Juno (2007) Review

Juno walks to counter of the drugstore with a pregnancy test in hand that has a bright pink positive on it. “This is one doodle that can’t be undid, home skillet,” says the eccentric clerk (played by The Office’s Rainn Wilson). “Silencio, Old Man!” retorts.

Juno, the 16-year-old pregnant spitfire teen in the independent comedy ‘Juno’ that has gotten four Oscar nods, including Best Picture.

It takes talent to produce comedy out of an unwanted pregnancy, and to avoid the pitfalls of Hollywood gimmicks and lower echelon toilet humor. Director Jason Reitman does just that, as he comes sizzling back from the poignant cigarette company satire “Thank You for Smoking” just two years ago, with the story of a young girl who decides to give up her baby for adoption. Reitman visualized a stellar film from a script that was meticulously crafted by first comer Diablo Cody.

Juno, played wonderfully by the talented 20-year-old Canadian native Ellen Page (who has received an Oscar nomination for her role) is a reflectively intelligent, wacky, and completely dazzling character that one is only privileged enough to meet in life’s ingenuous moments of brevity.

Included in the cast is Michael Cera, (of “Superbad” and “Arrested Development”) who plays the innocuous skinny Pauly Bleeker, a member of the proverbial cross country team, routinely popping tangy red Tic Tacs into his mouth (one of his redeeming qualities according to Juno) whenever he feels inadequately fruity. He is also the father of Juno’s baby. But, as Juno’s stepmom (Allison Janney) puts it, “You know it wasn’t his idea.”

What’s great about this film is the emotional depth of its characters. The audience is left to its whims and subtly grows with Juno as she goes through the challenging and emotionally charged journey of having a baby. She humorously calls herself a legend at school, the self-proclaimed “cautionary whale.”

Loaded into the mix of the film, is a great mix of actors including J.K. Simmons, the type cast father of Juno who is allowed to step out the usual role with some rather inventive witticisms, with Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner as the “perfect” couple who wish to adopt Juno’s baby. Garner is excellent as the immaculate wannabe mother whose home is about as clean as her bright white pearls. Bateman (who played Michael in “Arrested Development) is excellent as a television commercial composer with a love of Herschell Gordon Lewis’ slasher films and alternative rock. The soundtrack includes Sonic Youth, Mott the Hoople, and Kimya Dawson. Perfectly suited for the film, it was Ellen Page herself who suggested her character would like the anti-folk styles of Dawson that helps bring out a true loveliness that only music has the power or authority to unleash.

While some people might be put off by the heavy stylized dialogue (and I do agree that the dialogue is much too fast paced and intelligent for your average teenager), this movie is a gem, full of wonderful multi-dimensional characters, snappy one-liners, and a uniquely charming soft soundtrack that brings to life a unique story about growing up. In a world where films are accused of being “too smart” and having too much self-conscious dialogue, I commend this film for slapping those critics in the face with a well crafted piece of work.

In a year that has featured some fabulous work in film, with the dark “No Country” and black gold epic “There Will Be Blood” leading the pack for Oscar glory, I say that those films aren’t free to break out the champagne yet, because they still have to contend for this “cautionary whale” of a film.

My Score: 9.2/10.0

Critique: It does get kind of formulaic.

Rotten Tomatoes: 93%