Junebug

As Juniper James' 40th birthday nears, she realizes that her life has not turned out the way she dreamed it would be when she was a child. Ethan, her boyfriend of three years, is thoughtful in his own way, but he's not the knight in shining armor that her childhood self would have seen as her life partner; he's not even particularly romantic. It's the cusp of Juniper James' fortieth birthday, and whether she realizes it or not, her life has not turned out the way that she as a child dreamed it would be. Her boyfriend of three years, Ethan, while thoughtful in his own way, is neither romantic or the knight in shining armor her childhood self would have seen as her life mate, such as Lloyd Dobler in Say Anything (1989), and their relationship has devolved into one of routine, extremely low on adventure or discovery. She works as an editor at a small publishing house that focuses on children's books, so while she gets other people's stories published, she is not writing herself as her childhood self wanted. In the guise of just having cleaned up their basement, Tom and Mae, her parents, probably as a reminder that she has given her life short shrift from those childhood dreams, give her back the wish box they gave her on her eighth birthday (she only vaguely remembers it) into which she placed all her wishes for herself. She falls asleep after rereading her childhood wishes, and when she awakens, she is visited by her 8-year-old self, Junebug (her childhood nickname), whom only she can see. While she initially dismisses Junebug's musings about their life as mere childhood fantasy, Juniper begins to act on Junebug's wishes for their life, like convincing the muralist who works outside her favorite coffee shop, whom she admires, to do illustrations for children's book, as her boss, Paula Sinclair, wants them to focus on illustrated books this season. Juniper learns that he is Alex Ridley, a once-shining star in the art world who has stopped signing his name to his work, wanting his work to be judged on its own merit. Initially reluctant even to discuss it, Alex eventually agrees to at least meet Paula, and at this meeting he only agrees to illustrate books authored by Juniper. As they work together, Juniper and Alex start to fall for each other, as Juniper finds joy in writing--and collaborating. What happens between them may be dependent on the outcome of their book. Through it all, Junebug is a constant presence, but over time her visits diminish as Juniper's life gets back on track to the way it should be.