Subscribe
Previous Post
Movie: Juno * Official Site * Buy It on Amazon |
If you think a movie about teen pregnancy can’t be sweet and funny, then you need to see Juno. Under Jason Reitman’s skillful directing, this movie is smart and touching, and scored an Oscar for Diablo Cody’s thoughtful screenplay.
Other Oscar noms include Best Picture and Best Actress for the brilliant Ellen Page, whose hip dialogue and lightning timing make the movie what it is – a feel-good flick with a few heartbreaking moments.
Page plays Juno MacGuff, a 16-year-old girl who learns she’s pregnant from a one-time sexual encounter with her best friend, Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera).
More after the jump!
Though she’d rather not be pregnant, Juno takes it all in stride – first considering an abortion, then deciding to see it through and give the baby up for adoption. After telling her dad (J.K. Simmons) and stepmom (Allison Janney), they set about finding potential parents for the baby.
Juno strikes gold in the ad section of the local Penny Saver: Mark (Jason Bateman) and Vanessa Loring (Jennifer Garner) are a yuppie couple living in the suburbs. Vanessa is a little obsessive-compulsive, but Juno finds a kindred spirit in Mark, with whom she shares a love of grunge music and horror films.
But all is not peachy with this couple. With the prospect of her baby going to a broken home, Juno has to figure out the best path to take.
Try not to miss this movie. Trust me on this. And after you see it, let me know what you think.
DVD Extras: 20 minutes of deleted/expanded scenes with or without without commentary from Reitman and Cody. One features Page performing a song on guitar. Featurettes look at Cody, the teen actors, Reitman, and the movie in general. There’s also a music video in which the cast poses and “jams” with a rock song, as well as some gag segments with the cast.
Parents Should Know: This movie contains plenty of sexual references, but little is seen onscreen. Language includes colorful phrases and words. In short, it’s best for kids 15 and older (even though the rating is PG-13).
Check out the trailer:
Image: Juno, Fox Searchlight, 2008
i assumed Juno was directed by the same guy that directed Knocked Up, because it’s about unexpected pregnancy and Michael Cera stars as Juno’s boyfriend (he was in Superbad, a close relative of Knocked Up).