Review: ‘Juno’

Zac:

Talk about breaking a stereotype. Who would have thought that such a great film like Juno was written by an ex-advertiser/stripper/phone sex operator named Diablo Cody. But that is in fact what she has done and paired with one of the more capable young directors around, Jason Reitman, Juno might end up being the funniest film of the year.
Juno gets pregnant and what follows is the adventure to seeing this baby out of the womb and into the arms of a family. Mixed in we have some becoming adult issues, high school shenanigans, and cross country running and all of this gels into a fantastic movie. Cody has created a fun universe that is similar to our world but just a bit askew; ala Wes Anderson. Anyways the language that the high school kids use is so unique, and maybe kids talk like this now; I don’t know, but I don’t think I am that far removed from High School to remember that kids don’t talk like this. That isn’t to say it’s bad though, it’s just weird, and cool, but most importantly funny. The language of Juno will be quoted plenty after this is seen by the masses; let’s just hope it doesn’t go so over blown by the youth of America (i.e. Napoleon Dynamite, which is a good movie, but pails to this one). That PG-13 rating is going to let a lot of people see this, but it is a very adult movie as is it’s sense of humor(in fact i don’t even see how this got a pg-13).
Cody and Reitman’s world is populated by some great characters played by some great actors. Michael Cera who is always fantastic, and one of my favorite comedy actors working right now, is great but his work is far from being the best in this film. Olivia Thirlby is great as, Leah, Juno’s friend who sporadically is around for support. Jason Bateman is great as usual with Jenifer Garner playing the desperately wanting part to a T. J.K. Simmons and Allison Janney are fantastic as the Father and Step-Mother, just great with some great one liners and every scene with them is a guaranteed laugh.
Real credit needs to go to Ellen Page though. She throws this movie on her back and carries it with ease. She makes the fore-mentioned “language” believable and is just a joy to watch and we are right with her through all of her emotions. She keeps the potentially risky material light and funny, while being constantly funny and cute. The character is great to begin with from just her words, but Page sells the package as a whole and is just so damn good and would honestly love to see her get nominated for this movie; cause she deserves it as one of the best female characters in a movie this year.
Overall the movie is constantly funny, a story that matters, doesn’t really have any cheap laughs, and is just a joy to watch in general. Some people might have issue with the plausibility of the acceptance of all this, and one might say they glossed over some potentially big issues of teenage pregnancy, and one characters potential motivations walk a very fine line, but the movie does what it is supposed to, entertain. Don’t miss this one as it will not disappoint and will probably go down as the funniest movie of the year.

(4.5 out of 5)

Travis:

Juno (2007) is a thoughtful and intelligent, yet darkly humorous comedy from Thank You for Smoking’s director Jason Reitman. Ellen Page (Hard Candy) seamlessly matches wit with emotion, evoking a teenager beyond her years. The dialogue of Juno is razor-sharp and quick as a silver bullet, but never feels forced or contrived. The supporting cast is able to keep with the pace, creating a sort of surreal utopian suburban world, but maintains all the societal flaws that make our world uniquely ours.

The story follows Juno (Page) as she “deals with things way beyond her maturity level,† which she clearly points out to her father. Her best friend, with optional benefits, Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera, Superbad) is the hopelessly romantic, smart, cross-country running high school outcast who has an on-again-off-again sort of relationship with Juno†¦ oh yeah, and a baby.

The plot is pretty straight forward; girl meets boy, spends night with boy, realizes she’s pregnant and must determine how to deal with these sudden life-changing events. This character driven movie contains plenty of laughs, surprises and candid moments, creating what I am going to peg as one of the most enjoyable and complete cinematic experiences of the year.

(4.5 out of 5)

[rating: 4.5/5]