Directed by:
Jason ReitmanScreenplay:
Diablo CodyCinematography:
Eric SteelbergComposer:
Mateo MessinaCast:
Elliot Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Allison Janney, J.K. Simmons, Olivia Thirlby, Eileen Pedde, Rainn Wilson, Daniel Clark, Darla Fay (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
Juno MacGuff (Ellen Page) is a cool, confident teenager who takes a nine-month detour into adulthood when she's faced with an unplanned pregnancy and sets out to find the perfect parents for her baby. With the help of her charmingly unassuming boyfriend (Michael Cera), supportive dad (J.K. Simmons) and no-nonsense step mum (Allison Janney) Juno sets her sights on an affluent couple (Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman) longing to adopt their first child. (20th Century Fox UK)
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Reviews (12)
A clear victory of form over content. Thanks to Jason Reitman's fine direction, a nice atmosphere and a perfect Ellen Page in the lead role, there's really no need to dwell on what Juno is actually about, but more importantly how well it is made. Besides, who can penetrate today the soul of an adolescent without turning it into vulgar and uninteresting schlock?... As a comedy it may not be very funny, as a drama it’s not very appealing, but as a mix of both it is a very remarkable and easygoing film whose name in the Oscar winners' column is not a disgrace.
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Juno is actually such a sweet little kitten. She scratches and bites like a small predator and as such brings me great joy. I sympathize with her, root for her, and I can't understand how Paulie can be such a fool, just standing there and being afraid to thoroughly explore what happiness can bring him. But as soon as the kitten calms down, curling up into a small ball, everything settles down and everything goes downhill very quickly. And no matter how much Ellen Page tries otherwise, she doesn't have much to play in serious, tearful situations. The nostalgia of adolescence and the bittersweetness are perfect. However, the purely serious position and surprisingly lukewarm ending take away the positive impressions.
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"This is even better than Suspiria." Juno can’t avoid being compared to Knocked Up and Napoleon Dynamite. Which is being a little unfair to all three movies. One of them is similar in topic and the other seemingly “geek" in atmosphere, but otherwise they have practically nothing in common. Unlike in Napoleon, everybody is normal here, although a little eccentric here and there, and they deal with everyday problems. Unlike Knocked Up, this movie plays on a more serious note. Which doesn’t in the least mean that Reitman Jr. doesn’t entertain us with superbly apt humor, despite the serious topic. And it does this even without the help of a thousand and one pop-culture references. Unlike Judd Apatow. Juno is a very comely and pleasant picture which is paradoxically held back most by its most boasted asset. Ellen Page. I’m not saying she doesn’t play excellently, but sometimes she overdoes it a little. And purely personally, I was also disappointed that Paulie’s storyline was sidelined. That character is so likeable that I would most like to see this movie made through his Tic-Tac eyes.
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I think the movie accurately describes a real 15-year-old girl who does what she has to do when she gets pregnant. The movie doesn't intrude or try to hijack the viewer with the American movie "stereotype". It doesn't have the usual situation where Juno realizes she wants a baby (...blah, blah, blah). The film is good, hence the 3.5 stars. And Reitman disappointed me a bit...
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Juno is a comedy that moves in the well-established waters of the American mainstream from beginning to end. In Europe, creators would either turn a similar theme into a fateful drama or at most a bittersweet tragicomedy, but Jason Reitman made a pleasant and relaxed film about unpleasant things. He carefully smoothed out all potential edges, so the protagonist, who discovers a fateful problem in the form of an unwanted pregnancy, has a great understanding father, a stepmother who surprisingly - in this world - understands more than her own mother, an excellent friend to confide in and never be alone because of her, and ultimately a nice guy with whom she intends to build a meaningful relationship despite the initial obstacle. The more I think about the plot and subject it to critical analysis, the more I realize that it's only worth three stars when it comes to the content. All potentially unpleasant conflicts are retouched in advance. Just as an example, when Juno decides to have an abortion, she doesn't encounter a group of outraged, bigoted, and hostile protesters, as is common in America, but a hesitant, comically looking classmate who obviously doesn't protest of her own will, and the whole scene ends with a humorous dialogue. What elevates the film above the average are precisely the witty dialogues and a series of lines that cleverly move the plot forward and, even though I'm no longer a teenager, I think they capture the perspective of adolescents well. Especially Ellen Page's excellent performance in the lead role as a sassy, wild teenager is irresistible. The film also features very listenable music, and the opening credits with animation are interesting. Although this comedy has several weaknesses, I really enjoyed it and left the movie theater with a pleasant feeling. Overall impression 90%.
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