Juno (2007)

This Movie Is About: growing up and everything that comes with it. For Juno MacGruff (Ellen Page) it means making the wrong decision once and having to pay for it for 9 months of your life, not to mention all the clothes she has to get altered. Being pregnant sure is a bitch when you're in high school. Things aren't all bad though because the father, Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera) seems to be cool with it and wants to help her with whatever she wants to do but really what can he do? What can anyone do when they're in high school. As a result, Juno puts the child up for adoption and finds a family right away. Vanessa and Mark Loring seem like the perfect couple. They're nice and nice to look at. They live in a good house in a good neighborhood and they seems real friendly. Juno doesn't take long to make her decision to give these two her baby. With that, we're on our way through the nine months of hell as some would call it as it stretches over three seasons of a year where the changes in Juno life mirror the change in the leaves. It would be easy if it was only her that changes but as you know in life, the only thing you can count on is change.

You Should Watch This Movie Because: it's super sweet. I mean, it's real cute to watch. Even though it's dealing with issues that are real and serious for anyone going through that age and period in their life, it does so in the background and really focuses on the characters and their interactions. As a result, the film is fun and easy to watch and the story doesn't get bogged down on the message parts of it. Instead, the lesson comes intrinsic with the story and the situation and we learn what they are trying to tell us while being entertained. That's not an easy thing to do in modern cinema and something that should be appreciate.

What's Hot: Even though I disagree with most of my friends in saying that Ellen Page is not that hot, I have to admit that she is hella funny. Her lines are smart and she delivers them with gusto and flare only she can manage. All the characters around her have the same quality and that makes for some interesting banter between the characters. Even the usually stale step mother character comes alive later on in the film to be an unexpected mentor which adds depth to her character. The situation itself is a interesting one and even though it has been done plenty of times and a couple already this year, it's one of those topics that never seem to get old because it's a constant problem in society and we are always fascinated by it.

What's Not Hot: Perhaps the only thing wrong with this movie is that it's too smart. The dialogue is over the top witty and everyone seems to be saving up their one liners for this situation. As a result, there are certain situations and responses which seem unnatural and forced. It's not a big deal but these people just doesn't seem like real people sometimes and I know what people in high school sound like. I was there. and Yes I know I sucked at English back in the day but I don't think anyone of my English speaking friends could pull off half the stuff theses characters pulled off. The other major concern for this film comes with the subplots that it opened up and never closed. There are plenty of relationship stuff with the family and that is supposed to adopt the child. That relationship was never completed or resolved properly especially with Juno and Mark. Hell, Juno and Vanessa didn't really have that moment as well to warrant what happened in the end. There are minor story lines that weren't very clear how it ended like with Juno and her best friend, Leah, and Leah and her not-so-secret crush. These are just all minor stuff but it's minor in that it could have been fixed with a couple of added scenes which would have given the film a much tidier finish and more closure.

Last Comments: Juno is one of those movies you go watch when you're sad or when you know someone is sad and you want to cheer them up. Granted, they'll probably be pretty sad for most of the film but the ending will turn it around no problem. The characters are smart and witty almost to a fault and the story has a few holes which could have been patched up with some small details but it doesn't take away from the main story which is a coming of age story as well as a love story which is super cute and also very meaningful for the subject of teenage pregnancy. The subject matter is something we can all relate to even if we haven't experienced it ourselves and it's always nice to see someone come through in the face of adversity because it gives us hope that if we ever make a mistake that can potentially scar us for the rest of our lives, it's nice to think that we will be able to make the right decision and be better for it.

Breaking It Down:
Story: 8.0 (Diablo Cody)
Direction: 7.0 (Jason Reitman)
Acting: 7.5
Cinematography: 8.4
Music/Sound: 9.0

Entertainment Value: 8.0