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From the Past

Films on the to-do list

  • Armageddon Time
  • Black Widow
  • Chimes at Midnight
  • The Killing of a Sacred Deer
  • Last Christmas
  • Remember Sunday
  • Shazam! 2
  • Thor: Love and Thunder
  • Spy Guys

Juno (2007)

Film review: Juno (2007), directed by Jason Reitman

Snarky teenager Juno MacGuff (Ellen Page) and hapless schoolmate Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera) share a tender moment … leaving Juno pregnant. She’s not going to keep the baby, that’s very clear – after all, she’s just a child herself, really – but what to do?

Have someone else adopt it. Some people advertise for adoptive children, and in Juno’s case she settles for the Lorings: Vanessa (Jennifer Garner) and Mark (Jason Bateman). Vanessa desperately wants a child but is unable to have any, and Mark … well, he has a guitar and has a great taste in music, so he’s kinda cool.

But an awful lot of things can happen in nine months.

Also starring Allison Janney as stepmum Bren, J.K. Simmons as dad Mac, Olivia Thirlby as best friend Leah, and with a brief appearance from Rainn Wilson as a shop-assistant.

When the film came out, its writer (Diablo Cody) went from zero to hero. The dialogue sizzles (in a sort of Buffy way, which is perhaps not entirely realistic, but sounds great on film), and the film is really amusing, despite the serious subject of teenage pregnancy and abortion. The film is quirky (in a good way) and okay, while getting pregnant at age 16 isn’t the best thing to do, I’d still say Juno is a good role-model for girls. She’s determined, strong and you can’t put her down. She’s a fabulous character.

If you have somehow missed this film, please give it a go. It’s cute, it’s snarky, it’s great. I’m not sure what else to say, because I think it’s a really good little film with nice music, and it sparks a lot of questions about motherhood and relationships. Well-acted, well-scripted, just generally very well done.

5 out of 5 armchairs.

Traxy

An easily distracted and over-excited introvert who never learns to go to bed at a reasonable time. Enjoys traveling (when there's not a plague on), and taking photos of European architecture. Cares for cats, good coffee and Boardwalk Empire. A child of her time, she did media studies in school and still can't decide what she wants to be when she grows up.

4 thoughts on “Juno (2007)

  1. Usually when you’re going through the canon of old movies I saw in the theater you pick ones I’ve liked, but I have to say, when I saw this one my first reaction was that it was eerily unrealistic, sugary propaganda for the US prolife movement.

    1. I definitely agree with the unrealistic part, but I didn’t get the feeling it was pro-life propaganda. If it was, the campaigning schoolmate Juno meets outside the women’s centre would’ve been met with an “OMG YOU’RE RIGHT!” but the vibes Juno gives off is that the schoolmate is nothing short of an idiot, holding silly views, and she doesn’t chicken out until the last moment. But then again, I’m not in the US, and over here the pro-lifers don’t have much of a voice.

      1. One problem for a lot of pro-choice viewers was that she appeared relatively emotionally unscathed by the whole experience. Isn’t adoption wonderful? It’s an awfully rosy view.

        1. Indeed. Perhaps she was just a shallow teenager after all, even though she’s trying to be oh so deep? Or, we’re back to your original point, about it being unrealistic. 🙂

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