Juno

[Jared]

I usually start threads about movies nobody has seen or heard of, and this one is probably no different.

"Juno," a comedy directed by Jason Reitman, opened to fabulous reviews at the Telluride Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival and will be released on December 5.

If you haven't seen the trailer, the film is about a teenage girl named Juno (Ellen Page), who discovers she was impregnated by her best friend, Paulie (Michael Cera). Juno decides to have the baby and give it to a promising couple, played by Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman.

Most years, the academy tries to give a Best Picture nomination to a fun, light movie like "Little Miss Sunshine." "Juno" may be that film this year.

From what I've read, Page's performance is absolutely incredible, and might garner her a nomination for Best Actress. If she won, she'd be the youngest winner ever, at the age of 20.

We're quickly careening toward the nominations. Anyone else looking forward to "Juno?"

[NotaGeek]

I am totally looking forward to this movie. I didn't make a thread for this movie (and TOTAL Oscar favorite) because I think that the theme of the movie may not be very "INTERCOT" friendly ... let's proceed with caution please. :thumbsup:

[Jared]

I wasn't trying to start a debate, and I considered not posting, but the movie looks too good. Let's keep the conversation about the film, not about individual beliefs on teenage pregnancy.

[Aggie97]

I DEFINITELY am looking forward to "Juno"! It's on my must-see list. The real question is how long it will take to show up at a theatre near me. :)

[2Epcot]

I ended up at work about 5 hours earlier then I needed to be there today (my mistake) so I went a few blocks down the street to see Juno today.


From what I've read, Page's performance is absolutely incredible, and might garner her a nomination for Best Actress.

The young actress Ellen Page, was very good in her role for this movie. She will most likely get a nomination for the part. Her performance was very natural.

While the film is definately an adult themed film, not something for younger kids. I thought it was very well done. Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner were great as the parents looking to adopt a child ... Allison Janney was also wonderful as the stepmother.

I enjoyed the film, I thought it was good, not great, but probably worthy of a nomination. The movie did have a similar feel to it as the movie Little Miss Sunshine, and contains about the same amount of adult language and themes.

[DizNee143]

this looks like a great movie...
i dont go out to see many movies..so i probably wont go out to see it..but once it comes out im sure ill buy it..it really caught my eye!!

[pink]

I just saw Juno the other day. I've heard people rave about it and I wanted to see what the buzz was all about. (It's currently nominated for best actress- Ellen Page and best motion picture.)
The movie wasn't as good as I expected it to be and was pretty short (about 90 minutes) However, there were many times I laughed at loud and the main girl, Juno (Ellen Page) did an excellent job. :thumbsup:
The only problem I had with the movie was I don't know if they portrayed the concept of the seriousness of pregnancy as much as they should have and they seemed to glorify it in a way. Juno seemed to be a little too "cool" and "calm" about her situation and I'm not saying that not a bad attitude to have, I just don't think an average pregnant sixteen year old girl would act that way.
On the other hand, I went with my boyfriend and he was completely convinced that it was a chick flick but he actually ended up liking it as well.

Anybody else see it? :mickey:

[mjaclyn]

I just returned from seeing this movie and I was extremely disappointed. I don't know why it received such rave reviews...I saw it with my mom and sisters thinking it was going to be a 'chick flick'. I was almost embarrassed seeing it with my youngest sister who is 15. I agree with the previous poster that it glorified teenage pregnancy rather than portray it in a way that was more realistic. I didn't like it at all.

[Jared]

I'm probably screening "Juno" and "Charlie Wilson's War" tomorrow, so I'll report back. It seems like the critics enjoyed this picture more than the general population. Roger Ebert named it his top film of the year. I expect it to crack my top 10, but I expected the same of "Atonement," which seriously disappointed me.

[NJDad]

Well, the wife and I loved it. Laughed and cried.

As for it being short, that's a plus for us. I'll take 90 minutes of Juno over 3 1/2 hours of POTC 2 or 3.

[Jared]

Teenage pregnancy is in this year, I guess.

Ellen Page deserves all the attention she's getting, and I see an Oscar in her future. Actually, I see more than one little man coming for the hilarious comedy, "Juno," which has quickly become one of my favorite films of the year.

Page is blessed with one of the most emotive and expressive young faces I've seen on screen in a while, and I hope her career continues to grow. She is truly a treasure, and she turns the title character a perfectly wacky high schooler clearly in over her head.

First-time screenwriter Diablo Cody manages to keep the dialog fresh. None of the characters fit into the traditional teenager movie mold, especially Juno's parents, and we learn that right away. I absolutely adore the scene when Juno asks her father about the power of everlasting love.

Sure, it sometimes sacrifices authenticity with hipster exchanges, but so what? Even the ultra-cool stuff worked.

Another poster said she doesn't think Juno reacts to her situation the way an average 16-year-old pregnant girl would, and I agree, but Juno is not your average 16-year-old girl. She's smart -- but not nearly as smart as she thinks she is. One of the real endearing parts of this film is watching Juno understand that she doesn't know everything like she thought.

Comedies don't usually fare well in the Best Picture category, and I don't think this film should win. "Atonement", a movie I didn't love, is probably the front-runner right now.

Regardless, I think "Juno" is a delightful picture.

[FlaTinkRAMESAM]

I thought it was absolutely hilarious and wonderful and really charming. I was pregnant at 19 and while not the 16 that Juno was, still very young, and I don't think that it at all "glorified" teen pregnancy. It sucked, and she knew it, as clearly stated in the beginning. But she wanted to make something positive of it by adopting the baby out. Not sure how that glorifies teen pregnancy, but to each his own...

Ellen Page is amazing and has done some really dark movies in the past (anyone see Hard Candy? Very limited theatrical release--very touchy subject matter...) so it oddly a change of pace for her, yet keeping with the indie spirited films she has taken on before. I'll be surprised if she doesn't at least get an Oscar nod... a win would be wonderful for her.

[dmosher]

After her performance in Hard Candy I can't wait to see this one. Sadly, in New Zealand it has not yet been released, so I have to wait.
:pipes:
D

[ChipnDaleGal]

My daughter and I saw it yesterday, and we both really enjoyed it. Great cast and very clever dialog. I didn't feel in anyway it glamourized teen pregnancy. In fact, just the opposite. The way Ellen Page portrayed Juno seemed very "real" and I would think many teenage girls could relate to her and really see that is not a road they would want to go down. Excellant movie. :thumbsup:

[FlaTinkRAMESAM]

My daughter and I saw it yesterday, and we both really enjoyed it. Great cast and very clever dialog. I didn't feel in anyway it glamourized teen pregnancy. In fact, just the opposite. The way Ellen Page portrayed Juno seemed very "real" and I would think many teenage girls could relate to her and really see that is not a road they would want to go down. Excellant movie. :thumbsup:

EXACTLY! I mean, nothing shse did or experienced was pleasant. She just had a sense of humor.

[Aggie97]

My husband and I saw Juno a couple weeks ago and loved it. We thought it was hilarious, quirky and touching. Exactly what we were hoping for - I'd definitely recommend it. :)

[Tinkerbella]

FlaTinkRAMESAM, I did see Hard Candy. It was a very touchy subject but I thought Ellen Page was fantastic in it!

She was also great in Juno! I loved this movie. I took the BF who was none to thrilled to see this with me and we both thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm sure that our both being fans of Rainn Wilson helped too!

I didn't get the impression that this film glorified teenage pregnancy at all. I got the feeling that all this film tried to portray was one single story of a girl coming to grips with her own pregnancy. I didn't feel like it had any other intentions that just that. Had this movie been about multiple teenage girls getting knocked up I would change my opinion. :soapbox: ....Sorry, I'm done now. Didn't mean to offend anybody!

Meagan

[Advnt05]

My wife and I enjoyed the movie as well. My wife was more creaped out by the husband more than the teen pregnancy.
Very enjoyable movie and worth while seeing. I think there are several subject lines going on that are well portrayed.

[2Epcot]

Great, well written review, as always Jared.


Comedies don't usually fare well in the Best Picture category, and I don't think this film should win. "Atonement", a movie I didn't love, is probably the front-runner right now.

I haven't seen "Atonement" yet, but I agree with you about comedies. Very few comedies have won Best Picture, and I do feel like there are some that have deserved to win, but are often overlooked. I'm not sure Juno is one of those fims. I would love to see the Academy of Motion Pictures have a seperate Best Picture Comedy category, just as the Golden Globes do.

[May524]

I just saw this movie over the weekend...SO funny! I'm also expecting, so seeing things on the teen pregnancy side was another way of looking at things. It was hilarious, I'm so happy I saw it. I thought Jennifer Garner was great, as well as Ellen Page. I'd like to see it again or buy it once it's on DVD.

[Jared]

I would love to see the Academy of Motion Pictures have a seperate Best Picture Comedy category, just as the Golden Globes do.
I've often thought about if adding a separate category for comedies and musicals in the Oscars would work, like you mentioned. It would be fun to see "Sweeney Todd," "Juno," "Knocked Up," "Superbad," and "Hairspray" all compete for one award (sorry if I missed any good movies -- I was just listing off the top of my head).

But I wonder if having two films honored as the best picture of the year would be frustrating. It's satisfying seeing one movie at the top, and then either agreeing or disagreeing with the selection. I still think the best solution is for the voters to start considering comedies as strong movies, especially good ones like "Juno."

[Lacy]

My wife and I enjoyed the movie as well. My wife was more creaped out by the husband more than the teen pregnancy.


I agree with your wife. I was far more disturbed by the husband than the teen pregnancy. I found it to be a very enjoyable movie and showed that positive things can come from a difficult situation. I don't think it glamorized it as all as it showed her missing things like prom, etc. I also thought it was great in that it accurately portrayed how teenagers aren't always aware of what's going on even though they think they know everything. The more I think about it the more I like this movie and will definitely see it again.

I also agree with the pp who said a short movie is a good thing.

[NotaGeek]

After WEEKS off the movie theater scene I made it to Juno today. I loved it! Totally funny, good acting and I really laughed at all the "hipster talk" ... hysterical.

I think the movie handled the theme of the movie really well. It's a difficult subject, and I think that you could really see the struggle that Juno had with ALL the options.

[PirateLover]

Saw it today, definitley enjoyed it but I think it's become a bit overhyped. That being said I totally disagree about it glorifying teenage pregnancy. I mean she does talk about the fact that she is laughed at and pointed at and talked about behind her back in school all the time. They don't focus on it because it's obviously not the focus of the movie. She's a quirky girl and I definitely had a friend in high school that I could see behaving kind of the same way. I think though it was unrealistic for her not to be upset at first. While none of my friends were pregnant as teens there were a few "scares" and pregnancy tests, and I can't remember one person being chill about it. Other than that I think that her performance, especially towards the end of the pregnancy, was very believable and real.