Juno (Single-Disc Edition)
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Movie Reviews of Juno (Single-Disc Edition)
Movie Review: A PERFECT "10," JUNO IS A WITTY, WELL-CRAFTED, SUPERBLY ACTED DELIGHT FROM START TO FINISH
Summary: 5 Stars
My wife and I loved this movie so much we subsequently saw it three more times, the fourth time with me sitting in the theater with the Shooting Script book in one hand, and my cell phone in the other to illuminate its pages. I'd watch/listen to the movie, and scribble in the script where the movie on screen differed from what was written. (For the record, the movie is about 40% different from what appears in the Shooting Script.) I did that because I'm a budding screenwriter myself and I wanted to understand how this superb movie was created. So I took it apart the way someone would disassemble a watch or a car engine, examining every part to see why the whole worked so well.
In the end, what I concluded is that Juno is the perfect marriage of a well-crafted script by Diablo Cody, brilliant directing by Jason Reitman, and sublime acting by everyone, but especially Ellen Page, Michael Cera, and Jason Bateman. This is how Hollywood *should* work -- with no one aspect of the film process dominating another.
I don't know what to say about Juno that hasn't already been noted in all these reviews. You know what the story is about: a 16-year-old who gets pregnant, decides to keep the baby and put it up for adoption, and what happens to her life given her decision. Ellen Page deserved the Oscar for her performance, but an Oscar nomination is equally as impressive for an actress who just turned 21.
Yet, if you want to see a study in absolutely sublime acting, watch Michael Cera, who plays her boyfriend Paulie Bleeker. His mannerisms, facial expressions, and dialog delivery are so totally spot-on that he doesn't appear to be acting at all. He truly looks like Paulie Bleeker, a high-school student who discovers his girlfriend is pregnant.
The reason why Juno received so much attention (including a well-deserved Oscar win for screenwriter Diablo Cody) is because this is the freshest, most intelligent, most endearing movie to come along in decades. There's nothing not to love about Juno. Even the quirky soundtrack is perfect. (And I bought it the minute it was released.)
Juno is now nestled in my all-time Top Five movies. True, it's not as "important" as Casablanca, Chinatown, The Godfather, or even When Harry Met Sally. But it represents what I hope is a new level of excellence to which Hollywood should aspire. This is a very funny, heartwarming movie that bears up to many repeated viewings. (Try that with 75% of the movies Hollywood releases each year.)
Lest you think I'm a Juno fanboy (which I am), I will admit this slight criticism of the movie: at times, the dialog is too witty and too quick to come from the mouth of a 16 year old. At times, Juno seems so precocious that you just know she's reading lines. Yet, that can be forgiven with a movie as good as this because the story is just so darn good.
I absolutely, totally, unabashedly love this movie.
Movie Review: Remarkably Well-Written and Warm Comedy
Summary: 5 Stars
I wanted to hate Juno so bad. I suppose all of the trendy dialogue and often unnecessary indie credibility made me want to target this as among the most overrated films of 2007. In retrospect I hate when I have preconceptions going into a film but at least here I can admit its impact. Juno isn't overrated at all and although the dialogue is still hard to believe in flashes; the characters were compelling, enjoyable, and very easy to like. It was a simple task to forgive the few flaws I expected to find.
The film is directed by Jason Reitman (Thank You for Smoking), the son of director Ivan Reitman (Ghostbusters). It is written by Diablo Cody, a known blogger who won the Academy Award for Best Screenplay for Juno. The film's cast is actually very deep for its modest budget of $7 million dollars. The cast includes Ellen Page in the title role, Michael Cera as her quasi-boyfriend and father-to-be, Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner as the would-be adoptive parents of Juno's daughter, and J.K. Simmons as Juno's father, among others. It always surprises me when J.K. Simmons appears in a role as a nice guy after seeing him play an imprisoned Aryan gang leader for years on Oz and the fiery J. Jonah Jameson in the Spider-Man movies. He is always an outstanding supporting actor.
Juno follows a young girl named Juno MacGuff (Page) who discovers she is pregnant. The film looks the issue of abortion right in the face, for better or worse, seemingly indifferent to the views of either side, and eventually Juno decides she will have the child and put it up for adoption. Mark and Vanessa Loring (Bateman and Garner) are a married thirty-something couple that want to adopt the child. Juno's interactions with both Mark and Vanessa are engaging and surprisingly fresh. The supporting characters are very strong and make the main characters even more enjoyable to watch.
The strength of Juno's character seems to be one of the film's contentious points. Everyone seems to agree that Page is amazing in the role, and she is, but the way the character is written was something I expected to tackle as a flaw. It isn't at all; she is a powerful, intelligent, and confident young woman who I found not only believable but completely original. But there are many reasons to recommend Juno. It's well-written, it contains some great performances, and it has a soundtrack and style I appreciated very much.
Movie Review: What can I say? I'm in love.
Summary: 5 Stars
As the first-time effort of secretary-turned-stripper-turned-author-turned-filmmaker Diablo Cody (how's that for a title???), "Juno" is nothing short of a pleasant surprise. As of late, I've been sort of gravitating more and more toward the smaller sort of films, that tell a simple but thought-provoking story, in that vein this is about as good as they come.
"Juno" is centered around the title character, a precocious teenager who ends up getting pregnant. As a result, she finds herself facing challenges and responsibilities well beyond her age. She finds what appears to be the perfect couple to adopt the baby, but soon finds out they may not be as picture-perfect as she thought. On top of that, she also must struggle with high school life, and learn to come to terms with the romantic feelings she has for her best friend, the father of her child.
Overall, the story is well-written, charming, touching, and thought-provoking, with a perfect balance between comedy and drama. And of course, I have this movie to thank for initiating what is probably a fairly inappropriate obsession with Ellen Page. She has always been a remarkably talented actress, even from a young age (check out some of her earlier films she did in Canada), and she really brings this character to life like no one else could. That perfect blend of acerbic wit and girl next door charm adds up to a performance that's nothing short of captivating. Oh, and as if it weren't enough that Ms. Page is so tremendously talented and irresistably adorable, she also sings and plays guitar??? Come on, give a guy a break here!
But anyway, as fantastic and scene-stealing as her performance is, the rest of the cast is great as well. Jennifer Garner and the always-hilarious Jason Bateman are both excellent as the potential adoptive parents, Allison Janney and JK "J. Jonah Jameson" Simmons play minor but still very memorable roles as Juno's father and stepmother, and of course Michael Cera does the whole "awkward but likable" thing perfectly, as always (even if the shorts he's wearing throughout most of the movie are incredibly disturbing). Oh, and keep your eye out for a nifty cameo from former Jurassic 5 DJ Cut Chemist as, what else? A chemistry teacher. And we can't forget "The Office" star Rainn Wilson, as the weirdo shopkeeper who speaks entirely in bizarre metaphors that barely make sense.
Anyway, I'm probably pretty biased being the major Ellen Page fanboy that I am, but I highly recommend this movie. She's always fantastic in nearly everything she does, but I think this is definitely one of her best performances to date (along with "Hard Candy", which is also brilliant, but in a really different way). I'm pretty sure I'll be watching this over and over until the day I die.
Movie Review: About more than just pregnancy.
Summary: 5 Stars
The thing I love about movies is that five people can walk out of a movie saying what it's "about." Then they find that no two have said the same thing. So it didn't really surprise me when so many mainstream reviewers of this splendid movie were saying that it was "about teen pregnancy."
Well, sure, in a way. There are certainly people writing reviews right here at Amazon pointing out fearfully that Juno is giving teens a message that pregnancy is merely a happy lark. However, as Juno (the movie) was finishing up, I didn't find myself thinking that Juno (the girl's) situation was headed to Happy Town courtesy of a perky duet. The same 60 years that have taught me that a good song by itself won't get you far in the long run have also taught me that when it comes to guessing who survives tough situations, my money goes with the family that pulls together in a loving way when the crisis hits the fan.
Behind all the eye-rolling funny lines in Juno's family is their love for their kid. She's weird. They know it. She knows it. They go with it. So when things go seriously wrong for Juno, she can go home and tell them, trusting they won't dump her. They suck it up and deal. They are there when she really needs it, and, significantly, they don't make her pay for it. With that in mind, a lot of people who are angry at this movie might do well to watch it again.
To them I can only say that, despite the fact that teenagers often have a stunning way of ignoring information and advice which can help them, they can also be quick to notice how their lives differ from those of others. My guess is that most teenaged girls don't walk away from Juno marvelling, "Oh, getting pregnant looks totally cool! Like I SO have to try it!" More likely they are thinking, "Yeah, right! MY mom and dad would KILL me!"
Juno had real supports. Her girlfriend was wonderful in the way she was "there" for Juno. Many pregnant girls who are lucky enough to have such a supportive friend need her to survive the anger and disappointment of their families. What a waste. No surprise that the girls have so little emotional energy left for significant details like, "What does it mean to have a baby anyway?" and "What am I going to do with it?"
It's no accident that both Lars and the Real Girl and Juno were so wildly popular with their audiences. Each movie offers its own original, appealingl version of a similar belief--that the support of kind, loving families, friends, and communities will make all the difference for people in need. It's a message which strikes me as being, these days in particular, well worth serious consideration--which is why I found Juno such a more substantial movie than just cute or quirky.
Movie Review: Worth The Hype & Then Some
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm the type of person who normally doesn't succumb to hype over anything easily, as I prefer to use my own brain to decide what is worthy of my time or a total waste of it. But, I know I will likely NOT be alone in saying that this brilliant, hilarious, heartwarming film was certainly worth all the praise/adulation it's been receiving, and then some. "Juno" is the epitome of the brave little indie film that could, and practically made its writer Diablo Cody a household name. Ellen Page sparkles as Juno: an intelligent, sarcastic teenage girl who discovers that she has become pregnant after her first sexual encounter with her best friend Bleeker (the adorably nerdy Michael Cera). Like any other confused adolescent in her situation, she is faced with the decision of what to do before her baby arrives. Her best female friend, parents, and Bleeker are all accepting of her condition, which is refreshing to see in a storyline that could have become all too formulatic. They support her choice to give her child up for adoption and are for the most part nonjudgemental of her actions. Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner are a sweet but childless couple whom Juno decides will be wonderful adoptive parents. As with life in general, things don't exactly go as planned, but to give much more of the plot away would ruin this incredible movie for anyone who hasn't already seen it. For such serious subject matter that is tackled in this movie, I laughed out loud more than a few times at the razor sharp, witty dialogue!! I was absolutely thrilled when Diablo Cody won an Oscar for her original screenplay, and I'm anxious to see what she will be working on next. The musical soundtrack is also a cool, diverse collection of songs that fit the feel of the film wonderfully (Mott the Hoople's "All The Young Dudes" is a particular standout, considering how long the tune itself has been around); I loved the duet between Bleeker and Juno right before the end credits started rolling, too. I see a lot of movies over the course of a year both in the theater and on DVD rentals, and "Juno" is definitely near the top of my list for one of the best flicks I've seen in quite a while. I love this film; it left me with a great, positive feeling of wanting more. The whole cast was impeccable in their performances presenting flawed yet very realistic characters that you can't help but genuinely care about. "Juno" will be joining my DVD collection upon its release, and I know that it's one disc I will watch over again and again. I only wish all of the indie films I've seen in the past could be half as fantastic as this one was for me!!