Review of Junebug (2005) by Liz M — 15 Apr 2011

There is absolutely nothing original about this one whatsoever. There's literally so many movies like this, so many wannabe "great little gems" that I just don't care. I've seen so many, this one is less than different from all the rest.

'American Beauty' kicked off the film industry's desire to shoot and release and award all these films about "ordinary" people's uber-"ordinary" mundane existance. Well guess what.

Real people aren't like anybody you'll find in this film, or in 'American Beauty', or 'Juno' or 'The Savages' or 'The Squid and the Whale' or 'Greenberg' or 'Little Miss Sunshine' or 'Sunshine Cleaning' or anything else like those.

Good films aren't realistic, it's ok, nobody has to strive to make a "realistic" film to be a good one. Anyway, the screenplay is average, non of the characters standout. However, Celia Weston does give a great performance, the only memorble bit from, guess what, a very average movie (that's what they wanted, isn't it).

Amy Adams' Oscar-nomination? Why not. Not as deserving as Weston was, but she did a good job too. Ben McKenzie, I kinda got the feeling, missed his character by a hair. Alessandro Nivola doesn't have much of a character to begin with.

His wife, Embeth Davidtz of 'Schindler's List' is taking a break. Apparently, a lot of people in Hollywood think a family will seem more ordinary if they have a cute little Southern accent.

Also unoriginal. I get the message the film is sending: all couples have their ups and downs. I didn't hate the movie, I'm just sick of its kind. B-.