I had a few free hours yesterday, so I watched two movies I’d been dying to see: Lars and the Real Girl and Juno. I was ready to love both movies, but I only loved one.
The one I loved was LARS AND THE REAL GIRL. (You can watch the trailer here.) This film is simply brilliant. Not for the kiddies, mind you, but a tender, loving look at psychological pain and how the supportive love of community–Christian community–can bring healing. Plus, it’s funny, with several laugh-out-loud moments. A perfect blend of pathos and affection.
I found myself disappointed in Juno–and as an adoptive parent, I was hoping to cheer from the rooftops for this one. I did love how Juno learned that her twelve-week-old unborn child had fingernails, and how she made the choice for life. If I tell you what I didn’t really care for, I’ll spoil the ending, so I’ll hush up now . . .
I did come away with a renewed appreciation for the traditional adoption process–the one that includes a homestudy and a thorough examination of the adoptive parents’ marriage, stability, etc. Most animal rescue groups do at least that much, so shouldn’t we do as much for children?
Anyway, I liked the movie, but I so wanted to love it.
But Lars and the Real Girl . . . that one’s a gem. And it wasn’t in very wide release (in my area, anyway), so Netflix it or do whatever you must to check this one out. It’s amazing. Spot-on characters, inner tension, and a protagonist you can’t help but root for. I loved it.
~~Angie
I have no plans to see Juno – want to e-mail me your dislikes?
Thanks for the heads-up. I’ve been wanting to watch a movie (taking my PreK class to see Horton Hears a Who today does not really count,) but haven’t known of anything good ones. I’ll have to check it out. I’ve never heard of it.
thanks for the info…it’s nice to get movie reviews from ‘the other side’ too sometimes…not just from the newspapers and secular internet opinions.
lisa d.
Thanks for your view, this post is very timely – I rented “Lars” last night but didn’t get to watch it – so that’s definitely on my “to do” list tonight!
(e-mailed you a link or two today – just thought I’d mention it here in case your spam catcher ate it …)