Review of Junebug (2005) by John A — 17 Feb 2008

Comedies don't come more unusual than this - even for an Indie film 'Junebug' is a daring yet familiar, bold but quiet, and at the same time one of the most amusing and one of the saddest films you are likely to see.

The premise seems to be run-of-the-mill - posh girl visit's the strange in-laws, faced with cultural differences etc - but the script and the handling of it are anything but conventional. The director suffuses the film with symbolism and philosophy, adding layers of meaning to the occurrences we are faced with, despite the religious ideology in danger of becoming suffocating.

The slow pace is carefully juxtaposed with the extreme characters, the most impressive and easily the most charming of which is Amy Adams outstanding turn as Ashley, the brother in-laws wife, who reaches her third term of pregnancy in the film.

Hilarity is perfectly captured in awkward situations or misunderstandings, with effective pauses to ease in the laughs - the script knows what it's doing, and while initially modest and pleasing it eventually reaches level of profundity we could never have expected; the director captures depth and reality within the situation and we walk away liking just about everybody - he never takes sides.

As you come to appreciate the skill at handling such material, balancing such conflicting genres, you find something special at the core of 'Junebug' - a pleasing comedy with heart, and a witty, soulful script that is more thought-provoking than patronising as we might have suspected.