Juno Review
by Homer Yen (homer_yen AT yahoo DOT com)December 19th, 2007
"Juno" - Baby Phat
by Homer Yen
(c) 2007
I watch a cute film like "Juno" and I realize
something. I smile; I grin; I generally have a
fine time. Yet films like this don't necessarily
involve me. They don't sweep me up. They don't
compel me. But there's no denying that there's
an intelligent force at work. The material is
witty. The screenplay is attentive. The actors
convey their actions with subtle yet comedic
effect. It's the same kind of feeling I got from
watching other slice-of-life films like
"Waitress" or "Volver" for example.
It's almost like tasting cheese. And, I like
cheese. I prefer the sharpness of cheddar, which
would be like "Mean Girls". With swiss cheese, I
can take it or leave it, which would be like
"Sweet Home Alabama". And, I'm ok with anything
in between. "Juno" is high-quality
anything-in-between. And, I'm glad that I saw
it.
Much of my admiration rested on the titular
character's quick wit. 16-year old Juno (Ellen
Page) is the kind of girl that knows what she
knows. And yet she knows what she doesn't know.
And she readily and curtly admits it. And what
she does know is that she's "dealing with things
beyond [her] maturity level." This is because of
her unplanned pregnancy that comes as a result of
a tender moment together with her dorky
schoolmate/love interest, Paulie (Michael Cera).
Her road to motherhood is like a winding path
that reveals new frontiers. First, there is the
confession to her way-cooler-than-mine parents
(J.K. Simmons and Allison Janney). There is the
rumor mill that will be generated at her high
school. There is the confusion about how to cope
with her relationship with Paulie during these
trying times. Then there is the tough choice
among keeping the baby and raising it, giving it
up for adoption, or going to an abortion clinic.
In a life-mirrors-movies moment, I just read on
the OMG! website that the 16-year old younger
sister of Britany Spears, Jaime Lynn, is pregnant
with her high school boyfriend's baby. And, the
quotes from her in the article are a perfect
snapshot of "Juno" itself.
Jaime Lynn confesses, "Only one of my friends
knew because I needed to work out what I would do
for myself before I let anyone's opinion affect
my decision. Then I told my parents and my
friends. I was scared, but I had to do what was
right for me." Lynne Spears, the mother, already
grandmother to Britney's young sons, told the
magazine: "I didn't believe it because Jamie
Lynn's always been so conscientious. She's never
late for her curfew. I was in shock. I mean,
this is my 16-year-old baby."
"Juno" goes through all that. Moreover, she does
it with a very observant and frequently offbeat
way about it. Add in the various parts of high
school life, the hip and modern dialogue, a
wonderful cast of actors, and Ellen Page's keen
sense of timing and lovability, and you've got a
pleasant little film that is a bundle of joy.
Grade: B
S: 2 out of 3
L: 1 out of 3
V: 0 out of 3
____________________________________________________________________________________ Looking for last minute shopping deals?
Find them fast with Yahoo! Search. http://tools.search.yahoo.com/newsearch/category.php?category=shopping
Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
