Juno

Starring: Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, J.K. Simmons, Allison Janney, Rainn Wilson
Directed by: Jason Reitman
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy, Drama
2008

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: Teenager Juno (Ellen Page) is upset to learn that she is pregnant and when trying to decide what to do, she ultimately chooses to give it up for adoption, to a yuppy couple (Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman) seeking their first child. Along the way, she struggles with the changes in her life, drawing support from her father (J.K. Simmons) and the father (Michael Cera) of her baby.

Review:

Tim: Juno might have been the most pleasant surprise of 2007. The movie if very good, probably far better than most would expect from a small independent movie about an unwed teenage mother. This movie is hilarious, memorable, and one of the year's best.

The movie works first and foremost because of the writing of Diablo Cody. The dialogue is crisp, lightning quick, and downright hilarious. There are so many hilarious lines (I still love the Morgan Freeman one). The "honest to blog" line is now a little overplayed, but it was quite funny when it first came out. Pretty much every line Ellen Page utters is hilarious. Cody did an excellent job with the script.

Obviously, the cast needed to bring the script to life, which they do. Ellen Page is such a fantastic actor and this role is perfect for her. She seems completely at ease with the intelligent, crackling dialogue. She handles the part brilliantly and I can't imagine a better actress for the role. She was tremendous.

The rest of the cast is good. I like Michael Cera and I thought he was quite good in the role. He and Page have some good chemistry together. J.K. Simmons is always good and I really enjoyed him as Juno's father. Sadly, Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman were slightly less good. I never knew what to make of them throughout the movie- am I supposed to like them or not? They both just came across as fake and I believe this comes from their performances. I never really believed that Garner's character wanted a baby or would be a good mother. Bateman's character was just so unlikeable (or maybe this was just his performance). I really thought the movie got bogged down whenever they were on screen. I should also mention Rainn Wilson. He is pretty funny, although I wonder why he is in the film for all of 3 minutes. He needed more screen time.

Juno is just a great movie. The film is so funny, so entertaining, and balances humor with heavy issues brilliantly. I loved that a movie about teenage pregnancy could be hilarious and heartwarming. I also have to mention the opening credits, which features Barry Louis Polisar's "All I Want is You," one of the happiest and most uplifting songs I've ever heard. I truly loved the opening sequence and it really set the tone for the movie for me. In the end, Juno is a gem of a movie that proves you don't have to be big to be effective.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8



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