juno

Juno

U.S. Release Date: 12/5/07 (limited)
Running Time: 1:32
Rated: PG-13 (Profanity, sexual content)

Cast: Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Allison Janney, J.K. Simmons

Director: Jason Reitman
Screenplay: Diablo Cody
Music: Mateo Messina
Studio: Fox Searchlight Pictures

Juneau is the capital city of Alaska. Juno is the Roman name for the queen of the Olympian gods who served as the goddess of women and childbirth. Juno is also the tale of a pregnant sixteen-year-old. Oddly enough, Jason Reitman’s Juno does not take place in Alaska.

After Juno MacGuff (Ellen Page) drops her cherry-covered panties and has sex with her friend, Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera), she is faced with an unplanned pregnancy. Juno initially considers abortion, but later converts to the idea of giving the baby up for adoption.

When Juno discovers an endearing husband and wife’s picture in the local “Pennysaver,” she decides to meet the adoptive couple. At their meeting, Juno agrees to give Mark (Jason Bateman) and Vanessa Loring (Jennifer Garner) her child and opts for a closed adoption. However, as her trimesters progress, Juno learns more about Paulie, Mark, and Vanessa’s viewpoints, which impact the ultimate outcome.

Juno takes place over four seasons (autumn, winter, spring and summer in that order). To think that this ordered progression is coincidental is laughable. Juno’s nine months with-child plays out as follows: she descends in autumn, becomes cold in winter, and births a child in spring. What’s more, the movie ends right around the time that June could be the month on the calendar. June, the sixth month of the Gregorian calendar, is also named after the goddess Juno, wife of Jupiter and protector of marriage.

Diablo Cody’s script contains some of the freshest dialogue in years. With quotes like, “that [pregnancy test] ain’t no etch-a-sketch; this is one doodle that can’t be undid,” and the conversation about growing a mustache, Juno is hip and edgy. The very manner in which Juno speaks is intriguing and offbeat, and by placing the picture’s memorable lead into countless memorable situations, Juno is a production to cherish.

With its cartoon-scribbled credits and sweet “indy” charm, Juno is billed as a cross between Napoleon Dynamite and Little Miss Sunshine. In fact, a Jon Heder look-alike appears as one of Juno’s lab partners. And, while you won’t be seeing any dancing at the climax, Juno is much more esteemed and deserving to take home multiple Oscars than last year’s overpraised Little Miss Sunshine.

What is most fascinating about Juno is watching the title character learn, grow, and develop into the kind of girl she wants to be. More than anything, Juno is about the longevity of relationships and upending the tradition of falling in love first then procreating. It models an unplanned pregnancy as a speed bump and a blessing in disguise. When Juno asks her father, “[Is it] possible that two people can stay happy together forever?” We want to hold her hand and convince her that it’s possible.

With nothing to complain about from Page, Cera, Garner, Bateman or otherwise, Juno proves to one of the best motion-pictures that 2007 has to offer. Specifically, add Page’s pitch-perfect portrayal to an intelligently comedic script, and you arrive at the entertainingly real Juno. And best of all, “It started with a chair,” and “it ended with a chair.”