Minnesota cool

A friend of mine turned me on to this one during an impromptu college reunion, mostly recommending it because it was filmed near my old alma mater in St. Cloud, MN. So I initially rented it just out of curiosity, but this has become a personal favorite. This is a slow, leisurely love story, perfectly mirroring the characters it's about, and also perfectly capturing Minnesota farm life in the early 20th century. This one's not about young passionate people yearning to break free; it's about a sturdy, dependable people, quiet and reserved, where love is an indulgence, where just quietly doing the right thing in the face of passive-aggressive community disapproval takes tremendous courage. The relationship between the two leads reminds me a lot of that of the mother and father's in "The Namesake". Love is not defined by words but by deeds and character. While it lacks the smoldering passions of "The Notebook" (another great romantic film), this one is just as romantic, and maybe moreso, because it depicts a more realistic romantic love.

This is where my love affair of Marisa Tomei began. Saw this at the theater when it first came out and continue to love it. I've got more appreciation for Marisa's acting abilities in this one, too, as I've watched it in later years. When I first saw it, I was living in Minnesota (where it's based), and just thought that her character of Caroline was cute and wouldn't it be wonderful if I could be her Christian Slater. Now, though, having moved out of state and having developed an ear for hearing the Minnesota accent, I realize what a great job she did in nailing that accent. She sounded normal to me as a kid, and now I can appreciate why, because she picked up the "Yahs" and long "O"s of the accent, but without turning it into an exaggeration (like the wonderful "Fargo"). All the characters in this feel like real people, and it's funny, sad, and even frightening (the scene in the park is really intense). Oh, Marisa, you stole my (untamed) heart. Sorry.

One of my favorite movies. When I saw it way back when, I figured it would just be a throw-away movie, a too-long SNL sketch padded out for 90 minutes like "A Night at the Roxbury" or "It's Pat!" But Al Franken took a mildly humorous, mildly annoying character and made both him and his life three-dimensional and even more shockingly, relatable. Really an adaptation of Franken's "I'm Good Enough, I'm Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People Like Me!" (again, a surprisingly good read), rather than ridicule Stuart's addiction to twelve-step programs, the movie actually takes a look at some serious issues like alcoholism, child abuse, and depression and presents them in a funny yet serious light. If the movie hinged completely on Franken's Smalley, it might not have worked, but his family members, played by great actors like Harris Yulin, Vincent D'Onofrio, and Shirley Knight, anchors this in enough reality that you can actually relate to Stuart. Relate to Stuart Smalley. That is no small feat. A funny, surprisingly touching movie. I still cry when Donny shows up (you'll know what I'm talking about).

Initially, I was afraid the movie wasn't going to live up to all the great things I'd heard about it. The first scene had everybody talking in such deliberately quirky dialogue that I was afraid this was going to be too cool for school. But the movie quickly found it's own rhythm, and by the time we meet Juno's family, I was smiling and laughing, and it continued throughout the rest of the film. Ellen Page and Michael Cena act and talk like real teenagers and Allison Janney and J.K. Simmons make for great, funny, down-to-earth parents. Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner don't get to have as much fun as the square couple, but their performances helped to ground the movie and accentuate the conflict to come. And Rainn Wilson is always fun to watch. Definitely deserved all the accolades it received, and bonus points for being set in Minnesota!