By Linda Bolard-Winsh
Sixteen years old named Juno (after Zeus’ wife, no less) has tongue sharper than circular saw, harsh way of dealing with life and little experience. However little that is, it still got her pregnant.
Juno’s first reaction is to get an abortion at that one clinic where she doesn’t need her parent’s signature. But once she gets there, meeting a protesting co-student outside, she looses her resolve and decides to put her baby up for adoption.
Juno and her best friend pick a couple out of Pennysaver, and Juno’s Father takes her to meet them.
They are well off couple, Mark and Vanessa Loring (Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman), who tried for a baby and failed. They have large house, antiseptically pretty, competent attorney and steady income. They offer all the usual and are open to more.
Juno wants little as long as it is over as soon as possible, and it looks like everything is set.
Only life rarely goes as you expect.
The film goes by in fast, well-edited tempo that does not bore. It has a very nice opening credits section and some nicely staged events and titles within the story. Juno offers plenty of sharp word exchange, step mom is as good a giver as Juno, some growing pains within a suburban school and an ordinary but forever helpful family settings.
There is some contrast with the living situation of the prospective adoptive parents of the unborn. They better off financially but lack in the stability. The husband, and they must be in their thirties, has stopped mentally growing years ago and it takes toll on the marriage.
There is good little scene when Juno tells him “But you are old!” “Is that how you see me? Then why do you come in here?” He asks genuinely surprised. Juno doesn’t seem to be able to explain the “why” yet it is evident she comes for comfort and reassurance that all will be well. A thing to remember, gentlemen.
It attempts to portray the odd girl out in a fresh light, as a tough, capable, reasonable and reflective girl who nevertheless has too little experience to understand how things really work in grown ups world. After all, she is still a kid. Ellen Page does a commendable job, she is perceptive actress who uses the usual teenage coolness in most situations but let’s slip enough of her own emotions into the role to make Juno human, but if you were once a girl, you simply doubt her character. There are remarks so far off of what any teenage girl would say that all women will pick up on them, and there female traits entirely missing in the character making Juno unreal. It is not Page’s fault that apparently neither the screenwriter, not the director ever witnessed any pregnancy, much less the misery of unmarried, in school teenage pregnancy. Supposedly the 29 years old Cody was first known as a blogger- her theme was her own strip dancing as a Brook Busey-Hunt. This is her first film script.
I was remembering similar plot from Eastenders where a teenage girl finds out that she pregnant too late for abortion, and also makes the choice of having her baby adopted. What and how she goes through the decision and the parting from her daughter, and how she is forever hurt by the loss, is much better portrayed and much more realistic.
Paul Cerro is again the geek; again he is a nice geek, a runner, who harbors more appreciation for Juno than he lets on. It is Juno who pushes things through. A bit ironic, considering that Paulie Bleeker also has a very resolute Mom.
Both, Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman, do well in their roles, Jennifer has little to do but play a woman who so badly wants a baby, she cannot even believe her luck, or the magic of a pregnancy. Jason Bateman’s character is much better developed and he makes Mark to come through as believable guy who never really wanted to grow up and sees not the baby, but the girl.
I have truly loved Juno’s parents, unsentimental, sharp edged and warmly real people, Allison Janney and J.K. Simmons are fine actors.
The music is descriptive and often enchanting, camera work is adequate.
I found it disturbing that the film portrays the pregnancy of a teenage girl, and the adoption process, as nearly painless. As almost a good thing that will provide somebody with much wanted child- even if it definitively not the parents of the baby. It rung so false because the misery of such situation is so enormous. I also found it dangerous that such adoption promotion would be so baldy ladled out by a man. And profoundly disturbing that it was picked for an Oscar, when it is certainly funny, but neither profound nor extraordinary, not even particularly good film- this year did produce better films- by largely male voters. It does seem to be an ideological choice, and possibly a harmful one. As for all those who find the film inspirational: how is a baby born to single mother and ending with single step mom an inspiration? To what precisely?
A Fox Searchlight release of a Mandate Pictures/Mr. Mudd production. Produced by Lianne Halfon, John Malkovich, Russell Smith, Mason Novick. Executive producers, Joe Drake, Nathan Kahane, Daniel Dubiecki. Co-producers, Jim Miller, Kelli Konop, Brad Van Arragon. Directed by Jason Reitman. Screenplay, Diablo Cody, Camera: Eric Steelberg,Original Music by Kymia Dawson.
Juno MacGuff - Ellen Page
Paulie Bleeker - Michael Cera
Vanessa Loring - Jennifer Garner
Mark Loring - Jason Bateman
Bren MacGuff - Allison Janney
Mac MacGuff - J.K. Simmons
Leah - Olivia Thirlby
