Title: Juno.
Country: US.
Year: 2007.
Date of Viewing: 1/4/08.
Director: Jason Reitman.
Cast: Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jason Bateman, Jennifer Garner, Allison Janney, J.K. Simmons.
"It all began with a chair."
Off-setting and admirably quirky, Juno is a real treat of a film. It shone at the Toronto International Film Festival and is getting buzz for its screenplay, the lead portrayal by Ellen Page, and even Best Picture. Some people have compared it to 2003’s Lost in Translation, or last season’s Little Miss Sunshine, and Juno may have enough buzz and positive feedback to make it all the way to the Oscars.
The chair in question is the spot where Juno MacGuff (Page) and Paulie Bleeker (Cera) first have sex, and where Juno gets unexpectedly pregnant. Juno is confused: she is 16, and a junior in high school, and now has to deal with being a mother? She tells her best friend Leah (Olivia Thirlby), and then her dad and stepmother (Simmons and Janney) about her situtation before ultimately deciding to offer her baby up for adoption to Mark and Vanessa (Bateman and Garner), a couple who are, as Leah puts it, "desperately seeking spawn." But there are many twists and curves down the road as Juno and Paulie’s relationship becomes an emotional roller coaster and personal details about Mark and Vanessa that hide beneath their suburban perfection rise to the surface.
Diablo Cody, famous now for being an ex-stripper and debuting her first screenplay here, writes wonders in this screenplay. The position of “quirky Indy dramedy” has been done many times, but Cody brings forth a very unusual albeit fresh form of conversation into her screenplay. The dialogue is quite peculiar, and hits you all at once, particularly in an opening scene at a drugstore. As it’s been said before, the movie feels a little "too hip for the room" at first, but it becomes much easier to warm up to the style of slang and difference, particularly from Juno herself. (One line, much like the first of many, includes Juno thinking about male runners, "When I see them all running like that, with their pork swords bouncing around in their shorts, I always picture them naked, even if I don't want to.") Jason Reitman, who previously directed comedies like Thank You For Smoking, does a dandy job with this fine film. He could make it to DGA, but an Oscar nomination is doubtful at this point.
The music is also a particular standout. The Moldy Peaches’ Kimya Dawson features some of her songs here, most notably "Anyone Else But You," which appears in the film and is even sung by characters in the film. Other contributions from artists like Buddy Holly, Mateo Messina, Sonic Youth, and The Kinks make this one of the most charming soundtracks of 2007.
The acting is superb throughout. The ensemble is incredibly strong and equally hilarious; it is an absolute shock that this fine group of actors wasn’t acknowledged for SAG’s top prize. The supporting players are all quite good. Bateman undergoes some serious depth midway through the movie and shines. Garner is so heartbreaking, you will want to nominate her out of guilt for Vanessa. She easily gives her best performance to date. Simmons and Janney also are great with a parental dryness that lingers through the whole film. But the supporting props must be given to Cera who portrays "high school student" so well, you would expect to see him roaming the junior hallway. And of course, Miss Page is utterly divine as the ever off-setting but so enticing Juno, adding another fantastic lead female performance into 2007, and making it the strongest and most interesting race of the year. An Oscar nomination is almost assured for this 20-year-old breakout, and it is much deserved.
Juno is a hilarious, yet sweet outlook on today’s society and the struggles a family goes through. The screenplay and acting are undeniably charming and very warm. It is, for lack of a better word, perfect.
Current Wins and Nominations:Best Picture** (replaces Sweeney Todd)
Best Director, Jason Reitman
Best Actress, Ellen Page**
Best Supporting Actor, Michael Cera**
Best Supporting Actor, J.K. Simmons
Best Supporting Actress, Jennifer Garner
Best Supporting Actress, Allison Janney
Best Original Screenplay**
Best Ensemble Cast**
BEST PERFORMANCE, BEST MALE, and BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
BEST FEMALE, and BEST ACTRESS
BEST ACTOR
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
