Juno (Single-Disc Edition)
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Movie Reviews of Juno (Single-Disc Edition)
Movie Review: SCREWBALL COMEDY FOR THE MILLENIUM
Summary: 5 Stars
The screwball comedy was a staple in theaters when movies first discovered sound. The antics of Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart and a ton of other actors made audiences laugh and weep and in general have a good time at the box office. This genre comes to life once more with the release of JUNO.
Juno (Ellen Page) is a typical teen for the most part. As opposed to most films that center the attention around the cheerleader (face it, percentage wise how many teens are actually cheerleaders?), Juno is a normal student who has a strong attachment to her best friend, Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera). So much so that she seduces him and the two share their first intimate moment with one another. With, for them, unexpected results.
Yes, Juno ends up pregnant. She lets her parents in on what has happened and the pair offers her support as opposed to verbal abuse. Visiting a local abortion clinic, she thinks twice and decides instead to have the baby. Their support helps her to locate a nice couple seeking to adopt in an upper middle class home.
As Juno's pregnancy continues, she keeps in touch with the couple, letting them know what's going on. She also begins to bond with the husband (Jason Bateman) who she shares interests with in music and movies. The wife (Jennifer Garner) just sees Juno as the mother carrying the child that she so desperately wants.
As the film progresses, we are given a look at this young lady who is facing a crisis in a more level headed manner than we would expect, not only from those in real life but from film lives as well. Juno jokes about her pregnancy, sarcastically spills out about her less than supportive boyfriend and discusses life in general. She is one of the most well rounded characters seen on film in some time and it was a delight to glimpse this life.
The film progresses to a point where we discover all is not well with the "perfect family" Juno has chosen for her child. It's a revelatory moment that affects not only the couple involved but Juno as well. It's a discovery that the world is a difficult place to find perfection in no matter how much you desire it.
The ending of the film is fantastic. No quick solutions, no movie filled dream sequence where everything turns out the way a Hollywood writer would want it to be. No, this time we are offered a chance to see a real solution where there is a happy ending, just not the one you expected.
This low budget gem arrived in theaters and was hailed by critics and fans alike and understandably so. It feels fresher than anything seen in months, perhaps years. The look of the film is great, the direction is top notch and the acting is some of the best seen lately. Low key when needed and abrupt at others, all of the actors involved deserve notices for a job well done.
Outstanding from the rest is Page as Juno. Having made a name for herself in the revenge drama HARD CANDY, she shows a different side here in the smart mouthed, in over her head Juno. She carries off this character as if she were portraying herself rather than someone written. It is her performance that centers this film and makes it a gift.
JUNO is not your typical pregnant teen flick. It's more than that. It's a glimpse of life as it is, life as it can be as opposed to the two options most Hollywood films offer of dysfunctional families of happy ever after marriages. The movie shows real life in a pleasant way, and isn't that what it's usually all about?
Movie Review: "Thanks, For having Me and My Irresponsible Child Over Your House."
Summary: 5 Stars
What can I say? I've now seen Juno once in the theatre and a number of times on DVD. Every time I've seen it, I'm all "faklempt" (meaning emotional or choked up for any non-yiddish, speakers out there) by the time the end titles roll. Call me a wimp or a weenie, but this movie gets me every time I see it. But isn't that, what the best movies do? Move something in you, get to your emotions. That was certainly my reaction to "Juno". You can argue the point, but I think that this little, low budget, indie-style comedy was one of the best movies of 2007.
"Juno" is the comedy/drama story of Juno MacGuff (Ellen Page), a precocious, cocky, wise-cracking teenager, who suddenly finds herself pregnant, after sexually experimenting with her best friend Paulie (Michael Cera). After being put off by a visit to an abortion clinic, Juno answers an ad in the local 'Penny Saver' newspaper for 'adoptive parents'. They turn out to be Vanessa (Jennifer Garner) & Mark Loring (Jason Bateman) a yuppy-ish, childless couple, who have plenty of issues of their own. During the course of the film, we follow the next several months of Juno's life as a pregnant teen and her relationships with her parents, Paulie and the Lorings. What starts off as a very funny, screwball-ish, alternative comedy, eventually evolves into an emotional story, where Juno must find out, that she dosn't have all the answers. The last thirty-some weeks are not just a mere inconvienance, that will soon be forgotten. In the end, Juno must learn to "grow-up real fast", all while finding out the true meaning of love.
Don't be put off, if the above plot synoposis sounds a little too much like an old 'ABC After School Special'. This is as far from the standard, Hollywood mush as you can get. First time screen writer, Diablo Cody and Director Jason Reitman have joined forces with a brillaint cast to create an imaginative, smart, well-written film, which is both funny and moving at the same time.
I love the fact, that the script dosn't treat the characters or the audience like there a bunch of dummies. When was the last time a Hollywood film about teen pregnancy didn't make the parents out as a bunch of clueless, overeacting, yelling idiots, the teen father-to-be as a jerk or even wealthy yuppies to be one dimensional. Instead, this film very subtlety reveals different layers of these characters. You get to know these people and find out what makes them tick.
Ellen Page as the film's title character is just wonderful. Page gives so much nuance in her performance. Just watch the emotions, that run across her face, when she is forced to reveal she's pregnant to her parents. She put in one of the best performances of the year. Hopefully this young actress will have a brillaint career ahead of her. The rest of the cast is equally good, showcasing stand-out performances from J.K. Simmons, Alison Janney, Jason Bateman, Jennifer Garner and Michael Cera.
Finally, mention should also be made of the film's energetic music soundtrack, that features the works of anti-folkie, Kimya Dawson, British alt-rockers, Belle & Sebastion and other various artists. These songs will get stuck in your head and keep you humming for days.
This is a great movie, which has its' fill of both big laughs and tears. Highly recommended!
Movie Review: This one deserves every award it wins.
Summary: 5 Stars
At 16 Juno MacGuff is into 70s Punk Rock and Slasher films; she lives with her Dad, Stepmom and half-sister; she is a junior in high school; oh, and she's pregnant. Juno tells the story of the girl by the same name as she faces the choice of how to handle her situation. She is not married to, or even dating the baby's father. She is, as already mentioned, only 16 years old. She makes an interesting decision and the movie goes from there.
Rarely will I address the soundtrack or the casting of a movie. I normally tune out the music (sorry for the pun) and will address only individual casting decisions. I have no choice but to talk about both here.
Music is one of the comforting, yet (at times) conflict-inspiring, elements in Juno. With it being so important to characters, it is only appropriate that more attention be given to the soundtrack. The music was not ambient noise; it was used almost as a narrative technique and also to ease transitions between scenes. Music played a key role in the film and was used perfectly throughout.
I cannot remember the last movie I saw where there was not a person out of place. Each person who participated in Juno seemed perfect for his or her role.
Ellen Page (Juno) showed a lot of versatility as the movie's title character. She was always in control of the role, even when it meant playing someone so conflicted. Juno was strong, but vulnerable. She was smart, but ignorant. She was mature, but too young to know any better. Her personality was abrasive, which was not eased with the amount of slang that she piled on to every conversation early in the movie. But that changed. As the movie went on, Juno did what 16-year-old girls do: she grew up.
I had not experienced the "magic" of Michael Cera until Juno. He has received such an incredible amount of praise from his role on "Arrested Development" and his part in Superbad, but I never watched the former and he did not impress me in the latter. But in Juno he was perfect. However, I sure hope I am not the first person to point out the stark similarity in his performances. Beware the typecast Michael, even though it is probably too late.
Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner deserve some praise for selling their parts so well. And while everyone was so good, one person rose above the rest: J.K. Simmons, who played Juno's father. He was a lot of the movie's comedic relief, but that was such a special character for what his relationship meant to Juno. My appreciation wasn't entirely for the part, J.K. seemed to bring something extra to the it. His performance was one of my favorites of the year.
From my -- however limited -- experience, Juno was an original story with a unique perspective on one pregnant teen. The story flirted with "afternoon special," but never went over the edge. Any scene which could have led to sappy cliché was immediately steered clear, usually with humor. While I would not classify Juno as a "comedy," it definitely had some of the most genuinely funny dialogue I have heard. As the credits roll you will find that Juno was a story you would not normally snuggle up to, but preconceived notions be damned! Both touching and funny, Juno was a very good movie.
Movie Review: A Fun and Infectious Film
Summary: 5 Stars
I am in love with Juno, I really am. For me, Fox's Searchlight studio has become my personal favorite for extremly great indie comedies. They scored last year with Little Miss Sunshine (another film I absolutly love) and they do it again with Juno. But for me, I feel Juno really achieved something far greater then Little Miss Sunshine did. Not only did the film make me laugh but when I left the theater, I just couldn't help but feel uplifted and joyous. It's just one of those films that not only has a great wit but a real heart inside it. Something I did not feel with Knocked Up and Superbad and I know, people will hate me for saying that, but its true. For me, Juno was the only comedy that, I felt, really achieved the true 'heart' of a film.
Now, most everyone is by now familiar with the story but i'll just do it again just to refresh those who have gone fuzzy. Juna MacGuff has just found out she is nine weeks pregnant, the father happening to be her longtime friend and admirer Paulie Bleaker. After originally thinking about an abortion, she has a last minute change of heart and decides to give the baby up for adoption to a family she looked up in the local Pennysaver. We are then taken through the entire process of Juno dealing with her pregnancy, the adoptive family, just really everyday life that a pregnant teen can go through.
Now, I have been a fan of Ellen Page (Oscar Nominated this year, kudos) ever since I saw her in Hard Candy (a film that I felt really showed off her dramatic range), I just think she really is a talented young actress and true role model girls AND guys can look up to. As Juno, she combines a blend of biting wit, teen angst, and even motherly instinct into a fire cracker of a character. Another standout being Jennifer Garner, who just completly transforms her character from an icy, controling person to someone caring and warm by the end of the film. J.K. Simmons, Jason Batemen, Allison Janney, and Olivia Thirlby are also just as good, Thirlby I think having all the best lines.
And of course, we cannot forget Diablo Cody, who crafted a heartful and witty screenplay from a topic that could have easily been just another run of the mill teen pregnancy film. If she dosen't win the Originally Screenplay Oscar, I will automatically call for a recount. As for Jason Reitman, I feel he does a good job directing this film, obviously having a flare for making smart comedies (like his previous effort, Thank You for Smoking, another great film from Searchlight) but I don't feel he should have been nominated for Best Director, I felt that the fifth slot really should have gone so Joe Wright (director of the beautiful Atonement) but still, I felt he did his job.
I would definently place Juno on my top ten of 2007, cause for me it was one of the few highly praised films this year that I truley felt delivered on everything the critics praised about. But then again, I rarely agree with the critics, so even more props to the film that really connected with all audiences and not something that only the critics seemed to have got. So, if you truely, TRUELY, want to see a film that will not only make you laugh but give you that warm fuzzy feeling, Juno is definently the film to see.
Movie Review: It's All In The Dialogue
Summary: 5 Stars
Imagine having a baby when you're sixteen. Can't? Neither could Juno MacGuff (Ellen Page, Hard Candy), a sassy and intelligent young girl who finds herself having to deal with this very issue in the highly acclaimed film JUNO.
Once the rabbit dies, Juno is forced to come to terms with what she must do. Telling and not telling various people becomes a challenge, as does deciding whether or not to terminate the pregnancy. Once she decides against abortion (after a hysterical scene in the clinic where tapping fingernails play an annoying part), Juno decides to tell those closest to her. This includes the would-be father Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera, Superbad), a geekish track and field teen who's shocked to learn that his first time sexual encounter has also resulted in first time potential fatherhood, and her father Mac (J.K. Simmons, The Astronaut Farmer) and stepmother Bren (Allison Janney, Hairspray). Paulie seems equal parts embarrassed and elated (his seed has taken hold), while Juno's parents are dismayed, disappointed, but eventually supportive ...especially after they learn that she's decided to give up the baby to a couple that can't have kids (whom she finds advertising in the PennySaver).
The unborn's future parents are the Lorings, Vanessa (Jennifer Garner, The Kingdom) and Mark (Jason Bateman, Smokin' Aces). Vanessa is agog with the anticipation of motherhood, while her husband, Mark, is more pensive, unsure if he's ready to take the dive into daddydom.
The mixture of characters works well for the film with the only exception being that it was tough to swallow someone of J.K. Simmons' and Allison Janney's age being parents to a sixteen year old; they're a bit too old for those roles. Even so, the dialogue is stupendous, often making one forget that visual distraction and making them strain to catch every last nuanced syllable. And there are plenty.
Although there aren't many teens out there with the intellect that Juno possesses, that's exactly what makes this film so watchable. It touches on an unfortunately ordinary premise (teen pregnancy) but pulls it up to a whole new level by allowing us to see it through the eyes of someone (Juno) battling with self-recognition during an age-crucial time.
If there was ever any doubt that Ellen Page is one of the finest young actresses working in film today, Juno should put further arguments to rest. It is her razor-sharp line delivery that makes this film what it is: a character study of unusually funny proportions.