Junebug (2005) Reviews

• An excellent study of characters with a strong sense of place.

  williamwolfe2005-08-09

  A very intelligent script, with direction that does it justice. Rather than spelling out exactly what we're supposed to be thinking and feeling at every moment, the filmmakers respect the audience's ability to infer meaning from the mood and tone, from the light in a frame or the ambient noise of a scene (or, for that matter, from the complete silence in which we occasionally are allowed to contemplate the house and small town where the story is set). As for the actors, they must have been thrilled to have the chance to play such complex, well-rounded characters, each of them at times being fine and even something like noble, at other times frustrating and perhaps even cruel. Just like real people, in other words. Amy Adams deserves the praise she's received for a role that could have easily been a caricature, but I'd like to also mention Embeth Davidtz for her precise and empathetic work in another part that might have easily been done in a hackneyed way. All through this film, there are moments where we fear that its makers are going to settle for the cliché, but they never do. By the end, we feel that we've learned a great deal about the characters and the community which produced them, and we also sense that we'll never fully grasp all of their mysteries and contradictions. Very fine work from everyone involved.

• Amy Adams stands out in a low-key, insightful character piece.

  PizzicatoFishCrouch2006-04-17

  When Art dealer Madeleine (Embeth Davidtz, never better) travels to the South meet an Artist about his weird drawings, she decides to visit her husband's family whilst she's at it. He hasn't been in correspondence with them for over three years, and why that is is left unrevealed. She meets them – her mother in law (Celia Weston), father in law (Scott Wilson), brother in law (Benjamin Mckenzie), and his perky, pregnant wife Ashley (Amy Adams). Only Ashley extends a warm welcome, as everyone else pronounces Madeleine too clever, too pretty and too successful to be considered family. Her visit brings some home truths that the family had been putting off. Or, waiting for someone to blame on. There is something about Junebug that will surprise everyone. It's not the weird opening sequence, where some men randomly shout into space. It's not the surprise of seeing Schindler's List's Embeth Davitz finally get a film role that she deserves. No, it is that you are actually impressed by the acting from The O.C.'s Benjamin Mckenzie (shortened to "Ben" here). As Johnny, he is a definite sourpuss, rude, inattentive to his loving wife, but perhaps, as the film hints, just using his rude exterior to hide a feeling of failure inside. Ben Mackenzie makes his character surprisingly well layered, revelling in the quietly sad scenes – he tries to tape a show about meercats for his wife but can't, and ends up taking it out on her. As his very different brother, Alessandro Nivola is as good, in his unaffected, cheerfulness. Embeth Davidtz shines too, in a different role as Madeleine, a woman trying constantly to make a good impression, but always failing. Her character is given extra depth during her many scenes during Amy Adams, especially in their snug little session over her nails. But the film belongs to Amy Adams, the actress that brought the film out of obscurity with her Oscar nomination. In Ashley, we find liveliness, humour and a soul not to be put out easily. Her love for her under-achieving husband is touching and each time he knocks her back, she fights back playfully, covering up her own insecurities, which are all revealed in her tragic hospital scene. It was a performance that could have easily been annoying or repetitive, but Ashley's spirit is so free, Adams' performance perfectly heartfelt. Not much happens plot-wise, but Junebug is one of those films that are all the better for it. Director Phil Morrison has expertly created a story, with real characters, out of the petty everyday things. Although scenes with the Artist feel a little underdone, though they also play a part in showing the importance of family. Madeleine's visit proves to be unsuccessful not only because she is disliked by her husband's family, but because her actions clumsily reveal things about them, things that they'd rather not admit to. That Junebug never properly reaches a conclusion merely adds to the film's sophistication, but on my part, I probably would have liked to see what happens if Madeline and George went back a year later. Because though Ashley had big dreams, the sad fact is that they probably all would have gone unfulfilled. Everyone has aspirations, and some people can stand in the way of others. B+

• Poetic and charming little film about culture cross and family ties

  willden212005-01-27

  Some films do not need to tie in every little plot detail in order to make for a more true to life form. Not all families discuss their problems or their angst openly. Most of the time you have to decipher them through little nuanced non-verbal symbols. Junebug does it perfectly. At the base the plot follows newlyweds on their trek to NC from Chicago as the wife, Madeline, goes to close a deal with an eccentric southern painter. While there they decide to stop in and see her husband, George's family, who comes form NC originally. He has tried to separate himself from that culture and his family altogether. He has been married for six months and his family were not invited to the wedding, and his brother holds strong feelings of jealousy against him. It seems ho-hum form the plot synopsis, but then comes Amy Adams as the brother, Johnathan's wife and very pregnant Ashley. Amy Adams is absolutely amazing. She brings a charm and wit to this picture when it seems like it is a bit dreary. Her heartwarming turn as an optimistic and young mother to be with a heart of southern gold is achingly warm and sincere. She alone makes the film a must see as she can force the audience from laughter to tears with the flip of a dime. The direction is poetic and the cinematography allows for an unbelievably laid back southern tone. Nothing about this film is rushed and that makes it so wonderful to behold. Seeing how a family can generally and truly love each other inside, and because of cultural and societal norms strive to find ways to show love and respect for each other is achingly sincere. Sometimes you as the audience scream for them to communicate, especially the brothers as their strife is never discussed or resolved just tolerated. Overall this film is a great cultural study that goes beyond stereotype to show the love and respect the writer and director have for the material and the people of North Carolina. This is a truly warm and comforting piece of southern pleasure that shines in a pool of darkness that is Sundance 2005.

• Fabulous movie with a wonderfully understated meaning.

  djrandmpr2011-12-23

  None of the first 20 user reviews properly understood this movie. Critical to deducing out what's going on in the plot is, of course, understanding why the movie is titled as it is ... Junebug. A Junebug appears for a very, short time in the middle of summer, flits around above the grass, reproduces, and then disappears until next year. It's just concerned with it's own life, finding a mate and having sex. The two visitors, George and Madeline, are Junebugs. They pop up in the middle of Junebug season in North Carolina to see George's family for a brief visit, primarily not to see the relatives, but for Madeline to sign up a new painter for her art gallery. They are just like the temporary insect visitors. The fascinating element is that, at first, Madeline and George appear to be the one's who have it together emotionally speaking. They appear to both express how they feel without problems, to be the same on the surface as they are underneath, i.e. their real personalities seem to be expressed openly. Whereas, when we meet George's family and friends and neighbours in N.C. they seem to be the weirdest bunch of suppressed individuals you could possibly meet! However, as the movie progresses, you start to realize, in the most wonderfully understated way, that the opposite is actually the case. Slowly but surely, you begin to understand that it is the North Carolinian family and friends who know and understand each other on a level, and with a true depth, that George and Madeline could only wish for. Some examples? Both George and Madeline smoke cigarettes, but both keep it a secret from each other. A very basic element of both their lives is a secret. Madeline doesn't even know that George likes loads of mayonnaise on his sandwiches, and that he likes to play road games in the car, and that he cheats in the games. George doesn't realize that Madeline isn't as bound up in her career as an art dealer as he suspects, instead she becomes emotionally involved in his family's issues and problems. He misunderstands this during the scene in the hospital where he tells her over the phone that "family is important". In fact, she is more aware of this than he is. During this last scene in the car where they are returning to their Northern city life, it is George who says, Hey, I'm glad to be out of there. Yet it is Madeline who has been more deeply changed and affected by the events she has witnessed among George's family. It is they who turn out to be the Junebugs, involved in George's family life for a brief short time, and they will probably return the next year for another fleeting, flitting visit. Instead, it is the family, who seemed so out of touch with each other initially, who turn out to be the ones with the on-going commitment to each other, through good and bad, despite their flaws and problems. The family members are the ones who really understand and communicate with each other on a level that George wants to avoid by leaving again, and although Madeline has realized some of this internally, she is also leaving to return to her all-consuming career. They both choose to leave real communication behind in N.C. with George's family. There are so many "hidden" aspects that speak of this underlying plot throughout the movie, that I can't mention them all here. But some are George and Madeline's sex life which is graphically portrayed. It seems that they are very much like the Junebugs, here to have sex and procreate, and then come back to do the same next year. That's all they seem to do, true communication is out the window. Another is when Madeline finds Eugene's screwdriver hidden under some furniture, just before she is about to leave and go home. It's as if she has finally discovered something about what Eugene is looking for in his life, but chooses to flit off after she discovers it. I could go on, including the very brief scene of the Junebugs flitting above the grass in the garden, but I'll let you find the others yourself. Happy flitting! A true 9 out of 10 movie. Very enjoyable and profound.

• A Treat for a Southern Boy

  nturner2008-11-08

  Since I grew up in the South, this movie grabbed me from the start and wouldn't let go. The message that you can't go home again is universal, but the home to which the main character cannot return is rich with well-defined and believable characters. George (Alessandro Nivola), a man from North Carolina, has moved to Chicago and married Madeleine (Embeth Davidtz), a sophisticated art gallery owner. She learns from her scouts of an undiscovered primitive artist who lives near George's family. They take this opportunity to drive to North Carolina where Madeleine meets her husband's family for the first time. George's family consists of a strong-willed mother (Celia Weston), a loving but extremely quiet father (Scott Wilson), a brooding ne'er-do-well younger brother (Benjamin McKenzie), and a perky, not-so-bright, golden hearted sister-in-law (Amy Adams). On the surface, nothing separates this film from hundreds of others with the same basic plot line - be they comedies or dramas. What gives it a five star rating is its ability to depict a depth of character and a location too rarely seen in small films. I would not classify this film as a comedy/drama. Because I hail from the South, the "comedy" that most critics see in the characters and situations appear just as normal occurrences to me. Of course - as in life - there are moments of humor, but what takes place amongst the main characters of this film cannot in any way be considered comedy. This is sad tale of the inability of those who genuinely love and respect each other to communicate those feelings. Even though most of the action revolves around the family, I should mention the artist (Frank Hoyt Taylor). This man is a real "character" in every sense of the word. He is a man of apparently limited mental ability who must have been struck in the head early on by a Bible and a huge phallus. You really have to see the work of the artist in order to understand the previous statement. As a matter of fact, his paintings might realistically be considered another character in the film. The extras on the DVD added greatly to my enjoyment of this movie. The features about the making of it were short but informative, but I liked the deleted scenes even more. I usually can see why scenes have been cut from a film, but some of those deleted from Junebug add powerfully to understanding the characters - especially the mother and father. It's worth your time to view these scenes. No matter whether you view Junebug as a comedy/drama or as a sad, almost tragic drama, you'll be rewarded with an insightful and entertaining tale.