Review of Juno (2007) by Mattties — 03 Feb 2008

Juno - the bottomline.

Message to filmmakers: Don't put anything on screen that you don't have the slightest clue about! Do your homework and research first.

Did you notice anything while watching this film?

1.: The film, asJuno - the bottomline.

Message to filmmakers: Don't put anything on screen that you don't have the slightest clue about! Do your homework and research first.

Did you notice anything while watching this film?

1.: The film, as so many others, once more reinforces outdated mis-information about childbirth despite very contrary research findings, reaching a huge audience and in doing so contributing to bad birth decisions - which unfortunately too many parents make already these days on a routine basis.

Take an hour and do a Google search to find out why - and don't only read the first two pages that come up - or just believe the nonsense this and other films dump into your brain, but don't say later you couldn't know any better. Your choice.

"Birth in hospital is normal and best." WRONG. Fact: For healthy mothers with normal pregnancies, birth in hospital is more dangerous than at home.

"An epidural is normal and necessary." WRONG. Fact: Epidurals routinely cause serious side effects on mother and baby with not uncommonly terrible health impacts that last for years or a lifetime. They also slow down the birth process, often making further medical interventions necessary that wouldn't have been necessary without an epidural.

"Birth is given lying on your back." WRONG. Fact: Lying on your back makes the whole birth process significantly slower, harder, and more painful, increases the risk of birth injuries and also the likeliness of further medical intervention like instrumental birth, medical induction / speed up, and caesarean section.

Did you notice any of these things when you saw the film? No? That's how seriously you have already been manipulated throughout your life into thinking that all this is "normal" and "right".

2.: The only responsible solution for teenage pregnancy is giving the child up for adoption. Particularly in the film's setting, this is sheer nonsense. There is absolutely no reason why a sixteen year old mother can not responsibly raise her child if she has the intelligence of Juno as well as the sound financial AND moral support of her parents - be it with or without the father of the baby. Simply assuming that this is not possible is disregarding all those young mothers - and also fathers - who do a really great job raising their children, with the help of relatives and friends, and often provide a much better environment for their children to grow up than the typical neurotic hung-up and emotionally immature couples that seems to be the norm in many "normal" families these days.

Bottomline: An interesting film concept, taken into an unreflected, outdated stone age direction, and in doing so, unfortunately ruined. Additionally the film sabotages the efforts of all those who work hard to make objective birth information a part of public knowledge, and adds to the misinformation and manipulation that parents-to-be are bombarded by already.

Don't believe a single source of information - DO YOUR HOMEWORK and find out for yourself.

Thanks for thinking.