7/10
Author: Kevin Kurtz Date: 1/22/08 Time: 12:45PM
Juno is about a 16 year old girl (named Juno, played by Ellen Page) who accidentally gets pregnant her first time having sex. I usually try to not be biased when writing things of this sort, but in this case it is very difficult. I LOVE Ellen Page! I think she is one of the most beautiful women in existence. So, it makes it really hard for me to write an honest review, because truthfully, even if the movie had been the worst I've ever seen, I would probably still like it. Regardless, it was a good movie. I thought it was very sweet, and a joy to sit through. I'll tell you a little more about the story and then go into my thoughts on different aspects of the production.
You begin the movie seeing Juno standing on her front lawn drinking a ridiculous amount of Sunny-D. She is drinking so much because she needs to be able to urinate again to take another pregnancy test. She walks to her corner store and grabs what they call a "pee stick". This was her third test and it convinces her she is indeed pregnant. She decides to get an abortion, but she backs out at the last moment and decides to have the baby, but not keep it. She wants to give it up for adoption. She finds a nice couple in the "Penny Saver" which is local classifieds basically. She tells her parents she is pregnant and then meets with the perspective parents and their lawyer. I won't say anything else about the actual story, all of this takes play in the first half an hour or less. From then on you are just following her through her pregnancy, love life, and the life of this couple.
I was laughing the great majority of this film. The character of Juno is quite funny. She is morose, but at the same time happy, sweet yet a total b*tch. It is very interesting to watch. She is sarcastic, mean, and yet has a heartwarming smile. I'm not entirely sure a person like this can exist, but I have a friend who comes pretty close and it is nonstop fun. If the movie had just been audio, it would still have been pretty good, the writing was not bad at all. Now, on the other hand, if you are not an indie film type of person (good example is SLC Punk, if you don't like that type of movie, told about one character learning something valuable) then this movie is probably not for you. I, however, will take the sweet and funny movie over the big Hollywood drama any day.
There is one thing about this film that REALLY bothered me. That was the soundtrack. At first, the songs are the most annoying things ever heard. They are very "guy, sitting on a bench in the park, just playing the guitar and singing along randomly"ish… if that makes any sense. But, believe it or not, after about 45 minutes to an hour they begin to grow on you. By the end of the movie you are loving it. Now, this may just be me, so don't take my word for it, just watch and see, but I will probably buy the soundtrack now that I am done with the movie. I didn't realize I liked that type of music, but it gets to you pretty quickly. Juno (Ellen Page) even sings one of them at the end (usually she's more of a rock girl).
There of course were no special effects, except the open scene turns her into a cartoon as she walks to the corner store, which was kind of cute. They really weren't needed anywhere, that's the glory of this type of film, it's all dialog and story that drives it. Nothing special with the video either. Nothing worth mentioning anywhere, would have been just as good of a film if it had been recorded on someone's old VHS camera. Not that the quality was bad, looked as good as any other film, but there was no computer enhancements for anything, which was again unnecessary. This movie was about as simple as it gets, back to the basics. Music and Story. But great story!
In conclusion, since most of you are probably only reading the last paragraph of this whole review just to get a feel for the movie I'll sum up. It got a 7/10 because the story was amazing, the characters were lovable, but it was a little slow in the middle (what movie isn't) and the soundtrack was really annoying at first (it grows on you). If you are a fan of indie films, this is right down your alley. If you are a fan of sweet movies, also definitely want to look into this film. But, if you are a fan of things blowing up and killing, probably not your style. All depends on what you are looking for, but I was very satisfied. 7 out of 10 on a film of this nature is great in my book. Rent it, probably even worth buying, but see it in somehow. It's worth your time. And don't give up on it, just grab another soda and make it through the longer scenes. You will be fine.
