Customer Reviews

Juno

5 star:		(192)
4 star:		(95)
3 star:		(41)
2 star:		(23)
1 star:		(36)

 

 

Teenage pregnancy is frequently a starting point for myriad philosophical arguments: some see it as a major problem, some see it as an argument for the need of early teaching of contraceptive technique and sex education, some see it as a reason for championing abortion, and some see it as a piece of life that confronts families in both positive and negative ways. JUNO is a beautifully written (Diablo Cody) and directed (Jason Reitman) version of unplanned pregnancy offered by a splendid ensemble cast: it is a movie that could modify the sociologic outlook of many people in a very strong fashion.

Juno (Ellen Page) is sixteen and talks her best friend Bleek (Michael Cera) into having sex: the result is a surprise pregnancy that Juno shares with her girlfriend Leah (Olivia Thirley) and the store clerk Rollo (Rainn Wilson) even before informing Bleek, a likable kid who seems fairly flat about the situation. After discarding abortion as a viable solution, Juno informs her father (JK Simmons) and stepmother (Allison Janney) of her status, and tells them she is going to complete the pregnancy and give the baby to some loving and needy barren couple. Her parents are at first flustered by the news, but quickly become supportive in a way that tells us many things about the durability of successful families. With Leah's help, Juno answers an ad for 'wanted: baby' in PennySaver and visits the Lorings (Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman) who desperately want a child and embrace Juno's gesture of adoption with eager excitement. The remainder of the film follows Juno as her abdomen increases in girth, finding new respect for her parents and for Bleek, and inadvertently walking in the troubled waters of the Loring's marital discord. Without giving the story away, the ending is so tender and free of cliché that it allows us, the audience, to appreciate all the vigor and sensitivity and humor and warmth of Juno - an example of developing maturity that is a fresh breeze compared to the usual teenage movies.

Ellen Page does indeed deliver a pitch perfect performance, but her co-stars are equally fine: Simmons and Janney break away from their usual type cast roles brilliantly, and the other members of the cast (the entire cast) flesh out this well written story with great skill. The mixture of animated graphics and the imaginative musical score enhance the flavor of the tale. JUNO offers an unbiased look at the topic of teenage pregnancy and wins on every level. Grady Harp, April 08

Juno was Little Miss Sunshine of 2007 - the little independent film that could. Once the studio realized that it had a successful crowd-pleaser on its hands, the film was promoted from the art-house circuit to the multiplexes. Actress Ellen Page and first-time screenwriter Diablo Cody became the film's breakout stars garnering the lion's share of critical raves and awards with Page getting an Independent Spirit Award and Cody an Academy Award. Now that all of the dust has settled, Juno can be reassessed to see if it really has the staying power and substance to cut through all of the hype and stand-up to the inevitable backlash.

There is an audio commentary by director Jason Reitman and screenwriter Diablo Cody. The first thing that you notice when listening to Cody talking is how well Ellen Page mimicked her way of speaking. Reitman tends to dominate the track and, not surprisingly, talks about filmmaking aspects like the casting of minor roles, the attention to details for the sets, how he shot certain scenes, and so on. This is pretty decent track filled with lots of anecdotal stories and production details.

Also included are 11 deleted scenes with optional commentary by Reitman and Cody. We meet Juno's crazy next-door neighbour. There's also a different introduction to Juno's family. We see Mark and Vanessa's first attempt to adopt. There's also an amusing bit where Juno has a solo gig and sings a song about getting pregnant. These are all good scenes and Reitman explains why there were cut.

There is the obligatory "Gag Reel," a hilarious collection of blown lines and goofs with Bateman making Page break character time and time again.

The "Gag Take" is an odd scene where Rainn Wilson and Reitman get into it with a mock heated argument.

"Cast and Crew Jam" features the cast and crew members rockin' out to a song in this mock music video.

There are "Screen Tests" for Ellen Page and Michael Cera. In the scene they do together you already see them in character and displaying excellent chemistry. There is also a test with Page and Olivia Thirlby and one with Page and J.K. Simmons as well.

"Way Beyond `Our' Maturity Level" takes a look at the characters of Bleeker, Juno and her best friend Leah with interviews with the actors that inhabit them. Diablo Cody talks about how they are based on people in her life.

"Diablo Cody is Totally Boss" is a profile of this novice screenwriter who got her start writing a blog and got noticed by a film producer. Reitman recalls his initial impressions of the script and the cast gush about its "unique voice."

"Jason Reitman for Shizz" takes a look at the director. The producers gush about how he was the right fit for the material. He talks about establishing the right tone and how he shared the same vision for the film as Cody.

"Honest to Blog!: Creating Juno" features Cody and Reitman talking about how the film came together. She credits her stylized dialogue to spending lots of time on the Internet. Cody also talks about how she came up with the idea for the story. They talk about specific scenes and her knack for depicting an unconventional family.

It means the bonus disc includes a digital copy of the film that can be automatically downloaded to a laptop or iPod. Seems obvious after you know it, huh? The second disc also includes some extra bonus features not on the single-disc DVD -- four featurettes titled "Way Beyond 'Our' Maturity Level: Juno - Leah - Bleeker," "Diablo Cody Is Totally Boss," "Jason Reitman For Shizz" and "Honest To Blog! Creating Juno."

Have you ever known someone who put a tremendous amount of effort into being cool? They played guitar 'cause it was cool, were obsessed with classic rock even though they were born after Boy George was popular 'cause that's cool, say quippy little remarks and not care about anything because they are so cool, can rattle off obscure horror film directors, hang in living room furniture on the front lawn, have wacky bedroom decor and accessories like a food-shaped utilities cause they are so cool? If those people bug you, then like me, you will not enjoy this film. I get that sixteen-year-olds thought this film was really awesome. I think it is kind of pathetic that people who have gone to their ten-year high school reunions thought this was a really good film. It tried so hard to be cool it actually hurt to watch. This movie simply will not stand the test of time.

Juno a teen who becomes pregnant by her friend and decides to give up the baby for adoption to a lovely couple or does she change her mind. I reccomend all teens to see this, not to get the idea to just go out and have sex to so call (get a baby) but let the teen see what Juno has to go through on her own being pregnant without the baby's father having anything to do with her or the child. It happens all the time in the world we live in. Being puzzled about how it was going to end....Well I wont give the ending away you just need to view it for yourself. This movie is a serious subject, but has humor by Juno. I was happy to have purchased this myself. Ellen Page (Juno) a rising actress. Through friendship and pregnancy, there is a bond of LOVE forever.

I watched this movie with a constant "quizzical" expression on my face. It made light of teenge pregnancy so much so that I would never recommend it for anyone under the age of 18. Juno gets pregnant by her friend. She continues to refer to her unborn baby as "the thing" and shows no emotional attatchment to it whatsoever, makes the choice of giving "the thing" up for adoption without hesitation. The only sincere emotion her character shows are brief tears shortly after giving birth in the hospital. The movie ends with Juno riding her bike over to her friends (baby daddy) house so they can both sit on the front stoop playing guitar and singing a happy song together. Hmmmm. Realistic? Hardly. No post-partum depression, no agonizing over guilt, no emotions whatsoever that most females show during pregnancy or adoption. I hope teenage girls do not get the impression that adoption is so easy, as displayed by this character and her family. Although this movie had some funny parts, I just cant get over how little reality it displayed.

This movie depressed me, for the most unexpected reason: The critic-intelligensia and their corresponding tweeds gushed unanimous praise onto this movie, and I expect so much better from the mass of them. The only negative reviews I could find of this film (and I was desperate to find them, to validate my dismay) were of the sadly jocular kind found here that might anyway discount the whole range of serious cinema that aspires past instant gratification. The great irony of Juno is that it actually comes from that place, of pathological self-absorption and intoxication, when it is so easily mistaken for a drama with insightful truths. There is no truth in Juno, starting with the billboard-sized dialogue penned by its hyped-up screenwriter Diablo Cody. Who could have imagined that the very critical mass who would properly picket "adult entertainment" clubs, became so enamored of Mistress Cody's prior career as a stripper? She has publicly boasted of the experience, and her career is unrepentantly built on it. (Her "big break" was her creation of a sex blog called The Pussy Ranch.) This purports to add chic quirk to her universe, when the truth behind the pole is that nothing but tackiness and creep go along with it. Certainly, what it does not bespeak is an understanding of reality.

And that's the whole problem with Juno, from its ridiculous dialogue to its defiant gloss over teenage pregnancy -- an event that, in real life, imposes epic emotions and consequences without exception, excepting this one big-Hollywood financed faux-independent film. Juno is as sophisticated as a strip club wafting the scents of Budweiser and Marlboro, or in another sense, as accessibly fake as a visit to Urban Outfitters. It is once again terribly revealing that another year went by, and the Oscar went to Juno in such a vital category as Original Screenplay. Naturally.

Film focus groups, an abomination, have been around a long time. This is where creative integrity is swapped out for box office bank-ability, assuming there was any there to begin with. Various different endings and permutations of all types are tried out on a small handful of people in the dark. Then, movies are trimmed and tailored to suit their tastes. (Originality stands little chance.) Well, apparently there are now Sundance focus groups. How else could one explain the popularity of Juno, a movie whose sole purpose in life seems to be pleasing the smug, self-consciously hip judges at that increasingly less independent film festival.

In this case affixing blame is easy, it belongs in its entirety to Diablo Cody who wrote the screenplay. In the history of film has there ever been a character as improbable as Juno MacGuff? Has there ever been a story more stupid, or confused about what it wants to say? Juno begins as a surly, edgy, dark outcast and ends up just shy of the yearbook committee. Her glib, sarcastic persona must have seemed delicious to those cool cats at Sundance, but the way adults buy into her dismissive attitude is preposterous. Only the ultrasound technician, (Kaaren de Ziva), speaks to her and her ilk as they should be addressed, irresponsible and vulgar children. The inevitable 3rd act reconciliations, emotional growth spurts, and newfound harmonies are beyond hokey and facile, and as for Paulie, the boyfriend she now loves, I have encountered loaves of Wonderbread with more personality. We are supposed to buy that she has anything in common with him?

Director Jason Reitman and a wonderful cast are to be heartily congratulated for transforming this three-legged duckbilled platypus into something resembling a movie. Ellen Page really is remarkable as Juno; she takes a character more ludicrous than Batman and makes her seem real. Allison Janney and J.K. Simmons, two reliable veterans, are extremely good as mom and dad. Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman are just acceptable as the prospective adopters. I don't know if Michael Cera, Paulie, is good or not. If he was intended to be completely vapid, uninteresting, and unattractive, then perhaps he's good.

If you have any doubts about how bad this movie actually is, watch Little Miss Sunshine again. Both films want to hit the same marks, Sunshine hits them, Juno self-consciously attempts to hit them. It's like watching a couple dance; except they're following the footprints in an Arthur Murray Dance Studio. Speaking of which, beware of the score featuring songs by Kimya Dawson. Never has so much precious, pretentious, cutesy-poo teenage angst been packed into such a short amount of time - unbearable.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I watched this on HBO, not the DVD. I can't believe this film was up for four Oscars (including Best Picture?!?!? must've been an off-year), and won for Best Original Screenplay. I don't know any teenagers that talk like this. But what completely did in the film for me was the parents' completely unrealistic reaction to their daughter breaking the news of her pregnancy to them. THey were pretty much cool with the whole thing, with dry, witty comments - no raised voices?!?! I've known people in this situation, where parents and family members FLIPPED OUT completely when they got the news, almost without exception. I saw virtually no evidence that the family was SO tight they'd be ok with something like this. There was virtually no conflict in much of this movie. The subject of teen pregnancy, for the most part, is treated as a minor speedbump in the high school experience. Almost NO complications, not a whole lot of complaints about physical ailments/changes/etc that come with pregnancy?!?! (oh, right, she pees a lot). Almost no one, from the kids to the adults, seems to get the gravity of the situation (not one word about it jeopardizing college/futures?), at least not in convincing fashion, till the baby is crowning. Some of the acting is good, but i think it's the writing that's thin here (in addition to the completely subpar, hipper-than-thou, off-key soundtrack full of some of the worst indie-rock i've ever heard, and endless hipster references). they must've ate this up at Sundance. Jason Reitman is a very promising and capable young director who did much better work with much better material in "THank You for Smoking", IMO. I can't believe this picture was up for that many awards -WOW.

but not me.
Ellen Page was reasonably good but a basically one note quirky character, with the most ridiculous unbelievable words coming out of her 16 yr old mouth, though granted, I would rather have heard more of those strange phrases instead of the inevitable " totally" and "like" that she and her blonde friend used way too much throughout. From wacky to banal, it seemed way too forced.Juno's robotic quirkiness ( and I mean the character not the actress) continued pretty much throughout the movie ( except for below mentioned van scene).
I did like Jennifer Garner, she conveyed desperation and longing that was very sweet and real. But I found it completely impossible to connect or believe in any of the other characters or the story line, starting with the 1st scene where Juno is on the lawn looking at the recliner chair. Later, her friend has to help her move the chair to Juno's van, but then somehow Juno was able to pull the chair out of the van and set it up by her little self on the boyfriend's lawn along with the rug and living room accessories ( not to mention the pipe? Uh.. why?). Why did she do that? How did she do that by herself? Just an example of oh-so-lets be quirky but just not engaging.
And wait! for a supposedly smart girl who took health classes ( she refers to the health class) , it was not believable that she would not have used condoms or foam or some kind of protection. It did not fit with the smart ( although unbelievable) worldliness of the character. It wasn't as if there was an unstoppable heat of passion and she lost her head... it was clear that she was the instigator ( which I am not against, but it just was not believable)
And the unfortunate music chosen... I ended up muting whenever any of the music came on.
The movie did pick up when Juno had the emotional breakdown in the van, there was finally a human being being portrayed instead of a snappy dialogue spewing actress pretending to be a teenager.
Oh and PS the pregnancy prosthetics were the worst. It looked like she had pillows tucked and falling...
OK I gave 2 stars because the last few scenes were pretty good. Or maybe they seemed good because I knew the movie was almost over.