Juno had been getting so much positive buzz, and it had such a great cast…
I had to see it.
And I’m glad I did, because it really deserves all the praise!
Juno is about a teenage girl who becomes pregnant.
It follows her life while dealing with said pregnancy.
The movie is two parts funny (hilarious, really) and one part poignant.
An excellent combination, actually…
This movie is really well written by someone I know nothing about, Diablo Cody. Very cool name, which I’m guessing she wasn’t born with. I think I read she used to be a stripper, and if so, awesome! Her name would definitely work as a stage name, that’s for sure. Anyway, great, great screenplay!
The movie as directed by Jason Reitman, which I wanna assume is the offspring of Ivan Reitman, but I’m too lazy to verify. Whoever he is, he did a great job!
The cast of Juno is really great.
Ellen Page stars as Juno, an extremely cool and together sixteen year old, that may not be the most realistic of characters, but it’s OK, because she’s so well written and portrayed. Page, who’s best known to us comic book geeks as Kitty Pride / “Shadowcat” in X-MEN: THE LAST STAND is really, really good in this movie. She shines in every scene, and she will be a very sought after actress now. Good for her! She deserves it!
Michael Cera brings the same laid back realism he brought to SUPERBAD. Just a great, very subtle comic timing. Jason Bateman, who played Cera’s father in the cult classic TV sow Arrested Development, is also very good as potential adoptive father. I barely remember Teen Wolf Too, but aside from that, Bateman’s always good in movies.
Playing Bateman’s wife is Jennifer Garner, who’s as talented as she is beautiful.
Hers are some of the most expressive eyes among actresses today, and her smile…heart melting. I think it’s great she did a smaller movie like this.
Really nice job.
Juno’s parents are played by the always great JK Simmons and Allison Janney, two of the best character actors ever. Here, no exception to the norm… great jobs.
Olivia Thirlby plays Juno’s beast friend Leah, and I really liked her timing and delivery, plus, she’s cute, so no complaints here!
So yeah, despite the subject matter, which you’d think would make for melodrama, Juno is a great movie. Like I said, really funny, but a lot of heart.