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Rated PG-13
4 Stars Out of 4
With expectations high for the assembly of my favorite Arrested Development characters, Kitty from X-Men, and the out of place but cute anyway Jennifer Garner, the first 3 minutes of Juno were sorely disappointing. The film positioned itself as one of those “Oh my god I’m so awkward and ironic” teen-flicks that would do little more than mooch off of the success of Napoleon Dynamite’s offbeat humor. But what it transformed into after it got Rainn Wilson’s slightly forced cameo out of the way, was a really honest depiction of the weirdness of love and adolescence that no one ever talks about.
16-year-old Juno (Ellen Page) finds herself pregnant by her friend and band-mate Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera), and decides to keep the baby and give it to a couple of beautiful yet barren yuppies, Vanessa and Mark (Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman). All of the main and peripheral characters deliver excellent performances, notably Jennifer Garner, whose series of some of the worst movies ever made rendered her almost unredeemable.
Juno is a hot mess of emotions with a constant sense of humor that strings it together to form a magnificent and cohesive work. One downfall¬—the music, while brilliant, is a smidgen too loud and detached from the story. Also, you might want to take your slang dictionary along, as the heaps of jargon will make you feel like a square and wish there were subtitles. Juno’s drawbacks, however, are the tinyest of any of the films of 2007, and its truth and intelligence will carry its buzz and success well into the new year.
Skeptics of Juno would say that everyone is trying too hard, but that’s where the beauty of this film lies; everyone tries too hard, especially kids who don’t know who they are quite yet, and adults who never will. One of those rare films that pleases the mainstream and doesn’t piss off the indie folk, Juno has made it onto my Facebook favorites (gasp), and will likely encroach on yours.
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Last post: Jan. 13, 2008 at 6:41 pm
Michael Yohanan (Michael Yohanan) said on Jan. 13, 2008 at 6:41 pm:
and the moldy peaches song!
Melinda Miller (Melinda Miller) said on Jan. 13, 2008 at 3:03 pm:
I finally saw this movie last night. Although I was looking forward to it last fall, I kind of wasn't expecting to like it so much after all the hype. But that was absolutely not the case. It was fresh and funny with a perfect cast. Go see it!