Juno (2007) User Reviews

Thundercats are go?

[pauljcurley · 7/10 · 28 February 2009]

This could have been a very, very good film. I enjoyed the basic plot - a quirky, tomboy-ish 16 year old discovers she's pregnant, decides to give the baby up for adoption to the "perfect couple" but finds that the perfect couple isn't so perfect - and maybe no relationship ever is.

There were also some great moments, and great lines. I like when Juno tells the baby's quirky father, Bleeker (played by Michael Cera) that he is the coolest person she knows, without even trying. And he responds that, actually, he is trying really hard (to be cool).

I guess that gets me to the problem with the movie- it's trying waaaaay too hard to be cool (by being quirky - yes I have used this word 3 times already, intentionally). In the beginning, a store clerk sees that Juno's pregnancy test is positive, and he says: "that's one diddle that can't be undone, home-skillet". I cringed. As others have mentioned, Juno has an "ironic" hamburger phone, wears "ironic" t-shirts featuring 70's era toys (Slinky), wears Converse sneakers, and can't seem to have a conversation without making pop-culture references no matter what is going on - even when her water breaks and she is headed to the hospital, she has the detached sense of irony to make a reference to a mid-80's cartoon, yelling: "Thundercats are go!" I cringed again. I get it - Juno is a hip, snarky, ironic, tough, cool-because-she-trying-not-to-be-cool chick. But she becomes a cartoon, a warped caricature of an actual quirky kid. I could not accept Juno as "real" and was painfully aware that I was watching a movie.

And that is my ONLY problem with the film. The other characters and their stories are amazing - particularly the adoptive couple, and the difficulties they are facing. The best parts of the movie are those few moments when Juno gets her uber-ironic self off the screen, and we get to enjoy the other, more realistic, characters.

Would have given this a 8.5, if not for the cartoonish-ness of the Juno character. Thundercats are not go.

Complex...

[planktonrules · 9/10 · 23 October 2009]

When I first heard about this little film I wasn't particularly interested. Being a high school teacher, I wasn't impressed with the idea of seeing a movie concerning a teenage mother. Believe me, I know enough of them already! However, on a lark, I decided to finally watch the film--almost two years after it debuted. And, in hindsight, I should have just gone and seen the film when it came out, as unlike my ASSUMPTION, it was not really a glorification of teen pregnancy but a very complex film--a film with a lot of different messages and possible interpretations. This is definitely NOT a by-the-numbers (formulaic) film--there is a lot that is original and new. And, if you were worried that the film would be pro-teen pregnancy or abortion or whatever and it might offend you, don't think that way....the film is great for anyone, conservative or liberal alike. And, it might just be an excellent film for you to see with your teens. Excellent, simple and very effective.

I could say a lot more about the film, but considering the huge number of reviews already and the film came out some time back, I'll be brief and stop here.

Every good thing you've heard and more

[Sandcooler · 9/10 · 20 September 2011]

"Juno" is an incredibly cute movie, and for once I don't even mean that in a patronising sense. If the movie universe was some sort of gigantic petting zoo, "Juno" would be the adorable little lamb standing in the corner making the jealous other lambs look like death incarnate. It's not a sugary sweet tale by any means, in fact it's a real down to earth kind of story that's not always pretty, but the approach to it couldn't be more right. It's humble, it's little, it's low-budget, and that's exactly what makes it so great. What I also liked about it, hell what I like about a lot of independent movies, is that it's never predictable. There is no formula, you don't know what's coming, you don't sit there quietly ticking of all the clichés: you just enjoy yourself tremendously. Finally, one last addition to the heap of praise and I swear I'll stop: it's been ages since I've seen an ending scene this beautiful. It's exactly the way you want it to be, and the camera zooming out at a barely noticeable speed is a brilliant touch. I quite liked "Juno".

This movie has stayed with me

[brino7 · 9/10 · 28 November 2007]

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.

Too Clever by Half

[cjdimdb · 6/10 · 25 December 2007]

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.

from the art house to the megaplex

[Buddy-51 · 8/10 · 9 January 2008]

The thing that separates "Juno" from so many other films about teen pregnancy is that, in this case, the 16-year-old who finds herself in that predicament refuses to become a victim of her circumstances. From the moment she confirms the unwelcome news, Juno studies her options - abortion, raising the child as a single teen parent, adoption - then takes matters into her own hands. Like the Roman goddess who is her namesake, Juno is a bright, often sharp-tongued individual who prides herself on her observant cynicism and her way with a sarcastic quip. However, she's not above appealing to the adults in her life when the problems of the world get to be too much for her (though, in some cases, the grownups are coping with more serious issues than she is). Yet, Juno makes certain that it is she and she alone who will have the final say when it comes to determining the course of her own future and that of her child.

"Juno" is that rare low-budget, independent feature that finds unexpected success in the mainstream by striking a chord of recognition in audiences across the demographic spectrum. First-time screenwriter Diablo Cody hits pay dirt with a clear-eyed, largely unsentimental script that is not afraid to go off in unexpected and interesting directions and that avoids patronizing its Middle American characters. Juno's father and stepmother manage to take the news in stride, while the yuppie couple Juno alights on to be the child's adoptive parents are given a depth and complexity far beyond what a lesser writer might have afforded them. Director Jason Reitman keeps the quirkiness to a minimum and allows the scenes to play out in a naturalistic, unhurried way. Confident in the strength and appeal of his material, he lets the gentle human comedy speak for itself.

In a star-making turn, young Ellen Page takes a daring approach to her character, often bringing Juno right to the brink of un-likability, then pulling back at just the crucial moment, making us see how utterly likable she truly is. As the child's father, Michael Cera is virtually the same lovably passive nerd we found so endearing in "Superbad," while J.K. Simmons and especially Allison Janney give rich shadings to Juno's supportive parents. Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner also make their mark as the couple who post their picture in the "baby wanted" section of the local throwaway.

"Juno" faces the downside of any independent film that unexpectedly finds itself ripped from the confines of the art houses and suddenly duking it out at the multiplexes with all those high-budget, high-octane, testosterone-laden blockbusters - namely the risk of over-inflated expectations. Thus, my advice is to look beyond all the hype and box office records and simply let "Juno" sneak up on and take a hold of you in its own quiet, inimitable fashion. I think it works best that way.

Tries too hard to be relevant.

[YoSafBridge · 6/10 · 13 February 2008]

Juno is the kind of fun, refreshing story that is extremely good the first time you see it and for about a year or so after.

That said, it will never stand the test of time. The movie tries so hard to be relevant to today's youth that in 5 years it won't be funny anymore. The teenage pregnancy storyline will still have impact, but no one will laugh as they watch it.

The majority of this is the fault of Diablo Cody, who tries far too hard to inject teenage dialogue that is indeed embarrassing to any normal self-respecting teenager. By trying to appeal to the teenage population she instead alienated many by portraying our age group as snarky and witty and using "hip" language ("Home-skillet") that just made me and my friends (ranging in age from 16-18) groan out loud.

The movie also contains many obscure, unneeded references that seem to be added in just so Cody can showcase how cultured she is.

Although the film does have some priceless lines that kept me laughing throughout ("I'm already pregnant, what other shenanigans can I get into") every few minutes Cody throws in another forced line that takes me out of the film. One minute I'd be immersed in the story of Juno McGuff and all of a sudden she'd transform into Ellen Page struggling to get through a particularly cheesy line (It's Morgan Freeman).

I don't blame the actors for this, they are doing their best to get through the lines they are forced to spew and they do well with it.

The movie would have received a much higher score had Cody just left her holier-then-thou attitude at home and written something with substance instead of parading her ideals, butchering the way teenagers talk and promoting her favourite movies and songs every few minutes.

Review of Juno

[behrlich39 · 10/10 · 3 December 2013]

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.

Sorry to say...overrated.

[sirkevinho1 · 6/10 · 19 May 2008]

It was different and refreshing when I first watched it. If I wrote a review the very moment I saw the film, I would have given it a 9 out of 10. Now, after almost half a year, the feeling has passed and I feel the film is very overrated.

Ellen Page does give a very good performance. It can be seen she cares about the role and she gives the role all her energy and devotion. Yet...is her performance Oscar worthy? That is up for debate. Like the film, her performance is good but forgettable.

The rest of the cast is solid. Jennifer Garner does her job rather well, and is there a more awkward kid than Michael Cera? He is born to play Bleeker. Nevertheless, Diablo Cody does not deserve her Oscar. Truthfully, her writing is shallow and empty. There are more deserving candidates.

"Juno" is good, but empty. There is no deep or life-changing message within the film, and this film is just like the language within the film and the western culture: a fad. After the initial awe and surprise pass, it will not stand the test of time and will not be remembered.

I would recommend Waitress, because it has more "heart", or Knocked Up, because it is more funny. Juno is somewhere in between, and quite frankly, it remains there. It takes the quality of both films, but it does not exceed or stand out from either films.

6/10

A Great Beginning to the Rest of Your Life

[kimehh · 10/10 · 1 December 2007]

Juno ID# 1677

I saw this movie at a special screening at UCLA, just as a last resort for something to do on a free Thursday night. I'm so glad I went, because it was amazing! I had no idea what the movie was about; I only knew Michael Cera (Superbad, Arrested Development) was in it, which was enough incentive for me to go.

I walked out literally skipping alongside my best friend, both humming to the tune of the great original songs from the movie. The theme of love existing in so many forms where you least expect to find it just lifted me right out of my doldrums, and made me look at life again from a different perspective. There's just too much to love about life, so many places you'll find it, and the only way to do it is just to live. Juno shows you reality, but it highlights the tiny details about love and life that you might start missing or forgetting about.

Excuse me for sounding so corny, but that's exactly what this movie did for me. To put it easily, it's a "feel-good" movie that leaves you FEELing GOOD. If you're down or just in the mood to be lifted up even higher, I recommend this movie for you.

Enjoy it :) and remember, love is always worth it.

Not Something To Really Laugh At

[alexkolokotronis · 6/10 · 3 February 2009]

Juno was a good movie at the most but certainly not anything close to a great movie. This movie tries too hard to be witty and cute when in reality it comes off as annoying and unrealistic. For example: If your teenage daughter gets pregnant I doubt you will start cracking jokes about it especially 2 minutes after you hear it. There were a few nice aspects of the film.

The acting of Ellen Page was pretty good and a had a nice warm feeling surrounding her. There was also Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner who came off as the only realistic characters in the film as a married couple about to adopt Juno's soon to be born baby. The rest of the characters (partly because of the writing and acting) in the film who were supposed to be quirky and unusual were just too laid back at the situation at hand. This movie plays itself off a realistic to a tone of that of Little Miss Sunshine yet the characters come off as corny and unaware of the delicate situation that is the central theme of this film.

Despite many of these flaws I do not think there was much of an area the film could have been improved upon. The film's idea was a bit too ambitious in trying to make a comedy out of a teen pregnancy in the way it was. This film has been often compared to Little Miss Sunshine yet there is a reason for why that movie is considered original. Of course it is because of the balance it was able to create between comedy and a realistic drama. Juno tried to do this as well but failed to accomplish simply because the idea of the film simply isn't that funny, at least not in the way this film presented it.

FilmCreature Reviews 'Juno'

[FilmCreature · 10/10 · 31 December 2007]

Juno MacGuff is a sarcastic, cynical, tomboyish teen played by Ellen Page in a fantastic, perfectly tuned performance. After sort-of-spontaneous (but not really) sex with her best friend, Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera of 'Superbad'), Juno receives an unwanted package--a pregnancy. Woops.

Juno decides to give her baby to an affluent couple, Mark and Vanessa Loring (Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner). All seems well at first, but it will be a bumpy road until birth.

I can spend hours gushing about how terrific a movie 'Juno' is, but I'm not really the greatest writer on the planet, so I'll just express the fact that 'Juno' has a strange effect on you. After seeing it, I almost felt as if I would walk out of the theater and see Juno MacGuff just standing there, as if she were a regular living, breathing teenager. That's how good Page is. In fact, every single performance in the film is absolutely tremendous. I liked how Allison Janney's stepmom character isn't turned into a whiny she-demon like most formula stepmoms, instead, she's far more friendlier (if a little unsure of Juno's odd ways) than we would ever expect. And J.K. Simmons finally gets a role where he isn't a total jerk; instead, he's a sensitive father who truly cares for his wacky daughter.

The soundtrack is awesome, I'll be buying it as soon as possible. The wait for the DVD will be truly agonizing, but worth it in the end. We can see the chain reactions here when a group of truly ambitious individuals (such as Jason Reitman, Diablo Cody, and Ellen Page) get together and make a movie such as this. I don't think I've ever seen anything like it.

I give 'Juno' my highest recommendation possible.

Sweeeeet, man. 4/4

Overdone, overbaked writing

[aboyad · 7/10 · 21 April 2008]

I liked Juno, I really, really did, swear to blog I did! But when a 16 year old mentions Soupy Sales (yes, she did), the believability meter drops to sub-zero. As awesome as Ellen Page is, I never felt it was her talking. It seems like we are listening to the screenwriter 100 percent of the time.

Sure, it's witty, funny, and sharp....but everything is so densely packed, that we feel like Diablo Cody was frightened into thinking this would be her only time to say EVERYTHING she feels about EVERYTHING. A lot of it was just too much. A little too anxious, a little too much. We get it, we get it, don't hit us over the head with everything.

I was really disappointed.

Despite the massive popular success that Juno has deservedly received, it is still a small film with a big message at heart.

[stefanbe · 10/10 · 14 May 2008]

While the teen comedy genre has been littered with the fine works of directors like John Hughes and Paul Weitz, most entries are poorly written and acted affairs that fail to capture the world of teenagers. With Juno, director Jason Reitman and screenwriter Diablo Cody have managed to create a realistic portrayal of teenage life without being dreary or overly artsy. The intent of Juno is to tell the story of a sixteen-year-old girl who deals with a responsibility "way beyond her maturity level" and the people around her who care. The filmmakers succeed in not only creating the most realistic teenage comedy ever produced, but also in bringing characters who the audience trusts and knows. Juno is down-to-earth and grounded in reality, never over-the-top and intelligent enough to not rely on cheap gags to gain laughs. The naturalist feel of the actor's performances also gives the film a sense of being there with the characters as they charm the audience with their whimsy. Juno is bold and smart and is always entertaining and comfortable.

Juno McGuff (Ellen Page) has found out she is pregnant with the child of her on-again, off-again boyfriend Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera). After choosing against aborting the infant, she chooses to give it to a young couple, Mark and Vanessa Loring (Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner). That's a gist of it, but what makes the simple plot so winning is the material provided to the ensemble cast, who works with some of the freshest dialogue ever afforded to a teenage film since Alexander Payne's Election. Diablo Cody does not rely on the quirky to make her screenplay succeed, because the characters feel so real and while the dialogue to some may seem odd, it is able to realistically show the vocabulary that teenagers speak every day to their peers. The subtlety of Jason Reitman's direction adds to the scope of reality by not over-doing it and allowing the characters to speak for themselves. Reitman is intelligent to not let the environment take over and he commands control of the production. Even the clothes worn by Juno and her friends reflect themselves. Juno's baggy trousers and loose clothings represent her independent and free mind as well as the gap between child and adult-hood. Paulie's running uniform signifies his attempts at running free like Juno, while Leah (Olivia Thirlby), Juno's best friend, tends more towards Uggs and other commercial clothes, showing how she attempts to blend in with the crowd rather than be herself. Even Mark Loring starts to evolve into more juvenile clothes as he gets closer to Juno. It is this attention to detail that makes Reitman's direction succeed with ease.

The performances from the ensemble all serve as excellent portraits of Diablo Cody's characters, managing to bring the right amount of warmth to each part. Ellen Page is the stand-out, shining in every scene and showing that there is a little bit of Juno in all of us. She has spunk, heart and plenty of humour making her one of the best written and acted young female roles to ever grace the screen. The chemistry with Michael Cera adds even more to the power of the character. Michael Cera is known mostly for playing meek, awkward characters, but in Juno, he goes even beyond his role as George Michael Bluth on the comedic masterwork Arrested Development. Cera plays Paulie with both strength and courage, making him a great companion for Juno and a scene where he confronts her is pure genius on the part of both Cera and Cody. Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman are equally as good, helping in making their character's conflicts and differences un-forced. As Mark evolved throughout the film, so does Bateman who develops the character in key with Cody's writing.

The only aspect of the film where Reitman and Cody depart from reality is actually a smart choice. Nowhere in the film is a character shown talking on a cellular telephone, the opposite of today's world where every single teenager appears to be talking into their hand. The absence of such a device expands on the theme of innocence that Juno displays. In an age where teenagers are trying to grow up too quickly, Juno is given the ultimate test of female adulthood by carrying an un-born child in her pouch. In yielding this responsibility and promising to give it to a loving couple, she grows as a character into realising that she is still a child herself and decides to wait a while before she grows up. The touching and poignant final scene, a guitar duet between Juno and Paulie, shows that she needs to hold onto her youth just a little longer before it disappears like track runners rushing to the finish line. Despite the massive popular success that Juno has deservedly received, it is still a small film with a big message at heart.

I do try hard to be cool

[Grant_Price · 7/10 · 21 January 2008]

OK, get this. Juno was written by a lady called Diablo Cody. How cool is that? That's got to be one of the coolest names of all time (after Max Power of course.) It's a shame she didn't channel her coolness into the film's script, which, though charming and fuzzy and consistent, doesn't exactly go for the jugular. Juno tells the story of a sixteen year old girl named Juno MacGuff, played by the breathtakingly beautiful and rather talented Ellen Page, who finds herself pregnant after enjoying spontaneous sex with her best friend. Her eventual course of action is to put the baby up for adoption and soon finds the seemingly perfect couple, Vanessa and Mark Loring (Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman, respectively.) However, and this came as a total shock, things don't all go to plan and Juno finds herself reassessing the situation and her life in general. Now, everybody knows that this type of film (Zach Braff's Garden State also instantly springs to mind) involves a dramatic event prompting the protagonist to meander their way through the film and eventually learn a valuable life lesson, all the while accompanied by an indie-based soundtrack. That is not important. What IS important are the things occurring around the story and for the most part Juno gets it right. The majority of the characters are quirky and funny, the highlights being the eponymous heroine and Bleeker (Michael Cera), the guy responsible for getting Juno in the pudding club, so to speak. Their actions and dialogue may not elicit spasmodic fits of laughter but they are responsible for placing the smile on your face which remains from beginning to end. Plus, I found myself actually caring about Juno's plight. Director Jason Reitman does not shy away from the subject matter (good job too, because he'd have little else to work with) and avoids making the mistake of asserting that teenage pregnancy is funny. The jokes are made parallel to the pregnancy, not at the expense of it. For example, at one point Juno is visiting the prospective adopting couple, staying a while when Vanessa suggests that she should be returning home on account of her parents worrying about her, to which Juno replies: "Nah... I mean, I'm already pregnant, so what other kind of shenanigans could I get into?" It's sentences like that that make Juno a worthwhile film experience.

However, there were a few elements which, though inoffensive enough on their own, when combined over the 96 minute running time annoyed the hell out of me. Why do independent productions always have to have title credits that look like they were designed by somebody who failed to gain entry into art school (Hitler, for example)? And always with the Red House Painters guitar pop played over the top. It doesn't look or sound good. The music all the way through was pretty bad actually, especially the frequent name-dropping conversations between Juno and Mark to firstly show how much of a cool guy Mark is and secondly to show just how damn quirky Juno really is. Mentioning Sonic Youth and/or the late seventies punk movement will never earn you any esteem. Also, the burger phone was irksome. It isn't enough that it appears several times; it has to get a mention too, as though we haven't noticed it. "Oh, sorry I'm on my burger phone, it doesn't work very well." Yes, great. We can see you have a phone shaped like a quarter-pounder, NEXT.

Although Juno does try its hardest to feed the audience a novelty communication device, it is one of those films people should watch now and again to confirm that they are not indeed emotionally dead but are actually still able to remember what happiness, however faint, feels like. Ellen Page seems like a lady who would be cool just to hang out with, the dialogue is intelligent and snappy, a Gibson Les Paul makes a welcome appearance and, of course, the ending is the equivalent to swallowing a tablespoon of sugar while swimming in a bath of syrup. You cannot go wrong.

Smart, funny, and many positive messages

[gbill-74877 · 8/10 · 27 May 2016]

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.

If only I were as cool...

[frankenbenz · 6/10 · 24 January 2008]

Ever wish you could say the perfect thing every moment of your life? Screenwriter Cody Diablo pens a world where your wish is her characters command. After the first viewing, I was sold...after a few more viewings I'd rather have my ears stabbed by Celine Dion than sit through this hipfest again. Not only is the dialog painfully clever, most of the wall-to-frikkin-wall soundtrack is adolescent hipster pop-rock garbage. Remember the band Cub? If you're as haunted by their cloyingly amateurish Shonen Knife-ness as I was, then you'll loathe listening to the preenie angst chimed throughout Juno. A shame since great bands like B&S have songs cutting into the over abundance of squeaky juvenilia. Best Picture nomination? Hard to believe THIS was chosen over Superbad, let alone a film like The Assassination of Jesse James. I really do hate watching films that feel like a window into the screenwriter's slave-like devotion to cool.

Juno has to be taken lightly and if done,its just awesome!

[bharath-karthikeyan · 8/10 · 22 May 2011]

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 :)

Don't get caught up in the hype and you may be able to enjoy it.

[MovieAddict2016 · 6/10 · 16 April 2008]

I'm not one of those high-and-mighty indie kids who scoffs at any film or artist as soon as they reach mainstream success (see: Andrew Bird, Animal Collective, Feist, Cat Power, The Strokes for recent examples). I *do* get annoyed, however, when people follow trends they aren't really a part of. You know, like the teenagers who walk around wearing Che Guevara t-shirts talking about how great Bob Marley is? It's all social pop culture rubbish that irritates me on many levels.

So I flinched when Juno (Ellen Page) says her heroes are Patti Smith and Iggy Pop and the Stooges in this film. Is Iggy Pop awesome? Of course. Is "Raw Power" a great album? Yes. Do fans of The Stooges refer to the band as "Iggy and the Stooges" and leave out "Fun House" when praising them? No. "Raw Power" is the album people often associate with Iggy and the Stooges because it had the most success out of their three albums (I'm not counting "The Weirdness") and is often considered the best, so it's the obvious empty choice someone who is unfamiliar with their actual work would choose to define them; but a *real* self-respecting Stooges fan would know better, and they wouldn't refer to that band as Iggy Pop. And don't get me started on the Patti Smith reference.

Or the Sonic Youth stuff.

"Juno" plays like a film made by people who are jumping on a trend and attempting to popularize it. Wes Anderson already did this but he knew what he was doing and didn't market his films that way, and they've been thriving as far back as a decade now in indie cult status without 45-year-old soccer moms rushing out to stores to buy the "Rushmore" soundtracks. I can still listen to the Kinks without feeling like I've bought into some kind of marketing fad. But "Juno" has done a lot to make me feel guilty about driving around blaring "Raw Power" these days.

Is that my own problem? Certainly. But that smug, cutesy "fakeness" that permeates this entire film is the reason I don't think it's worthy of half the acclaim it's garnered.

Maybe I'm too cynical. But what I see happening here is the following: the film is popularizing a social trend that, by its very definition, is anti-mainstream. Sonic Youth and other indie music began two decades ago and "Juno" is giving a thrill to Wal-Mart shoppers who are suddenly hearing all this "different" music (like the Moldy Peaches) that they never knew existed before. And they're fascinated by it. Moldy Peaches shot to the top of the digital charts after "Juno" came out (Kimya Dawson's MySpace has taken a sudden revamp) and my local record store sold "Raw Power" and "Horses" both for the first time in two years.

I have nothing with turning people on to good music. I have a problem with programming people to follow social trends (e.g. the aforementioned Che Guevara issue) almost entirely unaware of what they're really doing. If people knew half the stuff Guevara had actually done they probably wouldn't feel comfortable wearing those shirts. Likewise, I have to question whether the sixty-something-year-old man I saw buying a soundtrack for "Juno" a couple weeks ago is really going to appreciate Sonic Youth.

Maybe I sound like an elitist? I'm really not. I think Sonic Youth are fairly overrated, for example (although they're still very good) mainly for the same reason I think "Juno" is overrated: people jump on certain trends and follow them.

"Juno's" dialogue, as such, is derived from this self-conscious hipster crap that grates on my nerves so much these days. (God help us if Diablo Cody continues this massacre.) It starts from the very first scene (using spins on pop culture phrases or items such as "Eggos" - har-har) and doesn't let up.

Ellen Page is a convincing actress but then you realize she isn't acting and she becomes less convincing. She's playing herself. Watch ANY interview with her from before or after "Juno" - she is this character. Is that a problem? No, because to the extent of playing herself - a smug, condescending indie kid who doesn't know half as much as she thinks she does - it works for the film. But she's going to quickly reveal herself to be a one-trick pony as more people catch on to the fact that this character is actually her. Jay Leno didn't look too happy when he found out last week on his talk show.

I suppose my rant took up most of my review but I think it explains in many ways my feelings towards this film's content. I found it somewhat amusing/entertaining and it had a few genuinely nice moments, but it's far from the masterpiece some like Roger Ebert would have you believe. It's popularizing this new-age indie hipster sarcasm and the film's going to influence a LOT of films on down the line over the next few years. NONE of them will have as much impact or success as "Juno" and then trends will change and it'll stop. But first we'll have to put up with a million clones of the same formula and more "witty" pop culture puns and dry sarcasm. Spielberg did this with the kids in his movies back in the '80s and the dire response of "Hook" finally caused him to cease and desist. Hopefully the transition for filmmakers right now won't take as long.

A heartwarming and bittersweet little comedy

[DonFishies · 9/10 · 4 January 2008]

Following all of the hype, it was impossible for me to not want to see Juno. Everyone has raved about it for months, and I waited patiently for it to be released somewhere nearby. And the wait definitely made it worthwhile.

Juno chronicles the story of the titular sixteen-year-old girl (played by Ellen Page), and the fallout of her accidental pregnancy. After deciding to not have an abortion, Juno decides that she will give the baby up for adoption to would-be parents Vanessa and Mark Loring (Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman) after finding an ad in the local classified section of the newspaper.

It may not sound like a deep film, but right from moment one, the film draws you into Juno's bizarre world of teenage angst and wonderment. It progresses through the stages of her pregnancy (and the seasons that pass), and through the various problems and issues that arise as a result of the pregnancy.

This is aided almost exclusively by the commanding presence of Page. Her work here is simply astounding, and watching her mature as the film goes on is the stuff of movie magic. She plays Juno with a chip on her shoulder, and a keen sense of tongue in cheek. She is very in tune with the role, and even though it is not wholly original, she makes it her own and gives it a grand sense of earnestness (and pathos when needed). She plays it even better during the more hormonal aspects of the pregnancy, and she makes her undeniable mark on the movie-going public as she does. After seeing her intense, calculating and downright terrifying work in Hard Candy, I knew that she would be a presence to be reckoned with. And in seeing Juno, I now know that she truly will continue to grow into a great actress.

Supporting turns from just about everyone only further complement Page's terrific acting. Garner and Bateman, while not as well written as Page, do great as the would-be adoptive parents. While Bateman taps into his not so over-the-top side (which he used to his great advantage in scene-stealing roles in Smokin' Aces and The Ex), and gives a great character performance, Garner does even better as the over-domineering wife. She gives the role a slightly creepy tinge in a few cases, but for the most part, delivers one of her best performances. While not as commanding as he was in Superbad, Michael Cera, as the father of Juno's baby, gives his character a glossy sense of naivety as the film begins, but slowly falls into a grander sense of geeky goodness as the film goes on. His shy teenage chemistry with Page is astounding, and helps give the film its greatest moments of heartfelt drama. J.K. Simmons and Allison Janney round out the cast, lending the film some of its deeply funny and dramatic moments as Juno's parents, and relative newcomer Olivia Thirlby does very well as Juno's best friend.

But for how great the cast was, what I was really anticipating was the screenplay, by current sensation Diablo Cody. I was a little apprehensive at wanting to jump on the bandwagon of praising her, but the script is truly wonderful. While the start of the film feels a little forced with its witty and sarcastic banter, the film gradually progresses into a very fair balance of hilarity and drama. Its gradual depth does not go unnoticed, and as the film packs into its most dramatic scenes, it really becomes apparent that Cody has a great sense of how to write really well. First time screenwriters (or even screen writing hopefuls) can take notes in how well expressed the wording is here (and how obscure pop culture references can still be funny), and just how greatly written the film is. When dialogue comes so natural to some of these characters, it becomes very obvious that the writer knows what they are doing. If she keeps up like this, than I think she could truly be the prodigy that everyone is making her out to be (although Jennifer's Body really does not sound like a step in the right direction).

I think what only slows the film down is the near forced relationship between Page and Bateman that grows as the film goes on. I understand its importance to the film and understand why it is here, but I just think they play it a little too loosely and way too longish to make it feel as worthwhile as it needs to be. The two work off of each other well, yes (although not nearly as well as Page and Cera, or even Bateman and Garner), but the dialogue and scenes between them just sound like an afterthought, and do not seem in sync with the rest of the film. They have the humour, they have the references (maybe a few too many), but they just do not jive nearly as solidly as they should. Maybe a little less focus on these scenes, and more with the likes of Cera (who is not underused, but probably could have been used a bit more) or Simmons or Thrilby (who are not used nearly enough) could have helped make the movie even better than it already is.

Juno is not perfect, but it is heartwarming and bittersweet all the same. I laughed and almost got choked up by how exquisitely written and how superbly acted the film was. Page is marvellous in the lead role, and Cody just might be on the right path to be true greatness. If only all small Indies could be nearly as memorable or nearly as astonishing as this one is. An obvious candidate for being one of the best (and funniest) films of the year.

9/10.

Great Movie

[dougiejr3 · 10/10 · 13 November 2007]

I saw this movie and was really looking forward to it, because I liked the director's last offering, "Thank You For Smoking". I was completely knocked off of my feet! The humor was completely entertaining and didn't dwindle into a perverted cuss fest like some other comedy offerings of late (Superbad). The actors did a tremendous job - J.K. Simmons (no longer will he just be remembered for Spiderman), Ellen Page was incredible (finally a movie to like her in - Hard Candy was just too creepy, sorry), and Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner are paired up once again (also paired in The Kingdom) and play the embattled parents to be of this new child while facing their own demons in their struggling marriage. The movie was just very real, and also gives anyone hope that good things can come out of seemingly bad and insurmountable odds. Go and see this film!

Simple, but Sweet Coming-to-Age Story

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 20 October 2008]

In the winter, the sixteen year-old teenager Juno MacGuff (Ellen Page) finds that she is pregnant after having intercourse with her best friend Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera) on a chair. She first decides to abort the baby; later she changes her mind and decides to give the child for adoption. She seeks for a cool couple in the newspaper and she finds Vanessa (Jennifer Garner) and Mark Loring (Jason Bateman). Juno tells the news to her father and stepmother and they support her decision. After successive meetings with Vanessa and specially with Mark along the months, Juno finds that Mark has not grown-up and is not ready to raise her son. Juno comes up to a final decision about the destiny of the baby.

The low-budget independent "Juno" is a simple but sweet coming-to-age story. The narrative is original and effective, with witty and funny dialogs and the characters are believable. Ellen Page performs a typical teenager, annoying most of the time, with moments of maturity and others naive and silly, chasing the "perfect world" that unfortunately does not exist for her baby. The calm and supportive reaction of Mac and Bren is quite unusual but I liked it. Based on a glance in the reviews, I dare to write that this is the typical love or hate movie without mid-term. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Juno"

What a wonderful movie!

[tsayeed · 10/10 · 9 September 2007]

I have been blessed to watch almost any movie I want at the Toronto Film Festival this year.. and so far this is the best out of all of them! And this I am comparing with Rendition, The Brave One and Michael Clayton.. You can imagine how good it was. Everyone in the audience was laughing their *ss out. It was hysterical and at the same time the director was able to put the points across. The movie is filled with slinks but its the new kind of slang.. LOL.. You have to see to understand what I mean. It would be the next hype at high schools..

The subject of the movie has been portrayed so well that it is unbelievable. The screenplay was superb and Diablo is the next lady to watch out for. Also to watch out for Ellen Page.. Oh my go, what a superb acting! She's another lady to watch out for in the next few years. No one could have taken the role as Ellen did. Hands down, no one other than Ellen could have done it.

I hope the comments I made stays in the top.. because this movie will certainly rock the theaters.. and peeps will come here to see the review.. And this is exactly how it is.. This movie will make you laugh all the way.. You'll be so absorbed with everyone's acting.. And you'll be so happy after the movie! Go watch it as soon as it comes out.. There is absolutely no way you will be disappointed.. It's just impossible.. The movie is too hilarious to make any one laugh.. Now go out and try to find the movie! You'll love it!!!!

Icky

[SUZANNETGRIFFIN · 17 January 2008]

Plays like an ad for the anti-abortion movement. As for the much-touted dialogue, is it really any different than an average episode of Gilmore Girls? Not that there's anything wrong with Gilmore Girls, but would you give the writers of GG an Oscar? At least that TV show's improbable banter is in keeping with its light family drama. Even the logic of Cody's dialogue is flawed. It the confession scene with the parents, the girl thinks her father is asking who the baby is, rather than who the father is. If she were a ditz, the confusion would have some logic. Or even if the pacing or emotional pressure of the scene were at a real farce level, one might buy it. But the girl is bright, and the direction is naturalistic, and it just gives me that icky, phony feeling. Commenting on the writer's marketing savvy, a Hollywood executive said "Look at the name she chose for herself." Indeed! The whole thing is emotionally untrue.

Juno

[Hawley_Griffin · 6/10 · 22 March 2008]

Movies about quirky, off-beat characters have been a staple of American indie cinema for years. And lately one of them has been a fixture as filler Oscar nominee, usually snabbing Best Screenplay. But what makes Wes Anderson movies different from Punch-Drunk Love, and what makes those different from Little Miss Sunshine, Napoleon Dynamite and this year's Juno? Well it depends on the degree of sell-out quality which, in the script, translates into how much do the off-beat, quirky characters end up happily integrated into conformity. Little Miss Sunshine, for example, is an idiot's feel-good movie, about a bunch of subnormal losers ruining a girl's life, and finally getting their chance to shine in an extended candy-flavored, undeserved, overlong catharsis scene. I think Tim Burton is the most honest (ironically a Hollywood director) craftsman of this type of story - his characters are unapologetically weird and they never end up accepted and subdued by society under any circumstance.

Juno is about a so-called geek, sarcastic teenage girl that ends up pregnant after having sex with a meek, feminine looking boy she's secretly in love with. Unlike what might be expected from a lesser movie, her parents accept the burden with maturity and actually collaborate with their daughter in her goal of giving the child to adoption. In trying to find the perfect couple, Juno comes into contact with a pair of yuppies, played by Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman. She's so crazy about having a child I'd never, ever in my life allow her to even touch one, while he lives mostly in the relics of his past, when he didn't have to hide his rock memorabilia and comic-books from view in a room, specially prepared by his wife for that purpose. Problem will not arise from conventional sources in this script, and that was one of the things that made me judge Juno above the type of garbage it definitively looks like from the ads and trailers. This is not the Little Miss Sunshine type - nothing will get so wrapped up by the end, neither can you see every scene coming from the first one onwards. Also, I gotta admit Ellen Page is an ugly-looking nothingness, but she's not without her acting chops.

And still, the Cody/Reitman team manages to fall into some of the independent director's traps. For example, in a movie written by a blogger, I guess it's to be expected that every character talks like they're press articles instead of people. This is not being intelligent, this is being annoying - if I knew someone who talked like this, I'd kick him/her on the genitalia. "Honest to blog", "silencio!", "your eggo is preggo" and other unneeded cutecisms populate every single line of dialogue. Every character is some kind of quirky pop culture savvy talking head. Of course, Juno is the worst - you're supposed to relate to her because she's covering a heart of gold under that stand-up comedy exterior. How come a cashier at an abortion clinic has her face covered by body piercing and cracks jokes at Juno's condition? Is that supposed to be so out of place it's funny? I see it more as overcrowding in a movie that's already bursting with forced oddity.

And still, the drama exhibits a level of maturity rarely seen in that colorful, rock-soundtrack sub-Hollywood that's "edgy" US film nowadays, most of it evident on the script's surprise development about the adoptive couple. Even though she's a psycho and he's an inmature dork, we understand both of them and the effect they have on Juno's already troubled mind. I also thought it was nice that Juno's parents weren't a couple of ogres. That her hero's journey has her saving the day by the end is predictable yet to an extent needed, but it brings to me another pet peeve - Juno has not in her one inch of the insecurity that's to be expected in any teenage girl, not only a knocked up one. That makes her a way too convenient protagonist and of course, smarter than everyone else around to an unrealistic extent.

I remain lukewarm on this one, although it's not a bad movie by any means. The soundtrack, the characters and the dialogue are annoying as all hell, but the actors really elevate the material (specially J.K. Simmons) and the script finds itself comfortable in that moral grey area where none is too perfect or too lousy a human being. I guess it's not good stuff either, but I can't bring myself to hate it 100%. I've seen far worse.