Movie Review - Juno

Juno
Writer: Diablo Cody
Director: Jason Reitman
Staring: Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jason Bateman, Jennifer Garner, Allison Janney, J.K. Simmons, Rainn Wilson

Ah the age old tale of a 16 year old girl getting knocked up.

Good times.

In the case of Juno, great times.

It is indeed the story of a precocious teenager named Juno, who in an act of supposed boredom has sex with one of her friends and gets pregnant. Juno is played by Oscar nominated Ellen Page (X Men: The Last Stand, Hard Candy). Page has easily become one of my favorite actresses working in Hollywood. She has such a simple charm and presence that makes her instantly believable and likeable. This is on full display in this movie. She owns every scene and brings this quirky character to life so perfectly that I almost expected her to step off screen into reality and berate me for my musical tastes.



I don’t want to give away too many plot details as I hate spoilers of any kind. But I can at least tell you that Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman play a couple interested in adopting Juno’s child. Garner’s character comes of as controlling and harsh but her journey and pain in this movie is palpable. It was really touching to see how this turns out and Jennifer Garner gives a nuanced and exemplary performance. Bateman as usual is brilliant. I can’t praise him enough and can’t imagine him being exiled to the 80’s. Michael Cera is at his geeky best in this. He always seems to be the same kind of odd ball character but they always seem to have some hair of difference that keeps his performances fresh. I really enjoy his work and think he has a great future ahead of him. If you haven’t seen the hilarious Clark and Michael web series, I suggest finding it. The cast is rounded out by Rainn Wilson, who is funny in his one scene, Allison Janney and J.K. Simmons who play Juno’s parents. I am a fan of both of these actors and they are both quite funny in this.

Another star of this movie is the soundtrack. It’s stunning. I heard the soundtrack before I saw the movie and I completely fell in love with it. It might even have boosted my enjoyment of the movie.

I can’t think of a single complaint. The direction was perfect. Jason Reitman did a phenomenal job. The script was amazing and Diablo Cody is well deserving of her Oscar Nod. In all Juno landed four nods including Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay.

If I had to pick right this moment, I’d call them all for Juno.

It’s a simple story told incredibly well. The final scene of the movie was so incredibly perfect and tied a neat little bow on the movie for me. I just felt so good after watching it. It’s euphoric. It’s funny and touching and has shot to the top of my list of best movies of 2007. I have a few to catch up on yet but something tells me Juno will be hard to beat.