Juno

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.

"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".

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.

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.

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.