Juno: The Intro

One of my friends described Juno as Knocked Up from the woman's perspective in an effort to get someone else to see the film with us. It was an amusing summary, but ultimately incorrect. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed Knocked Up very much, but while it does have a heartwarming story, it lacks the depth of Juno.

Juno tells the story of 16-year-old Juno MacGuff, a snarky teenager who gets pregnant after a one-nighter with her best friend, Paulie. The movie takes place over the course of a year, chronicling Juno's search for a family to adopt her baby as well as her now awkward dealings with Paulie. Early on, she finds Mark and Vanessa, a couple who cannot have a child of their own, and are very willing to adopt Juno's baby. Things seem perfect, and it would seem that now all the movie has to do is focus on her school troubles. Obviously, the seemingly perfect couple isn't, but in a strange move, the school storyline takes a back seat to Juno's dealings with Mark and Vanessa. From their first scene, there is an air about Vanessa that is unsettling, while Mark is shown as a kindred spirit to Juno. They are both fans of punk rock, bad horror films, and wish that they could be rock stars. Vanessa is much more grounded in reality, seeing Mark's loves as boyish fantasies, which may be harsh, but are probably correct.

Juno and Paulie's story is sadly too short in the 90-minute film, but the scenes they do have together are great (plus, I always love seeing Arrested Development's Michael Cera). Ellen Page and Cera had a great chemistry, and played their roles in a way that was both smart and accurate. Juno especially speaks in a way that may be too smart for teenagers, but both actors portray the emotions their characters feel in ways that actual teenagers would: immaturely. At first, neither of them can really appreciate the gravity of the pregnancy, and when the hormones take over, neither one can appropriately address Juno's concerns (this will be more fully addressed in an upcoming post). Of course, everyone in the film does a great job in their roles (J.K. Simmons does not get nearly enough screen time), but I had to give special recognition to Page and Cera.

Juno sounds like a very by-the-numbers film, and in some ways, it is. The ending is in no way a surprise, and of course, the "twists" (if we can call them that) are to be expected. Juno's preferred adoptive parent changes by the end of the film, and Mark's decision can be seen coming a mile away. But while these things often detract from films, I think that these actually help Juno succeed. The wit of the film is worth seeing it alone, but watching the character interactions is what the film is about. Yes, Juno's preferred person changes, but it does so because Mark and Vanessa's behavior warrant the change. And Juno's relationship with Paul evolves in a way that makes what would be a trite ending into exactly what we want to see.

But my favorite aspect of the character interactions is the fact that the film bucks the idea of "good" guys and "bad" guys. Where most movies would shine a negative light on the people we are supposed to dislike, Juno the film does not force us to dislike the characters that Juno the character dislikes.

Up next: beyond black and white...