Juno

I saw this movie at a preview in St. Louis about ten days ago and can't stop thinking about it.

I had no expectations going in (as I was given three free passes) as I took my teenage daughter and her friend. Learning about the subject matter, I was quite anxious how it would be shown and frankly I thought it was done very well.

First of all everyone has gone to High School with a Juno. That smart alec independent tomboy, cute, refreshing & fun to be around but not cool to date or be seen with. And the further removed from high school you are, you look back and wonder why? The acting by Ellen Page was outstanding (I had no clue who Ellen Page was - I have since watched Hard Candy). I can't remember a film that I was so drawn in by the main character.

I've always told friends for me the mark of a good movie is the character actors and their performances. They all deliver in this movie. I'm not going to go overboard and say its the best movie this year but it is one that I would recommend. Its rare I go to a preview and actually want to go see it again. Count me in come Dec 14th.

Anybody who gets to see the promos or the DVD covers would have enough clue about what the movie is about.Well I can tell you this,its not only the story which was brilliant - Its the wonderfully written screenplay,great acting by the casts,captivating photography with great locations and of course Ellen Page's incredible acting which has made a mark. There is generally a specific group of audience who could appreciate a certain movie,but when it gets to Juno...anybody above the "PG13" audience will definitely love it.The movie is about emotions,friends,innocence,parenthood,commitment and of course the fun in living it up! I enjoyed watching the movie over a Sunday afternoon at home,I just fell in love with it :)

Juno has an effect on you. You can tell by the opening title sequence that this movie has a lot of heart. The unique dialogue may come off as annoying to some but I find it to be one of the reasons the characters feel so real and likable. I felt as if Juno was a real person throughout the whole film, thanks to Ellen page. Her performance is perfect and there could not have been a better pick for the lead role. All of the casting choices are great. Including J.K. Simmons and Allison Janney as Juno's Parents. Jason Reitman did his best directing in his career by far on this film, in my opinion of coarse. Diablo Cody's perfect script would have been ruined by any other director. But Reitman has an amazing control of tone. On a personal level Juno has left an impression on me and I will truly never forget it.

Full disclosure, I would probably see Ellen Page and Jason Bateman in anything, I love them both so much. Page is of course in the starring role here, and delivers an outstanding performance as the quirky Juno, a high school who finds herself pregnant after spontaneous sex with her nerdy friend (Michael Cera). The film is very well made, with clever dialog and composed of countless little moments that are amusing, despite dealing with a serious subject. Juno resolves to give the baby up for adoption to a yuppie couple played by Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner, but things get complicated with Bateman's character begins getting close to her because of their interests in rock music and slasher films, kindling long-standing desires on his part to do more in life before becoming a father.

This is a very well-cast movie from top to bottom. J.K. Simmons plays Juno's father who is generally kind and supportive, but expresses his disappointment by saying "I thought you were the kind of girl who knew when to say when". Page's facial reaction, followed by her response, "I don't really know what kind of girl I am" is priceless, and just one of many great scenes for her. Allison Janney plays her step-mom, and has a powerful moment telling off the ultrasound technician while sticking up for Juno, and then later quipping "doctors are sadists who like to play God and watch lesser people scream". Cera plays awkward teenage dorkiness naturally, and Olivia Thirlby turns in a solid performance as Juno's friend.

This is a 'teenage film' that is smart, and has so many positive messages; it's accepting of unorthodox kids and difficult situations, which everyone deals with as Juno does, with humor and head up high. It's an empowering film, and a love story. The scene of Cera and Page strumming guitars and singing 'Anyone Else But You' (by The Moldy Peaches) is a sweet ending and caps off a nice alternative/indie soundtrack. Page really established herself with this film, and is well worthy of the Academy Award nomination she received.

I was expecting a really honest movie where the humor would come from the funny ways we deal with bad situations. Instead I felt like I was watching the Gilmore Girls. For most of the movie (and it got better in this respect toward the end) Juno's character was devoted to witty commentary, replete with randomly inserted Spanish words ("silencio, old man!") and hipster slang ("rad","boss"), rather than showing any kind of emotional insight. I kept thinking: "Someone needs to tell this girl that she is not Janeane Garofalo." Michael Cera was good as always, but he could have been used a lot more before the latter parts of the movie, particularly in some way that would indicate he was fazed in the slightest by fathering a child. Meanwhile, if anything saved the film it was Jason Bateman's performance. Dead on.

Bottom line: This looked like a film that would be funny because we could all imagine we'd act the same way in a bad situation. Instead, the lines were too pretentiously witty and the characters, particularly Juno, too emotionally numb to strike a chord.