Music Review: Juno Soundtrack
What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that the quirky, sardonic tone of the
movie
Juno is accurately and sincerely translated onto the
film's soundtrack. Less loaded than the movie's main plot of
teen pregnancy, these classic and indie rock tunes tackle
issues such as love, friendship, and coming of age in an
original, lighthearted, and intelligent manner.
Families can talk about the movie's message about teen
pregnancy. Does the way Juno deals with her situation seem
real? Why, or why not? What does your family think about teens
having sex? Families can also talk about the unique mix of
artists on the soundtrack. How do the songs from 20 and 30
years ago stand up to those created today? How do they all
relate to the same themes? Also, how does the combination of
simplistic harmonies and complicated lyrics match the tone of
the soundtrack and the movie?
The movie Juno is quirky and irreverent and all that teen angst, sarcasm, and sentimentality is packed perfectly into the movie's soundtrack. Singer/songwriter Kimya Dawson, who provides six of the 19 tracks on the album, is a deceptively sweet singer whose lyrics have an intellectual bite to them. "You're so nice and you're so smart/you're such a good friend/I have to break your heart." Just as the film has done, the JUNO SOUNDTRACK transcends the clichéd plot of teen pregnancy and moves into much more nuanced and subtle terrain.
Full of retro singles like "All the Young Dudes" from the '70s band Mott the Hoople, and anti-folk tracks such as the Moldy Peaches' "Anyone Else But You," the album is off-beat and fun. At first, many of the tracks appear to have an innocent folksy feel to them; however, listeners, especially teens, will appreciate the emotional depth of the soundtrack.
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