JUNO d: Jason Reitman
Juno (2007)
Direction: Jason Reitman. Screenplay: Diablo Cody. Cast: Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Allison Janney, J.K. Simmons
Rating: 9/10
Directed by Jason Reitman and written by Academy Award-winner Diablo Cody, Juno is what most teen movies are not: non-commercial, with an "agenda" between its screenplay pages. Juno isn’t an excuse for promoting a soundtrack, and because of its low budget it can take risks without worrying about the bottom line — and risks it does take.
The plot follows a high-school girl, Juno MacGuff (Ellen Page), who has sex with a boy she likes, Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera), and as a result of that encounter becomes pregnant. But despite the pressing issue of teen pregnancy, Juno is more about the girl who gets pregnant, her quirky personality, and what she decides to do about her bun in the oven.
Juno offers some of the freshest, quirkiest, and most unique dialogue exchanges I’ve heard in a teen comedy-drama since Clueless in 1995 (though Clueless seemed to create new slang, e.g., "as if," "coastal," etc.), in addition to being far funnier than the prose found in the recent hit Superbad. Many of the phrases, slang, and references in Juno I’ve heard before, but it’s mixed together, packed, and packaged in a way that makes you take notice, smile on a regular basis, and sometimes laugh out loud.
The pregnancy, its effect on Juno, her relationship with her would-be boyfriend, parents, and school, are all handled with a surreal lightness not very well rooted in reality. Juno’s character is well established early in the film so you see why she is able to deal with the tough situation she finds herself in with the bravado she displays. In effect, the film’s main fault turns into its greatest strength. It’s refreshing to see a movie about teens that does not have to do with cars, bikes, dancing, or fights while simultaneously marketing a soundtrack and other affiliated products.
None of the films I just alluded to deal with any real issues facing contemporary teenagers — at least not like Juno. How the teen pregnancy issue is handled is a topic for discussion, but at least it is sparking new discussions. With Jamie-Lynn Spears now pregnant at sixteen (an ordinary occurrence in centuries past), a more open forum on the subject might have created a different outcome for her and many other sexually active teens.
The film’s supporting cast is remarkably effective, among them Jennifer Garner, whose performance is a welcome surprise, and Jason Bateman as Vanessa and Mark Loring, the would-be adoptive parents of Juno’s unborn child. Juno’s father, Mac MacGuff (J.K. Simmons), and her stepmother, Brenda MacGuff (Allison Janney), are also highly effective in the roles of the stable and knowledgeable elements in Juno’s life. In fact, these characters are for all intents and purposes the realistic elements in Juno. If it were not for them and for a handful of dramatic moments, Juno might be seen only as a comedy like Knocked Up instead of a drama with comedic elements. And finally, the range of emotions Juno goes through during the course of the film says a lot about Ellen Page as an actress.
The contrast between Jennifer Garner’s and Ellen Page’s characters was particularly intriguing. Vanessa is basically the opposite of Juno: She wants a child, Juno does not. She is ready for a child in her life, Juno is not. She is fully capable of supporting the new born; Juno is still a child herself, has not even graduated high school, and is unemployed. She is willing to re-arrange her life to welcome the new born into her home, Juno is willing to give her child away to ensure it has a good home and everything else it could possibly need in the future.
Because of the quick decisions Vanessa and Juno make, Vanessa’s husband finds himself at a crossroads in his life as well, though in a different manner. Mark’s involves his life of "contributing" with Vanessa, the death of his ambitions, and being thrust head first into fatherhood. The careful viewer soon realizes that Juno is not about one but three people having to make crucial decisions.
Overall, Juno is a funny, entertaining dramatic comedy about human beings dealing with serious issues such as teen romance and teen pregnancy. The way Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody handle the latter issue is sure to go on creating controversy, but to its credit Juno does not take the road well traveled.
© Reginald Williams
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Ellen Page is wonderful in JUNO! She should have won the Oscar, though I also like Marion Cotillard and Julie Christie.
I don’t think Ellen should have won the Oscar. She didn’t create a great on-screen presence like Johnny Depp did with Jack Sparrow.