Celebrating the Miracle of Life Onscreen

What has happened to the good old romantic comedy? Isn’t it all supposed to be about fate and searching for love with a comical twist? Instead, over the past decade or so, humor in films has acquired a different flavor. What was funny in movies such as Clueless and 10 Things I Hate About You is now seen as trivial and stupid. Comedies today have begun to stray from these simple themes, delving into more controversial topics, like pregnancy.

There have been several recent movies that portray teen pregnancy, addressing an important subject that has remained un-talked about in the past. And it is certainly a brave attempt to drag such a taboo topic out into the open and onto the big screen. Thirty years ago, being a single mother-to-be would have been shameful and hidden at all costs. It is great to see that society has moved on and become open-minded enough to allow pregnancy to sneak its way into Hollywood.

However, while films such as Juno and Saved succeed in bringing necessary attention to what is becoming a common occurrence in today’s society, it seems that the issue of pregnancy is treated in an inappropriately lighthearted manner. Perhaps it’s not the best message to be sending to today’s youth that getting pregnant is OK because it happens all the time, and it’s funny! These films fail to exhibit the real, accurate consequences of young motherhood, instead portraying it as an accepted part of life with great comedic potential.

Juno tells the story of a smart-aleck 16-year-old who indulges in sex for the first time just for fun. The film’s protagonist, Juno (played by Ellen Page), coincidentally just “forgets” a condom, thus resulting in a very unwanted pregnancy. But can the consequences be completely unexpected? Juno is portrayed as a very smart, albeit sarcastic, young woman; she is not the kind of girl who would be irresponsible enough to totally disregard the use of protection. While this negligence might not seem to fit her character, it certainly is convenient in getting her pregnant. And the journey of her pregnancy is comical and treated with witty indifference. The emotional effects of unwelcome motherhood are completely overlooked. Juno practically gives her baby over to a rich, single mother without any qualms. And after this very trying experience, everything returns to normal. Juno falls in love, and everyone is happy. Indeed, her life is the better for it.

Saved strikes a slightly different note, centering around the pregnancy of Christ enthusiast Mary, who might not have had the advantage of a sex ed. class at her Christian school. She gives up her virginity, at Jesus’ bidding, in order to save her boyfriend from the grips of gayness. In return for what she thinks is a virtuous act, she gets pregnant. This crippling burden leads Mary to call her faith into question, spurring her quick descent into sin. While the film pokes fun at Christian fundamentalists’ hypocrisy and close-mindedness, viewers are left wondering: what about Mary? Because of her religious ties, abortion is completely out of the question; she must go through with it. But she somehow manages to almost completely hide her pregnancy from her mother, who excuses her weight gain, claiming, “I didn’t want her to develop a complex!” And after giving birth, she realizes that having a baby is no burden at all; it is a blessing, as if the spiritual bonds of motherhood overcome all.

What are these films really trying to say about teen pregnancy? Do the filmmakers want today’s youth to think that the consequences of having a baby don’t really matter, because it always works out in the end? This message is completely ridiculous. Pregnancy and motherhood aren’t all fun and games. And most pregnant teens are not pretty, upper middle class starlets with the love and support of their families. Instead, the majority of young mothers are uneducated and poor, and having a baby lessens their ability to find work and provide for themselves. The U.S. has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the world. In fact, according to the University of New Mexico School of Medicine, 40 percent of women in the U.S. get pregnant before they turn 20 years old. Over half of these women who keep their babies end up on welfare. Unplanned pregnancy is a problem, not a blessing, and it should be treated as such.

Glamorizing teen pregnancy onscreen is certainly not the best way to expose its actual consequences. A realistic portrayal of the more accurate and common socioeconomic and emotional circumstances of unplanned pregnancy would have a much greater effect on how young motherhood is viewed in society. When faced with the cold, hard truth of the issue, instead of the humorous, whimsical idealizations offered by Juno and Saved, perhaps teens will not feel as inclined to go out and do it without protection. While the aims of these films are admirable, their means are not. Using the silver screen to convey messages to the audience can be smart, but not when the viewers are impressionable teens who will eat up anything they see as reality. Leave the lighthearted, unrealistic stuff to the romantic comedies; pregnancy is a big, not-very-funny-after-all deal, which needs to be treated with stifling realism.