Juno: Review

What is with 2007 and films about pregnancy? First, we has the sublime Knocked Up, as fine an American comedy that has recently come along, and now, here is Juno, Jason Reitman's follow up to 2006's Thank You for Smoking, a clever, if slightly over praised satire about a lobbyist and the cigarette industry. Well, whatever lesson's Mr. Reitman learned through his previous film are on display here as Juno is one of the most pleasantly surprising films of 2007, one that came from way out of left field to wow 'em at the Telluride and Toronto Film Festivals. While Thank You for Smoking certainly had its merits, it was a little too smirky for its own good and too often overtly revealed its satiric nature. In other words, for a film trying to be so subversive, it's pretty obvious as to what it’s attempting to do, a big no-no for the best of satires. What was welcome was its ruthless honesty and Juno continues that in spades. At its core is a whip smart script (maybe a bit too smart) by Diablo Cody, a slew of great performances and Reitman's steady direction, all of which add up to one of the best films of the year.

Unlike Knocked Up, which tried to touch on every aspect of a modern pregnancy (and wildly succeeds through most of it), Juno ambitions are, well, less ambitious. See, the title character Juno MacGuff (Ellen Page) accidentally gets pregnant after, what she describes as, a boring night with her kind of boyfriend Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera). After attempting to get an abortion without telling her parents and opting out when she finds that she isn't quite ready to go through with taking care of the situation, Juno and her best friend Leah (Olivia Thirby) seek out the Alt-Weekly's to find a set of suitable parents to adopt her ever growing child. They come across an ad placed by Mark and Vanessa Loring (Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner) and after telling Juno's parents (J.K. Simmons and Allison Janney), they set out to meet the potential family. When she finds them suitable, the story continues on to go through the tribulations of the process, all handled with a sly sense of humor that leads to any number of wonderful scenes.

Page continues to be a revelation and while some are expecting big things from her after seeing her in 2006's searing Hard Candy, I don't think anyone figured it would come so soon. As Juno, Page is razor smart, a collection of real world instincts and pop culture savvy. In bringing Diablo Cody's character to life, Page may have created the character of the year, an independent and intelligent teenager who single-handedly carries the weight of the movie: not out of necessity (all the other characters and actors seem up to task as well) but out of sheer charisma. Juno is the type of eminently likeable creation that people will find themselves cheering for as the film goes on and fondly remembering long after they've left the theatre.

As mentioned above, the rest of the characters are universally strong. From Paulie's quiet charms (magnified by Cera's otherworldly delivery) to Mac MacGuff's tough love (Juno's father, wonderfully brought to life by J.K. Simmons) are all eminently likeable yet lifelike characters. With one minor (and disappointing) exception, the people who inhabit Juno's world bring vitality to the story that seems like a perfect melding of actor and script. Bateman and Garner, who have been shaky in the feature length performances, are both up to the task here with Bateman getting some screen time and making the most of it. So much of a comedy's success relies on the cast's ability to deliver the material in not only a believable but also funny manner; Juno's cast knocks one of the park here.

With the exception of the first 10 minutes or so, the script by Diablo Cody is remarkably assured for a debut. Those first 10 minutes are too jammed with over stylized dialogue that just feels way too out of place but wisely, as the narrative takes over, Cody tones it down a bit. That’s not to say that the dialogue suffers for the rest of the way, it is merely more bearable; it is still wildly clever and hip and while it may not be the most realistic bit of dialogue for teens, neither was the tough guy banter from the 1940's noirs but no one seemed to mind them. The film is a stylized comedy, any way you cut it and it works well. As a collection of lines, there a number of memorable ones that I could see easily being adopted by the teens of today as their lines du jour. However, single lines do not a screenplay make. Thankfully, Juno has a generous heart to go along with its razor sharp dialogue. The film radiates warmth and humanity, a sense of magical realism that feels real and palpable while simultaneously taking on a light, airy quality. It will win over even the most cynical audience members.

Jason Reitman is a talented director, now putting out what I would venture to call a potential classic in just his second feature. The film has a distinct visual theme to it, one that is unique and interesting while not as overt as a Wes Anderson film or say, Napolean Dynamite, a film that Juno has questionably been compared to. As to what exactly people find in common between that horrific piece of garbage and this hysterically funny comedy is beyond me. Wisely, Reitman doesn't rely on the visuals for gags, rather choosing to compliment Cody's wonderfully amusing script. When pared with Page's incredible performance at the film's heart, Reitman has crafted one for the ages, a complete charmer that I imagine will be remembered for years to come as one of the crowning comedic achievements of 2007.

*****