…Because nothing says funny like teenage pregnancy.
Fifteen year old Juno MacGuff receives a nasty shock one day when she realizes she’s pregnant by her friend Paulie Bleeker. Unable to go through with an abortion, she searches for and finds a couple she feels is suitable enough to adopt her child. When Mark and Vanessa, the prospective parents, begin to fall apart, Juno has to make a tough decision.
I expected to hate Juno. Scratch that, I wanted to hate Juno. From the twee, “I’m so smart it hurts” dialogue in the trailer to Diablo Cody being everywhere all over the place in no time flat, I really wanted to find a reason to dislike this movie.
The dialogue, once you fall into it, is far from “so smart” and delves into sophisticated writing. The actors do a superb job, especially Jennifer Garner, as Vanessa, the “perfect mom”. You can practically feel how badly Garner wants a baby and she and Jason Bateman do a wonderful job as Vanessa and Mark.
Ellen Page deserved her Academy Award nomination and Diablo Cody deserved that win. The eloquent way in which Juno’s father and step-mother handle the news of her pregnancy is so refreshingly unlike anything Hollywood throws at us that it’s nice, for a change, to see something different. Juno’s whip-smart wit does nothing to protect her at her rawest, though, and that’s where the movie really hits home.
I love it.
I’d buy it.
I’m glad this film had all the press and all the coverage it got; it deserved every last ounce of it. J.K. Simmons and Allison Janney also shine as Juno’s dad and step-mother, and any movie that has Allison Janney in it I tend to like (Exh. A: Drop Dead Gorgeous).
1416 and Counting 
Yay Caitlin!
Despite the awesome mega-white majority, it really does hit it’s stride in the surprisingly poignant third act. The scene where’s she crying in the van always gets to me. *sniffle*
Jen Garner really should’ve been nominated.
The scene where’s she crying in the van always gets to me. *sniffle*
That’s the part that kind of finally turned the tide for me. I was definitely a really good scene.
Jen Garner really should’ve been nominated.
She really should have; and Jason Bateman, J.K. Simmons and Allison Janney should’ve received more press from this movie, I think. I didn’t even realize J.K. Simmons and Allison Janney were in this thing until I picked up the rental box.
Excellent review, Caitlin.
I haven’t had the opportunity to see Juno yet, but I keep hearing the same thing: Person rents Juno wanting to hate it, person is surprised by how good Juno is, person loves Juno.
I think I may have to go pick it up, soon.
andrew, it’s worth the time to sit down and watch it. There’s been a lot of movies that have had that indie-hype behind it that I’ve loathed, so I think that’s part of the reason why I wanted to dislike it.
Sometimes, I like being proven wrong. :p
I really loved this movie when I saw it on opening night, but then everyone made a big deal about it and… I loved it even more. It is a shame that all of those people out there (what I might call informed movie watchers) doubted it was great because everyone loves it. Well, sometimes you just have to accept the fact that you are not the only one that gets it. As you pointed out, it truly does have great dialogue and the acting was superb. I want to see it again.
Nice review! We loved Ellen Page too. She rocks!
Thank you very much! I’m looking forward to seeing what Ms. Page does in her career from now on. Should be interesting to see what film choices she makes!
i assumed Juno was directed by the same guy that directed Knocked Up, because it’s about unexpected pregnancy and Michael Cera stars as Juno’s boyfriend (he was in Superbad, a close relative of Knocked Up).
(Excuse me for spamming your blog with comments tonight.)
I really liked this and I can’t believe Jennifer Garner didn’t get more press. She was SO good and SO heart-breaking. I sympathize with her more than Juno for reasons I won’t go into but for me, she was really the heart of the movie.
Which is not to say that Ellen Page wasn’t very good because she was.
I really, really love JK Simmons. I also appreciated how Cody has the parents respond to Juno’s pregnancy – disappointed but ultimately supportive.
Spam away, Heather, spam away!
I thought Garner deserved way more attention than she got. She was so great in this, and it was so nice to see her in something other than Hollywood chick-flick territory. I hope she continues to get good work.
I love JK Simmons and I love Allison Janney. (Allison Janney is one of the reasons I adore Drop Dead Gorgeous.) I thought almost everything about the movie was spot on, and sweet without being…cloying.