Juno is the Autumn of Movies

Continuing my over-indulgence of escapist fiction in order to get away from a terrifying reality that I have no control over. We all have those comfort movies, films that we watch over and over again, and for one reason or another we just feel comforted by them. Maybe it's a message that strikes a chord with your life. Maybe it's just a really good comedy that makes you laugh and forget about the pain. For me, one of those movies-and probably my go to comfort movie-is Juno. But it's hard to say why. I know exactly why I love Juno as a movie, it has some of the most relatable characters put to screen in relation to who I am as a person, it has an amazing cast, whitty and quotable dialogue, everything a great movie needs. But none of those things I find comforting, so what does?

Well if you were confused by title, it does involve Autumn. Autumn is not my favourite season, but it is certainly the most relaxing. Life seems just less stressful and extreme during Autumn, the weather is far more neutral so you can go out in a t-shirt or a jacket, whatever you feel more comfortable in, yet with the leaves changing, the world just has a warm glow to it. It even smells different, as if everywhere you go someone has just lit a scented candle. It's also a time where you can spend an equal amount of time indoors or outdoors. In Summer, you're told to spend as much time outdoors as possible and in Winter you're supposed to be indoors, Autumn has it either way depending on what you want.

Because of all this and more, life just feels so much more comfortable during Autumn. So when I say Juno is the Autumn of Movies, I mean that is the exact same feeling I get from this film. Even though the film takes place over the course of 9 months, it feels like it all takes place in Autumn. It's shot with a warm glow, the characters are always dressed in Autumn appropriate attire, no matter the season. Even the soundtrack is very soothing and mellow to help set the mood. Even more so, the plot isn't very high stakes, writers are always told that a film has to be as big as possible, everything needs tension and drama, but this film doesn't really have that. Sure, some conflict is brought in near the end of the movie, but for the majority, it's just Juno dealing with her pregnancy and all the things that entails. Instead of relying on contrived plot points and a formulaic narrative, the film instead ops for something much more relaxing and easy to digest, making it much more about the characters and dialogue than the story.

Some might call this bad, even pointless, but for me, there's enough on the technical side of things to call it great, like I said, the acting, the dialogue, the characters. But the fact that it is so low-stakes and such an easy watch makes me come back to it over and over again and just finding comfort in these characters and this environment. Re-watchability is a major factor in me loving a movie, and if this is a film that I can see 1000 times and still get that same feeling I did on my first watch, how can I say I don't love this movie? And in times like this, we all need just a little bit of comfort.

-Danny