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Juno - A Review
Every trailer and piece of advertising for the new Jason Reitman comedy Juno smacked of the dreaded Little Miss Sunshine syndrome: cute and quirky characters who say incredibly witty things all the time while dealing with ridiculously unrealistic and quirky situations.
And while it has all of that, this film is so much more.
The magnificently-perfect Ellen Page stars as Juno MacGuff, a sassy sixteen year old who finds herself pregnant in the opening minutes of the film. After informing her bewildered parents, as well as the dumbfounded father Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera), Juno decides the give up the child for adoption to a wealthy, painfully Yuppie-ish couple played by Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner. Along the way, tough truths about human relationships are revealed as the baby nears its impending birth.
First time screenwriter Diablo Cody has amassed quite a few clever smartassisms for her characters to spout unconventionally, yet the material never goes over-the-top thanks to an amazing cast in top form. Page is completely convincing as the young mother, her voice creaky with teenaged angst and cynicism. Cera, capping a great year, infuses Paulie with all of the awkward charm and vulnerability inherent to high school life.
Beyond the leads, the film shines with subtle and nuanced supporting performances. Bateman, who is in my opinion one of America’s most underrated comedians, provides a real center of truth to a character who could have very easily become creepy and unsavory. And Garner is astonishing in a role that begs to be made a villain throughout; I have never seen her in better form.
Like life, the story takes some unexpected yet natural turns. The characters, while treading dangerously close to the point of being cloying and unconvincing, manage to stay enjoyable, fresh, and true throughout. This was the first time in quite a while that an audience gasped, giggled, and cooed along with the film like they did with this one tonight.
Like a newborn baby itself, Juno is entrancing and wondrous.
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2 Responses to “Juno - A Review”
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I figured this for just another teen movie. The new look for the site looks good.
@ ryk - Yeah, I thought the same thing about this movie. It really surprised me.
Thanks about the site. We’re still tweaking it, but this could be much more fun in the long run.