Music plays a key part in
Juno
, the way-too-charming indie comedy directed by
Jason Reitman
and written by
Diablo Cody
.
, the pregnant teen of the title role, isn't just a kid who loves rock & roll; she and her boyfriend
Paulie Bleeker
play guitars together, the adoptive father of
's kid is a recovering grunge rocker who toured the world and elsewhere in 1993, and
Reitman
punctuates the film with songs, both classic rock and precious twee folk tunes from
Kimya Dawson
, formerly of
the Moldy Peaches
. Some might say that the sickly sweet songs of
Dawson
don't fit comfortably alongside
the Kinks
,
Mott the Hoople
, and
Sonic Youth
's cover of
the Carpenters
'
"Superstar,"
but a large part of the appeal of
is how the world-weary sarcasm of Gen-X rubs against the unapologetic quirkiness of Gen-Y, and the soundtrack reflects that almost more than the movie, as the
songs are even more prominent on this 19-track album than within the 90-minute movie. This may not be to everybody's taste -- many found the twee tunes irritating, not charming -- but anybody who loved the movie completely will find the
soundtrack just as witty and warm as the film itself. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine