Review of Junebug (2005) by Meaghan C — 05 May 2008

Although the subject matter that this film examines is something that's done very frequently (the "Meet the Parents" scenario), Junebug offers up enough new material that it makes for a unique and memorable piece.

For a first time screenwriter and director, this was extraordinarily impressive. It's subtle, brilliantly detailed, and all of the characters are highly complex. On top of a great script you have one hell of a cast. Amy Adams seems to absolutely light up the screen in everything she appears in... she's certainly a wonderful asset to any film. Her performance is almost over-the-top yet we never see her as fake. Benjamin McKenzie also has a breakout performance as Johnny, who is perhaps the most interesting character in the film. He seems completely unlikable on the surface, yet we never hate him or begin to think he's a bad person. Through little things here and there, we see him as a loving family man with a typical life.

The film is a study of love and couples. The relationship between Johnny and Ashley is certainly the most interesting in the film, and perhaps in some strange way the most sweet. Although Johnny seems to find it impossible to display his affection in anyway, we know damn well that he loves Ashley. The scene with him getting frustrated with the VCR was just as sweet as it was sad. I loved a lot of the little things like that - the film requires patience from the viewer for these developemnts to unfold (unlike your typical Hollywood fare which would turn into melodramatic nonsense that puts the viewer in complete agony and embarassment to watch).

The only thing I didn't like about the film was George's character. Since Johnny, Ashley, and Madeleine seemed to share the majority of the screentime - he was left underdeveloped and fairly uninteresting. Although this was redeemed within the half last hour or so, but I would have liked to see the film delve a bit deeper into the relationship of Madeleine and George than they did.

Very good stuff all around. It's entirely character driven and fairly slow paced so those who expect more from a film may be bored, but this was right up my alley. Complex, heartfelt, character driven, and well paced.