Juno is a film that charms and delights from start to finish, with a mesmeric lead performance by Ellen Page, a rock solid supporting cast and a story that has the ability to make you both laugh and make you cry in equal measure. I didn't know quite what I was going to think about this, I normally have a hard time putting up with your typical indie rom-com, but I'd heard great things about this one and decided it was about time I gave it a chance.We are introduced to the character of Juno as a naive, carefree teen, smarter than most her age, quick witted, yet obviously still quite immature. Her predicament is a familiar one to us 21st century humans - she has accidentally fallen pregnant after a one off sexual encounter with her dorky best friend Paulie Bleaker. I was worried that the story would progress into overtly political territory, or simply play on the stereotype of teenage pregnancy and try and find some cheap laughs in it. Thankfully, director Jason Reitman managed to sidestep these pitfalls and make a film that is both comically and emotionally engaging, with a lead character who grows up substantially in the modest 96 minutes that the movie exists within.
What impressed me most about Juno was the growth that we see young this young girl undertake. After deciding not to have an abortion, she haphazardly defaults to putting the baby up for adoption. She finds the perfect couple, Vanessa and Mark, and the main bulk of the movie is spent looking at how all of them handle the weight of responsibility that has been suddenly put on their shoulders. In the first half of the film, Juno seems rather emotionally inept to the whole situation. She is only 16 after all. We see her treating the whole thing as if it means nothing, whilst all the adults around her know and understand that this won't be as easy as it seems. The first act is where we get the majority of the comedy. Juno's father Mac, played by J.K Simmons reacts hilariously to the news, "I'm going to punch that Bleaker kid in the wiener when I see him". Juno struggles to come to terms with what it really means. She understands conceptually the true meaning of adoption, but hasn't yet realised how hard the whole thing will eventually prove on an emotional and logistical level.
The second act is where things get more interesting. Juno becomes well acquainted with both Vanessa and Mark, learning that maybe there is more than meets the eye when it comes to their relationship. Vanessa is depicted as someone who is on an emotional knife edge the entire movie, paranoid about losing the chance to adopt the baby, which eventually drives her to become very reactive. Mark is Vanessa's opposite, closer to Juno in his chilled out attitude to the adoption. I found this to be an interesting dynamic to observe, especially watching the scenes where Juno appears to inadvertently drive a wedge between them just by turing up at their house unannounced. This showed me just how fragile these kind of procedures can be to go through, and how both extremes - being too laid back or being too sensitive can lead to dramatic breakdowns in communication, or even entire relationships.
As we get into the final act and things start to become even more complicated, Juno is suddenly struck with the emotional weight of what is happening to her. What she thought was going to be very simple turns out to be the hardest thing she's ever had to go through. I think the movie really earned this emotional release and I genuinely felt for Juno as she contemplates just how much the baby means to her. It is rare that I come across a romantic comedy nowadays that respects its characters enough to give them a proper arc. In this film I think we see 3 clear character arcs in Juno, Vanessa and Mark, who all learn something about themselves as the film moves on. I also think that a happy ending is rarely given enough credit and indeed, is not always warranted, but in the case of Juno I thought it fit perfectly with the spirit of the movie and its central character.
The film would not have worked nearly as well if it wasn't for a certain aesthetic that I'm sure Reitman and the cinematographers worked very hard to achieve. The colour palette is warm and suburban, and overall it feels like a film that is making a concerted effort to be a bit quirky. This is reinforced by the acoustic soundtrack, with contributions from Kimya Dawson and Antsy Pants, among others. These deliberate hipster tropes are sure to piss some people off, and I understand why. There have certainly been films where I have lodged the same criticisms. In the case of this though, I found myself really enjoying the songs primarily because they felt well placed and spaced out, adding to the scenes instead of just being a cinematic indulgence. There is nothing that special to be said about the cinematography in Juno, but it does include some gems that you can't help but be drawn into. The title sequence was a particular highlight, which was made up of 900 hand cut images of Juno walking to the shop to get her pregnancy test.
Much of the credit for Juno has to be given to the screenwriter Diablo Cody, who wrote it based on many of her high school experiences. The script got the balance just right in terms of drama and comedy, partly I felt because there was substantial crossover between the two. The emotional scenes always had a vague comedy to them and the comic scenes felt like they were grounded in a more meaningful context, which really helped to benefit both.
The acting was of a similar caliber. Ellen Page gives one of the best performances I've seen in a romantic comedy as Juno, handling nearly every scene with equal measures of nuance and intensity. Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner play Mark and Vanessa, and both do a good job. Garner especially gives a wonderful performance, making what could have been a really annoying character into someone that we can empathise with by the end. I thought Micheal Cera was going to be in this movie more than he was, but the scenes he is in are really good. He is sidelined for most of the it, despite being the father. I think they could get away with this partly because his character is made out to be very shy and inoffensive. By the end though we get to see him and Juno reunite, which felt appropriate and heartfelt considering what they had to go through. The supporting cast were also very good. I've already mentioned J.K Simmons, who does his thing as Mac, along with stepmother Bren, played by Allison Janney. I can't think of a single performance that felt misplaced or underwhelming, which is really unusual in a movie of this kind.
I have no major criticisms of Juno. It is not a world changing film, but it really did make me think about the complexity of issues like teenage pregnancy and adoption in a deeper way. These are topics that are easy to reduce to numbers and statistics a lot of the time, especially nowadays as rates of both are increasing. This film explores these themes with the respect that they deserve, reminding us that every case is different. Tonally, it is a pretty light-hearted movie, and none of the characters are there just to disgust or shock us, but it is also not afraid to expose the reality of such situations or the impact it has on the people within them. I often find it funny when people say that rom-coms can't be as good as more serious films. I think this is certainly proof that they can be, as long as sufficient emphasis is put on the basics - characters, story arcs and style. Juno achieves in all of these areas and many more. I implore you all to see it, and rejuvenate your love for this polarising genre of film.
Acting: 90
Narrative: 90
Visuals: 85
Music: 80
Overall: 86/100
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