without its stellar script. These people should be given their due respect and paid justly.

Learn more about this author, Sarah Grau.
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