Juno: A Comedy that's been Due for 9 Months

The only simple way I can find to describe Juno is you will have a hard time finding more genuine characters that stay this entertaining and lovable. It has a good script, natural actors, and well-timed jokes. Combining these you get a story of lovable teens acting beyond their maturity, so well executed, it does not come of as though any of it was scripted. The cast is so natural, I left wondering if Ellen Page (and the rest of the cast) had ever truly lived as her character.

Ellen Page (Hard Candy, X-Men 3) gives a performance worth the description as a young Audrey Hepburn. She plays 16-year-old Juno, who decides it is time for her to experiment with sex. She chooses her best friend, shy, quiet Paulie Bleeker (Superbad's Michael Cera) for the experience. Three pregnancy tests later, she tells him, "Guess what." After a chilling visit to the abortion clinic, she breaks the news to her parents (J.K. Simmons and Alison Janney) and plans to give the child up for adoption to a young married couple (Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman).


First and foremost, the plot and development are characters. The surprise turn of events (spoilers are not included here) seems to be on the sideline compared to how much we love the characters. Page and Cera appear too natural, and like Cera's dialogue in Superbad, it comes off as ultra-natural, but not the typical or average. These are not teens, but specifically Juno and Bleeker, so specifically there is no chance of confusing them with the next pregnant teen couple.


The movie sets an example in timing and being natural. It doesn't come off as pulling gags, stereotypes, and delivering punchlines, but rather has natural characters without cliches and with flaws be themselves. It is still hilarlious. We are not laughing with or at, but instead enjoying the general wit and awkwardness of the situation. One particular moment defining this is when Juno tells her dad and stepmom. After the general anger her father feels, she tells him, "it wasn't his idea." In any other movie, this would be unusual. Here, it is a strong turn from the usual father rage.


While I can't say too much about the movie without giving away the plot, I can say Juno finds a nice middle-ground. It starts off appearing as though it will be a lighter version of an Indie film on teen pregnancy and appears to fall into the mainstream sellouts with Jennifer Garner as a box of cliches and predictability. It mellows out inbetween, being non-judgemental and by the end, I realize any overreacting by Garner's character was to contrast Bateman's character's lack of interest.


Juno avoids the debates and issues. When Juno heads to the abortion clinic, she sees a classmate as the sole protester against abortion. Forget souls and life, Juno's decision is because of fingernails, resulting in a bloodless scene that is discomforting and humorous.


Two other parts keep the movie standing out from others. The first is the music, involved in guitars (Juno and Paulie are musicians) and meaningful lyrics. The other is camerawork. Breaking the third wall (when the camera cuts to a 180 turn, making it discomforting to look one way and then instantly reverse the direction in a cut) is rarely done, and done well is even rarer. First time director Jason Reitman pulls this off subtley to reveal a change in characters after a disagreement. It works well, as the dialogue only made the point in the plot, but the camerawork made the turn literal and visually uncomfortable to put the feeling to the audience.


Another scene is when Juno stops her car, looking in the sidemirror as a train passes by. It is symbolic of the train being life or people, continuously going on while she has stopped. Looking back, there is a smaller round mirror in the side mirror to notice her blind spot. Is it symbolic of the blind spot in her life, or the smaller mirror the child she's never fully thought about? Either way, the visuals don't require thought, and just the image (such as the track team running past slow-moving Juno) sets many tones about the characters that is rarely expressed in movies.


Is it entertaining? YES! Quick, one-of-a-kind humor.


Is it marketable? Pulling off the PG-13 rating may have been a feat to keep the movie before a broad audience. Either way, it never goes to cussing or sexual content to sell. The only sex scene either shows Juno in control (character contrast) or close-ups on lips (uncomfortingly close).


Is it memorable? You will love these characters and Juno is no copy of anyone, just as it will be hard for any movie to make a cast as full as this one genuine all the way around.


My suggestion: See it in theaters with the audience laughing behind you and fall in love with the characters.