Director Jason Reitman's Juno
Diablo Cody, Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jason Bateman
This Oscar-winning screenplay features an offbeat character in a funny and poignant story of an unwanted pregnancy.
Juno stars Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman. It's directed by Jason Reitman (Thank You For Smoking) and has a soundtrack that fits its moods perfectly. This dark comedy takes no time getting started: Juno (Page) is in high school and has been knocked up by her close friend and maybe-boyfriend Paulie (Cera). After a half-hearted stop at Planned Parenthood to consider abortion, she decides to deliver the baby but give it to a couple in need, in this case, the perfect-looking Mark and Vanessa. Not surprisingly, they may not be so perfect.
The Players & The Dialogue
Vanessa is a bit stereotypical in her type A personality, and she is desperate to become a mother. Garner does play her very believably and best of all, there appears to be real warmth beneath the frigid exterior. Mark betrays a hint of fear or unease at becoming a dad--the very opposite of his wife's desires. He also harbors rock'n'roll dreams, though he doesn't openly resent all his music and possessions being relegated to merely one room in the house, "his room." On paper the couple sounds fairly trite, but it plays remarkably well. Juno naturally bonds with Mark and soon starts seeking him out for company, especially with the unwanted attention at school. Things come to a head when fairly unfortunate revelations surface, but not in ways you'd ever expect.
The characters and dialogue are the truly remarkable things about this film. The writing is surprisingly fresh, funny and biting. The teenagers' dialogue in particular is neither forced nor pretentious; more realistic dialogue could not have been written. (In the aftermath of its success, many are belitting the film for forced "hip and quirky" dialogue, but it plays fine). Each actor is outstanding in their role--there is hardly a weak link in the bunch. Both Juno's father and stepmother (J.K. Simmons and Allison Janney) have electric personalities and juicy scenes. Juno's best friend Leah (Olivia Thirlby) is the closest anyone comes to being a bit of a throwaway role, but even she does a great job with the material.
Fitting Music
The story and its characters are highlighted by some exemplary choices in soundtrack, tying together an already charming film. Buddy Holly, The Kinks, Belle & Sebastian, Cat Power, The Velvet Underground, Sonic Youth and Moldy Peaches are just some of the bands to lend their talents. Juno and Mark's relationship largely revolves around each of them introducing one another to their favorite bands of two different eras, so it seems fitting to have a powerful soundtrack. Best of all, Juno never has that forced feeling of being stuffed with pop culture references, where so many films fail; each song and each line is appropriate and well chosen, never overshadowing the story itself.
Juno is darkly comic and cute at the same time. It is endearing--it may make you cry, yet it is still uplifting. Writer Diablo Cody's Oscar win for her screenplay is well deserved, as are all its 38 nominations for various awards (and 25 wins). Juno is a rare gem that is nearly free of flaws and should be viewed as soon as possible.
