More Juno

Chris Orr offers an interesting addendum to our Juno-and-abortion debate (mild spoilers below):

There is one point, though, that I meant to make but never got around to: If you're looking for conservative themes in Juno, arguably the clearest one is at best peripherally related to abortion. It's where the movie comes down, quite firmly I think, on the question of self-actualization vs. responsibility ...

One of Juno's sharpest elements is its treatment of the Lorings. When we first meet them, we are obviously intended to like hip, ironic, artistic Mark and to find reliable, earnest, domestic Vanessa annoying and/or pitiable. What's impressive is the way the film gradually reverses our early affections, but does so without ever really changing either character. Instead it merely shifts our perspective, showing that the guy you want to swap mix tapes and spend afternoons watching horror movies with is probably not the guy you want to be a father for your child. In Knocked Up, the former abruptly, quasi-magically becomes the latter, allowing viewers to have their cake and eat it, too. In Juno (and, I think, real life), one not infrequently has to choose between the fun guy (or gal) and the responsible one, and it's a choice Juno does not hesitate to make.