Juno

Juno

Juno McGuff is an upfront, foul mouthed teenager who suddenly finds herself pregnant by ne’er-do-well schoolmate Paulie. She decides straightaway to get rid of the burden, but fearing a traumatic abortion she keeps the bump growing and plans to give the baby away for adoption.

Vanessa and Mark are an upper class, sterile (in many ways) couple who would love to have Juno’s baby .

But as the bump grows, Juno ( Ellen Page )  is surrounded by supportive family and friends and her final decision on her life and the baby’s proves that she is more mature than she thinks. All’s well what ends well.

How can you not like this film? Colourful, sweet, funny, studded with killer songs that span from Hole to Belle and Sebastian, well written and well acted.

But the qualities of Juno are also its limits: the weight of the script soon becomes tiring, its ecumenical goody-goody attitude sounds slightly phoney and you start asking if anyone has seen the director around.

Jason Reitman was surely lucky to have Diablo Cody’s script on his table, but the nondescript way he puts it on screen leaves his chances for a bright career on hold.

The characters are all skilfully created and developed, except for Juno herself, who is just another teenager with a spark in her brain and some smart-tongue attitude.

This said, Juno is definitely an enjoyable movie for a night out and treats the traditionally dramatized theme of teenage pregnancy with unusual levity.
But - is this enough for a Best Film Academy Award nomination? 

Rating

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