4 reviews

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Glenn Watson February 7, 2008

Teen sex flicks are ten-a-penny. But this tale of teenage pregnancy is quirky, funny and thoroughly grown-up. Gifted with a sparkling script and a perfect performance from Ellen Page, Juno deserves to out-gross in box office terms what gross-out films can only dream of.

Juno is a teen whose experimental seduction of a nerdy-but-nice boy (Superbad’s Michael Cera) leaves her pregnant. Facing a backlash from teachers, schoolmates and her own sudden sobriety, Juno nevertheless decides to have the baby so she can then give it away to a couple who can’t have kids of their own.

From a single premise, Juno manages to have its bun and eat it – poking fun at teenage sex while taking seriously the twin themes of childlessness and single-parent prejudice. Shot through with diamond-edge dialogue, mostly tripping from the tongue of its sparky heroine, Juno spits out ascerbic one-liners at an impressive rate.

Spinning humour from a scintillating script, Juno isn’t a situation comedy – no gross or goofy moments, no cringe-making scatology. Sensibly, it recognizes its premise is a serious business and provides – mostly – nicely-honed characterizations and moments of well-judged poignancy.

Jennifer Garner, light years away from her action-girl persona (Alias, Elektra) excels in the tragic-comic role of the earth-mother woman who can’t have a baby and is promised Juno’s own but who is unattuned to her husband’s ambivalence: Juno is as much about awakening to a world of complexity and consequences as it is about one young woman and a baby.

Ellen Page’s Juno is endearing, gutsy and fragile – and well worth Page’s best actress Oscar nomination. Without her Juno wouldn’t be the near-perfect film it is. Quibbles include a self-consciously kooky soundtrack that will either irritate or amuse: from the opening-credits animation to when Juno first opens her mouth, you know you’re in for a quirkily confident ride: you don’t need a soundtrack to tell you.

Jason (Thank You for Smoking) Reitman directs with flourish and emotional precision. A follower of the Clueless school of sharp scripts, Juno goes further by addressing an adult subject with a whip-crack humour that will appeal to teens and older audiences alike. Juno deserves its place alongside the likes of Sideways – well-acted, funny and knife-sharp insights into human relationships and longings.

I had to stop watching this movie as I couldn't bear seeing Kevin Smith stuffing words into Ellen Page's mouth...

Pomme De Terre 10 Mar 2008

I finally got to see this at the weekend and I have to say I just loved it.

With a witty, sharp script but with a great deal of tenderness, well-drawn characters and a talented cast, it made me smile, it made me feel and it made me think. Ellen Page was superb in the central role and I for one will want to see this little treasure of low-budget cinema again. Poignant but in little bursts, hilarious but bitter-sweet and most of all, intelligent - this is a movie which should prove to Hollywood that it is quite possible to retain an audience's interest with good writing and a lot of humour. No explosions, no special effects - just a wonderful cast of great actors, obviously enjoying the piece. A gentle, thought provoking movie which put a nice spring in my step.

I also loved the soundtrack. It made me appreciate how good Canadian cinema truly can be - so different from the Hollywood comfort zone of bland offerings and vapid rom-coms. I want more of these movies in the vein of "Napoleon Dynamite", Juno" and "Little Miss Sunshine". These are truly original films and they deserve some recognition. For once I did not feel exploited or patronised. A lovely cinematographic offering with a twinkle in its eyes.

Juno's character is a winning combination of quirkiness and sharp cynicism beyond her years. The added vulnerability and surge of emotions brought an extra dimension to her character, making her quite a "normal" teen. I loved the scene where she dances with Jason Bateman's character. There is something comfortable, almost beautiful about it and yet hard to watch. It took me back to my teenage years in an instant. On the threshold of adulthood and yet so child-like at the same time; the weird combination of sexual awakening coupled with a desire for emotional comfort and security - all encompassed in one tiny scene of cinematographic lightness.

There was a refreshing honesty about Juno, an acknowledgement of her own failings but a desire to overcome them. She is a heroine to be proud of: darkly humorous, clever and sharp but also generous, kind and loving. Strong and resilient yet with an appealing vulnerability and an all-too-human emotional depth. A teenager unlike her peers perhaps and yet so like them. Someone who does not fit in and pretends not to want to and yet does care immensely. She is vulnerable but not weak, fragile without being brittle. Funny and quirky without becoming a parody of herself. Self deprecating and intelligent without becoming dry and barren of emotions.

I really loved this movie. Poetic, moving and yet achingly funny. To me the kind of "realism" we could all do with. I loved its freshness and its breath of fresh air left me smiling. Bitter-sweet at its best. I want more!

Pamplemousse 19 Feb 2008

Ellen Page's nomination for Best Actress is certainly deserved. However, Juno's nominations for Best Picture and Best Screenplay are less explicable (Best Screenplay in particular!). The dialogue is among the most over-written, clever-clever, flippant nonsense I've seen since the last time Kevin Smith made a relevant film (so that's a long time). It's the kind of joylessly witty dialogue George Lucas would write if he was 15 and did comedy (you can type that s**t, but you can't say it). That's a shame because the fundamental story is pretty good, Michael Cera and Jennifer Garner are great, and there are hints of genuine power in the story-writing.

But they're always overrun by sub-Napoleon Dynamite, sub-Rushmore art design, a disgustingly twee soundtrack (The Moldy Peaches and Belle and Sebastian, as good as they are, do not belong in the cinema), and worst of all, that terrible, terrible dialogue.

Mike 8 Feb 2008