Movie Review: Juno

Starring:
Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Allison Janney, J.K. Simmons, Olivia Thirlby

Director:
Jason Reitman (Thank You For Not Smoking)

MPAA Rating:
PG-13 for mature thematic material, sexual content and language.

Release Date:
December 2007

Synopsis:
Facing an unplanned pregnancy, worldly teen Juno devises a plan to locate the proverbial perfect parents to adopt her baby. Now, everyone in Juno's world must do a little soul-searching.

My Two Cents:
George Carlin once said anything can be funny, even rape. He then said “imagine Elmer Fudd raping Porky Pig” and the crowd erupted in laughter. Teen pregnancy is not a laughing matter, and it’s so common most people don’t really give a shit unless it happens in their family, but Juno deals with the problem in the best way it can, through witty comedy.

I admit I only saw Juno because of the Oscar buzz and overwhelmingly positive reviews. Normally I’m not interested in feel-good chick flicks, but I’m glad I watched this one. Everyone knows having a child is not easy, but having it at the tender age of 16 only adds to the tension and anxiety. Juno decides to give the baby up for adoption rather than having an abortion. Not that she didn’t consider it. Once she chose the perfect adoptive parents she goes on with her life, not really worrying about anything.

The screenplay is really good, but what brings Juno to life are the actors. Whoever was responsible for the casting deserves an award. Ellen Page (X-Men: The Last Stand) gives a truly breakthrough performance as Juno, worthy of an Academy Award, but the rest of the cast is just as charming and funny. The whole movie is quite funny, with some of the wittiest one-liners that demand to be made into T-shirts. No one really talks like that, but I really wish they did. It’s refreshing to watch such a charming and funny movie that doesn’t rely on tired physical comedy like so many others.



Also worth mentioning is the soundtrack. Not only are there heaps of musical references made by rock-loving Juno and the adoptive father of her baby, but there are tons of music tracks throughout the whole movie. Not all artists are well-known, but sound great.

So there you have it. A low budget independent film with a touching, optimistic and compelling story, funny and sarcastic dialog, excellent acting, and a fun soundtrack. And it was written by a former cock-gobbling stripper, Diablo Cody. Way to go, ho!

Score: