Film Review: Juno
By now most people have at least heard about Juno, the recently released film about a pregnant teenager. Though it opened in small, independent theaters to begin its run, Juno is now storming nearly all major screens across the country. Though I almost saw the movie several times, my first viewing was last Friday.
I have been strongly looking forward to Juno since I saw the trailer back in the summer. From the trailer it looked to have a lot of comedy with a lot of heart. To my delight, both of these things turned about to be absolutely true.
A lot of Juno’s charm stems from its indie roots. Everything about the film is quirky in its own way, but it is appealing rather than weird. The soundtrack is a perfect example. The large majority of viewers will have no idea who any of the artists are; I know I did not. However since seeing Juno the soundtrack has been a regular in my iTunes rotation (check out my last.fm charts to see for yourself). It is not only enjoyable, but fits the movie like a glove. The soundtrack is so important to the feel of Juno that it is almost a character in itself.
Of course the soundtrack is only one great character among many. Every character was written brilliantly (by a former stripper no less), and more importantly the acting is absolutely stellar to bring the characters to life. There is plenty of star power for the film, including Arrested Development leads Michael Cera and Jason Bateman, Jennifer Garner, and J.Jonah Jamison. Along with the other actors in the film, they all play perfectly crafted characters.
However the character that stands out among all others is the lead, Juno. In one of the better performances I have seen in a while, Ellen Page plays the sixteen-year-old mother like she was born (haha) for the role. Juno is not like other teenage girls. Her sharp wit and love for late 1970s rock would place her intelligence level far past driving age. The audience instantly falls in love with her unconventional appeal. Juno is also responsible for leading the charge of the absurdly smart, quick dialogue employed by the film.
The dialogue is full of obscure references and strange colloquial lingo that combines to form the comedic drive, yet it rarely feels forced. The conversation is a large part of the humor, which is essential to Juno. The movie is laugh-out-loud hysterical, and even if you are not laughing you will always have a grin on your face. This is balanced by the tough, real-life situations presented by the film. From its subject matter it is no surprise that a lot of serious issues are presented over the course of Juno. Each one is handled with such dignity that you forget how funny the last scene was and instead focus on the gravity of the situation. This excellent blend of heart and hilarity is what makes Juno one of my favorites of the year (only a few weeks late).
As far as movies go, Juno is totally boss. I was either laughing or being touched the whole time. I could go on about my expectations being surpassed mightily. Other than 3:10 to Yuma I cannot remember walking out of a theater with such a huge smile on my face. Wizard.
9/10
Disclaimer: In no way am I advocating teenage pregnancy. It is a big problem in our country, and do not think my opinions about the movie reflect my stance in real life. I do not recommend the film for young audiences.
January 16th, 2008 | 10:29 am
I saw that movie and it was awesome, the soundtrack is ok though. You should see “Hard Candy” another Indie movie that stars Ellen page too, kicks ass.
January 16th, 2008 | 1:08 pm
ill check it out but almost guarantee that the 9/10 was negligently given
January 17th, 2008 | 4:14 pm
What can I say about Juno? Well, there’s only one thing to say, and that’s wow. Wow, Juno is a horrible movie. After seeing the first preview for this movie I thought it looked pretty funny, but the more previews I saw the less interested I became in seeing it. Not to offend any of the female readers on this site, but I am not a huge fan of movies where the lead role is dominated by a female to begin with. After seeing Juno my stance was moved that way even more. For those of you who have not seen Juno yet, save the dollar and watch an episode of Gilmore Girls. The speed of which Ellen Page talks in the movie, matched up with her smarty pants comments and personality, is like watching any episode of Gilmore Girls (http://youtube.com/watch?v=T-F2B_Bru6s&feature=related).
The lingo they used in the movie gave me a feel that they were trying too hard to be uniquely funny, and they did not succeed. Unless, they were trying to succeed in making a horrible movie. If that was the case, then job well done.
Like Inxane said, the 9/10 was negligently given.
The poorly written Juno mixed with Ellen Page’s annoying performance is good enough to get a VERY generous score of 5/10.
Please save your time, money, and most importantly, like jbomb said, teenage pregnancy out of wedlock is a very big problem in our country that needs addressed, so do the right thing.
January 17th, 2008 | 4:46 pm
[WARNING: SPOILER ALERT]
Going into the movie with high expectations after reading a bold 9/10 by Jbomb, I actually gave an Indie movie a chance, even if it starred a female main character. The thing is, I didn’t scratch the movie before watching it, I gave it a legitimate chance and wanted to like it.
The plot of the movie was simple and easy to follow. Not that that’s bad, but it definitely doesn’t help it. Juno is 16, a junior in high school, and the biggest smart @$$ you could imagine, not at all “absurdly smart, quick dialogue” as Jbomb puts it. Quotes such as
Juno MacGuff: You should’ve gone to China, you know, ’cause I hear they give away babies like free iPods. You know, they pretty much just put them in those t-shirt guns and shoot them out at sporting events.
Juno MacGuff: Yeah, I’m a legend. You know, they call me the cautionary whale.
Leah: Dude that thing looks freaky.
Juno MacGuff: I am a sacred vessel; all you got in your stomach is taco bell.
Paulie Bleeker: I still have your underwear.
Juno MacGuff: I still have your virginity.
Gerta Rauss: So how far along are you? (talking about her pregnancy)
Juno MacGuff: I’m a junior.
and many many more ridiculous remarks made me very sick of Juno (the character) very quickly.
While Juno (the movie) finally does come through with some solid views of life, the movie is long, drawn out, and very boring. As my roommate pointed out, the writers tried too hard to be funny (we all know that girls just can’t be funny), and make Juno (the character) seem obnoxious and stuck up. Opposite of what Jbomb said, you DO NOT fall in love with Juno (the character) at all, especially not immediately.
Near the end of the movie, I told my roommate that the movie started out a 6 and was quickly approaching 5, unless there was a killer ending. Unfortunately, the ending turned out exactly as you thought it would. Vanessa got the baby, Juno and Paulie get back together and totally forget about the baby.
On a side note, what is with the side plot of the pedophile Mark? He says things such as “I thought you’d be happy to hear that” and “then why are you here” and “hey I’m so glad you’re here” and “No, Vanessa’s gone, we’re safe”. He also tells her he is getting an apartment downtown and then looks at her like he wants her to visit. Clearly Mark is a pedophile, and anyone who argues otherwise is sorely mistaken.
The other major vice in this movie is obvious and has been pointed out already. The movie doesn’t advocate teen pregnancy, but it’s definitely not an opponent of a huge problem in the US.
airxxi.com rating: 5.5/10
PS. I’m sure my comment will get edited in some way. The true version is posted on airxxi.com.
January 17th, 2008 | 5:18 pm
I was refered to this review by Luke, who informed me that he crush-reviewed Juno. I have to say that I am disappointed that he hated Juno, because I recommended to him that he should see it, because it is a great movie. While I do have to agree that the film is a bit Gilmore-esque-gone-bad, I could not rate this movie below an 8.5. While Juno was a “smart @$$,” she was also portrayed very well. She is clearly meant to be a different type of person, so I can understand her ‘quirkiness.’ One thing that bothered me was Mark’s change from an overall nice guy to a pedophile, especially when he called Juno “beautiful” and slow danced with her (odd scene).
I went into this movie thinking that I wouldn’t like it, so I was pleasantly surprised with my take on the movie. Bleeker’s (Michael Cera) character is hilarious. He is 2/2 in performances recently in my opinion. I liked how they developed Jennifer Garner’s character in the movie, and how they swithched the likable-ness from Mark to Vanessa. It is a top-quality Indie film, that I would recommend to anyone (over the age of 15). This film was like a quirky adolescent version of Knocked Up, which I also enjoyed. I would say that I enjoyed Juno more though. I have considered seeing it again actually. My rating would be the same Justin, 9.0/10. It was my initial grade as I left the theatre and it still holds up as such.
April 10th, 2008 | 9:11 pm
i’m very happy to see that you loved Juno — i saw it with my mom and we both loved it. i saw it again on an airplane and loved it even more the second time…it’s truly a great film.
April 23rd, 2008 | 1:21 am
jelly shots really erks me.