Movie Watch! - Junebug

Oh, Amy Adams! She absolutely stole the spotlight in 2005's Junebug, which also starred Embeth Davidtz (I don't know who she is either), Benjamin McKenzie (I miss The O.C.), Alessandro Nivola (sweet holy mahoney!), and some old people. It's a comedy/drama about a British diplomat's daughter (Davidtz) who marries a guy (Nivola) who she meets at the outsider art gallery in Chicago where she works. Six months later, scouting for a new artist brings the couple back to his hometown in North Carolina, where she finally meets his decidedly Southern family.

You may recognize Amy Adams as Jim Halpert's girlfriend from the second season of The Office, (or from one of the many, many other movies she's been in) but this is most certainly her breakout role. She's at once charming and overwhelming, the naïf who seems more excited about the world than even God had intended. She fresh and delightful to the point that she may even seem a little delusional, but she's undoubtedly lovable. Her performance is what drew me into the film in the first place, and she did not disappoint.

Ryan Atwood Benjamin McKenzie finally steps out of SoCal and into, well, NoCarolina, and it's a bold first step into grittier roles. Alessandro Nivola has the most bluntly do-me-I'm-exotic name ever for someone who was born in Boston. It surprised me that he isn't really an especially strong presence in this film, but we do get to see his butt and it's very much like a statue.

It's an earnest attempt, certainly worth watching for all the endearing performances on behalf of the ladies and all the stoic Southern doldrums of the gentlemen. 8/10