tsar65

(2013-05-21 22:31:39)

Juno is neither amusing nor touching

There's many problems with Juno, no matter where you stand on the teenpregnancy issue, that it shocks me how well this movie is beingreceived. Much of it could do with the tone set by the script anddirector; is it a comedy? No, despite the supposed "hip" culturalreferences and wisecracks there are very few laughs to be found in thisfilm. Is it a drama? Only if you consider awful made for the Lifetimetelevision network films moving because that's the level of the writinghere. The talented young actress Page tries to make the most out of thepseudo John Hughes meets Gilmore Girls lines she's given but it justdoesn't work. Instead the Juno character comes off as though she mayneed serious psychiatric help, but don't worry because she's so cuteand funny we'll be able to overlook her warped adolescent world view,or so the people behind this movie want us to believe.I never bought it for a second. Outside of Page and the neat openingcredits (for some reason director Reitman has a way with openingcredits like in his previous cinematic turkey Thank You forSmoking...and little else) this movie is cringe inducing cutesy poomovie-making at its worst. The parents of Juno are right out of anyJohn Hughes teen dramady from the eighties while the couple looking toadopt Juno's child are strictly paint by the numbers suburban zombies,especially Jennifer Garner's painfully clichéd wannabe mother. The restof the cast from Juno's high school friends to the secondary charactersthat pass in her life are equally uninteresting. For some reason thismovie is being compared to last year's sleeper Little Miss Sunshine butif you go and see Juno don't expect anything that good.

talk_of_angels

(2013-05-21 09:34:55)

movie about abortion?

someone above commented about watching a movie about abortion? if youknow it has Oscar nominations(well, had at the time) then maybe beforeyou comment you should actually read the synopsis of the movie. look atthe movie cover, since you obviously didn't watch the damn thing.there's obviously no abortion. i always figured that maybe the peoplegiving a review/critique/etc about a movie had the vaguest idea of theplot line. i have to admit that it bothers the hell out of me whenpeople actually try to give a professional critique of a movie thatthey obviously haven't seen. and as far as the comment about it being acomedy goes, Jesus man watch the freaking movie. don't try to act as ifyou're so much better then a movie that accidentally went mainstream.if you want to stick a comedy label on it i'd go with dark comedybecause it's a serious movie. i think you're pretty much the only oneto label it "another teen comedy". get real. it's not something thatyou watch if you want to have a good laugh. i think the thing thatmakes me smile is reading about how such and such a movie swept europewhen we all know you're in your underwear watching superbad. don't eventry to play.

votum76

(2013-05-15 10:48:53)

Very Good movie that people miss the point of.

OK a lot of the negative comments on this movie tend to follow the samebasic formula, this movie is not realistic and "NORMAL PEOPLE wouldn'treact this way". Did anyone stop to think that the point of this movie was specificallyNOT to imitate real life. Art can imitate life, or art can comment onlife or paint a picture of what the author thinks life should be.The situation is not ideal or what some would consider normal, theteenagers were totally irresponsible. and the parents did not freak outand scream and yell.Points I see good about the movie. While tons of movies have dealt withteenage pregnancy few have taken such a realistic tone on the subjectof abortion. It wasn't preachy and didn't push a pro-life or pro-choiceagenda on you she weighed both options and did what she felt was right,without resorting the the typical "NOONE should ever have a abortion ortheir evil crap"People dis this movie because of parents didn't scream and freak out.OK maybe that's normal but what good does it really do. does it makethe teenager not pregnant by ranting and raving at them, NO itaccomplishes nothing except for adding stress to a teenage girl whoalready knows she screwed up big time and makes it harder for them tomake good decisions. It's the screaming parents of the world that causepeople so ashamed of their mistake to get the help they need insituations like this. Maybe the parent's weren't normal but if and whenI'm a parent and if God forbid that happened to my teenager I reallyhope I could be as positive and helpful.Maybe it wasn't realistic but in the end she did what was best for herbaby, she gave it to someone that had the resources to take care of it.Some people need to realize that what's normal isn't always right andthe way we treat this subject and expect people to react is just plainWRONG.

dreaming_daysleeper

(2013-05-14 18:28:35)

a devil behind an angelic mask

reviews says it's quirky and fun... i say whoever stripper wrote thismovie sucks cows ass because it's promoting unwanted pregnancy andsilently saying it's OK to get pregnant because you're parents would becool about it and you can give it away like some kind of pet.juno, the lead girl has no goddamn fear nor she has any feelings/ hastotal disregard for everyone around her. plus she was somewhatportrayed as a bitch in heat. i mean she's pregnant and all and shesomewhat flirts with the would-be father of her unborn child.i wouldn't even recommend this for to teens to watch because of thenegative message it gives away amidst all the quirkiness and cutesy bsof this movie.this is some thrash you get from a stripper you might even get vd fromthe writer.

LGreer

(2013-05-11 23:00:12)

Here is the Deal

This movie is more a "rent at home" type movie. I will say good movie, not very enjoyable. I didn't like the fact that no one mentioned the pedophile that was thrown in the movie! What was that? I was so dissapointed when the adoptive father came onto that young girl. The director made it seem like it was so normal. I don't think I like the movie!

tardisblue

(2013-05-11 14:09:50)

Unbelievably Prententious

Reading reviews by critics, a common idea seems to be the one that it'sa "cool" light in which to portray teenagers "accurately". Wrong. I'm18 years old and was disgusted by the creation of stupid slang words inthe script in a bid to sound quirky. It's so sure of being "down withthe kids" , instead only proving how it doesn't get the youngergeneration at all. The basic plot and morals - that was fine. Teenagepregnancy is always full of tough decisions and it's an importantissue. I wouldn't be one to come away sure that what Juno had decidedwas wrong or right, it's up to the individual person. Performance fromJennifer Garner was nice enough but I was relieved when "Inception"came out and I saw that Ellen Page was actually capable. I don't thinkthe script was her friend, and it well and truly screwed up the moviefor me. If I hear one more critic describe it as "cool" or "quirky"...well, they're wrong.

safinahmed

(2013-05-09 06:01:02)

What's all the fuss about?

I was really excited to watch this movie after all the nominations,reviews, and ratings I saw around the Internet. Maybe it was my faultbecause I built it up a lot and then I got disappointed, but this is ajust an average movie. I can't even say it is good comedy, I was so inshock that I think I laughed two times the whole movie. The story ispredictable, and all the characters (except maybe Bleeker, and one ortwo more) are annoying (especially Juno) and really hard to believe intheir existence. The movie would only get any better if someone had ashotgun and killed Juno after the first 10 minutes. I think you shouldsee this movie, just to agree with me.

(2013-05-08 19:07:34)

Juno is the posterchild for spoilt, stupid teens.

I was conned into watching this garbage by my niece, because I suspect she likes to count the veins in my forehead. As a product, this ticks all the boxes, so to speak. As art or entertainment it is execreble. Garner and Simmonds are wasted on this utter slush. Juno (gobby and throttlable) is knocked up by her gormless embarrassment of a boyfriend (how this kid manages to find the door to get out in the morning is a mystery, let alone manage to impregnate this nauseating jailbait). "Why?" is also a mystery. And so this 'smart' teenager (and if she was so smart she wouldn't have gotten knocked up in the first place) sets out to blah, blah, blah..., panderd to by her weak, clueless middleclass parents.The premise and morality behind this movie are moronic. I can't speak for the U.S., but Britain really doesn't need this irresponsible trash. There is an adage you should remember - "if you're not condemning it, you're condoning it". America, switch on your TVs, and watch the news roll in about the disturbing debacle unfolding at your Gloucester Highschool. Trendies, bite me.Yours, Baby Cromwell, Nottingham, England.

Forever_21

(2013-04-18 21:01:26)

An intelligent and touching comedy

When Juno (Ellen Page) discovers she is pregnant at 16 she embarks on alife-affirming journey in which she discovers much about the reality ofrelationships and, of course, parenthood. After discovering perspectiveadoptive parents willing to raise her baby as their own, Juno tries tomaintain a semblance of normalcy during the nine months of herpregnancy in the hope that once the baby is born life can continue asif nothing had happened.This film is all about Ellen Page and her wonderful portrayal of theslightly twisted social misfit, Juno. Her performance is sublime anddespite her older looks she plays the sixteen year old brilliantly. Shedelivers the intelligent script naturally and with razor sharp wit.Without her this film would have had half the impact it did.This doesn't take anything away from Diablo Cody who has written asuperb social commentary which is genuinely funny. This is anintelligent comedy and definitely for the more mature audiences outthere, it never resorts to low-brow humour and is never crass, thereare no cheep laughs, no gratuitous nudity and no high school clichés.The humour is observational and many laughs stem from the dialogue,more importantly the humour feels natural, never does it feel forced orcontrived. This is genius writing.All of the support performances are equally superb. Michael Cera(Paulie) is excellent as the awkward teenage father who is not onlydealing with the pregnancy but is suffering all the more because of hisunrequited love for Juno. Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman are perfectas the adoptive parents struggling with a marriage on the brink offalling apart and Leah, the vastly more popular friend of Juno's, isplayed effortlessly by Olivia Thirlby.There is very little to dislike about this film, you can't help but getswept away by Juno herself and the vast array of colourful and richcharacters that encircle her. It's nice to have an intelligent andthought-provoking teenage comedy once in a while, especially in the seaof American Pie and American Pie wannabes. Highly recommended.

el_monty_BCN

(2013-04-17 23:27:48)

Nothing... happens...

"A 16 year old girl finds herself pregnant, and decides to give thebaby up for adoption." That might sound like the setup for a movie. Youwould assume that this sentence would be just the starting block for astory, and then lots of other things would take place. But not in thiscase. This sentence is actually the synopsis of the entire movie.There is almost no conflict at all in this story. Everybody loveseverybody, everybody is supportive of everything, everybody is justfine most of the time; the one glitch that comes up along the way andwhich enticingly threatens to derail the proceedings, is swiftlyresolved the next minute without much apparent consequence.So it's all very nice and heartwarming, but not really conducive to anengaging experience for the viewer. I'm not saying it is a terriblefilm, actually it flows along pleasantly (if you can put up with theinordinate abuse of quirky incidental music with absurd lyrics, which Isometimes had trouble with), but it barely makes a ripple as it goes.

(2013-04-16 17:32:02)

"I don't see what anyone else can see in anyone else..."

This review is from: Juno (Single-Disc Edition) (DVD) In the past month our local theater chain (we have but one in the Zenith City) has started listed "Critic's Choice" movies in their theater listing. The only two movies selected for such an accolade at the present time were the Coen Brothers' "No Country for Old Men" and "Juno." I have already told you everything I know about the former, but of the latter I had heard nothing. However, Roger Ebert's review of "Juno" appeared in the paper, and after scanning the first two paragraphs, where he calls it "just about the best movie of the year" and raves about Ellen Page's performance, I decided I wanted to see the movie. The accompanying photograph showed Page running down the stairs in front of her house in between Allison Janney and J.K. Simmmons. Recognizing the cast was enough to confirm my decision and I did not bother to read the caption for the photograph or the rest of the review. Consequently, I sat in the theater today to watch "Juno" without any idea of what it was about and I hope that some of you are fortunate enough to have the same experience because with all the time you know what a movie is supposed to be about and you are bitterly disappointed, being pleasantly surprised and falling in love with a movie is pretty sweet.So I am not going to say anything about what the movie is about, although as a teaching of Classical Greek & Roman Mythology I feel compelled to point out that Juno is the wife of Jupiter in Roman mythology and not in Greek mythology, where she is called Hera (Juno is a much better name for the lead character in this movie). I am going to say that first time writer Diablo Cody should win the Oscar for Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen on the basis of his dialogue in this movie. At first I was thinking that the dialogue is like a condensed compendium of the sort of language we enjoyed for seven seasons of "Buffy The Vampire Slayer," but that does not do Cody's dialogue justice. The last time I heard dialogue that made me set up and take notice it was probably Quentin Tarentino's "Pulp Fiction," but that was diction and timing rather than word choices. Probably the closest comparison is between "Juno" and "A Clockwork Orange," and that still does not do justice to the delightful verbiage that comes out of the mouths of these characters. The performance from the ensemble is stellar. Those who have been debating whether Dakota Fanning or Evan Rachel Wood is the best actress under 21 are going to have to include Ellen Page in the debate. I recognized her from "X-Men - The Last Stand" and Michael Cera from "Superbad," but clearly these roles go to the top of their resumes. I know there is a bandwagon for Page for an Oscar nomination, but Janney and Simmons should be touted for their superb supporting roles as well. "Juno" is the best thing that Jason Bateman has ever done and he is probably the biggest surprise here, although when Jennifer Garner's name came up in the opening credits I wondered what she was doing in this film, but seeing as how Bateman and Garner made "The Kingdom together immediately before filming their roles in "Juno," I suspect that might be the connection. I have to think that everybody who read this script, from director Jason Reitman ("Thank You for Smoking") to the entire cast immediately signup for the joy of making this film.The one thing to be aware of is that you should stay for the end credits just to check out the songs that are in this movie, although once the Antsy Pants start playing "Vampire" you should want to stick around. Be forewarned that "Juno" is one of those movies where you are going to want to get the soundtrack on the way home from the theater (or, um, download it as soon as you get home). The songs done for the movie are by Kimya Dawson, who is a perfect fit for Cody's screenplay, because she seems to be channeling Gilbert & Sullivan through postmodernist sensibilities. But the great thing about the soundtrack is that all of the key songs that either play in the background or are actually played by (or sung by) the characters in the film are on the CD. I should also mention that the shooting script is out there as well, if you want to read over the choice dialogue again while listening to the eclectic mix of songs on the soundtrack (while waiting for the movie to come out on DVD).

dave-sturm

(2013-04-16 04:39:11)

Pretend it's an obscure movie no one ever heard of

Bring an agenda to "Juno" and it's not going to work for you. If youwant to hear dialogue that sounds "real," stay home. Compare it to thehype, and be ready to be let down. And don't expect it to be "KnockedUp.""Juno" is a confection. It's a cotton candy movie. It's really just afleeting moment in time when the radiant Ellen Page happened tointersect with a witty script by Diablo Cody. It trades on charm.Nothing else.There are no lessons here, no real meaning. The peak emotional line inthe movie is "He is the cheese to my macaroni." Yet it works. Juno onher bike with the guitar strapped to her back saying that line just didme in. If you cannot see why that is, you are blind and deaf to movieart.BTW, having seen "Hard Candy," a completely different kind of movie, Ican say Ellen Page is a force to be reckoned with.

Kevin Carr

(2013-04-14 02:32:36)

The fact that the film deals with teenage pregnancy - and doesn't preach at all - is a feat of filmmaking.

Dezhda Gaubert

(2013-04-13 09:42:23)

It could be this year's Little Miss Sunshine, another funny, poignant and sincere take on family life served up with a raw indie sensibility.

bob the moo

(2013-04-12 19:22:44)

Walks a fine line between being clever and smug but mostly is smart, funny and touching with more to it than just superficial quirkiness

Juno is a sassy but geeky teen who is "sexually active" at age sixteen.When she gets pregnant with friend Bleeker, she decides to have anabortion but somehow the clinic just doesn't feel right and she goesfor the adoption route instead. With "perfect" couple Mark and VanessaLoring set up, the father kept secret and Juno's family supportive, itis only a matter of the seven or eight months between now and then togo.Juno had me a bit worried and I wasn't really planning to see it.Indie-spirited and described as "this year's etc etc" I didn't feelsure that it was being praised because it was good or praised becauseit was just a bit different and quirky. It took me about twenty minutesto get an answer to that because, although very cool, the openingcredits and soundtrack selection do scream "quirky" and "kooky" as ifit was having a sale of those qualities. Indeed this does continueacross the whole film as the dialogue is smart and rapid, thecharacters "off-beat" and the music slight and quirky. With this sortof material it is very easy to fall into the trap of just getting by onbeing cool and quirky and other similar films have done so. FortunatelyJuno just about makes it work even though it walks a very fine line attimes.For this director Reitman owes writer Cody a drink because the scriptproduces great characters and interesting scenarios across the ensembleapproach. Ultimately it will feel too insubstantial and quirky for someviewers but for me I was impressed by the way it drew out the variouscharacters and twisted things to be more downbeat and realistic ratherthan the upbeat, sassy stuff that makes up the majority of it. Not thatthere is anything wrong with this though, because it was the quirkytouch that got me into the film. In this area Reitman pulls it alltogether really well and, aside from the cosmetic touches, brings outgood performances from his cast. Page dominates the film and seems tofind sassy Juno effortless; however she is also good in the harder,more emotional moments – my favourite being in the basement scene whereshe betrays her fragility. Cera is currently hot so makes the posterbut really his role is small and mainly relies on him looking funny inshorts (which he does). His Arrested Development father Bateman is goodand I liked how he held his character constant while allowingcircumstances to totally change the perception of the audience. Garnerdoes the same but in the opposite direction and her damaged, stressedcharacter is convincing and real. Janney and Simmons are both strong insmaller roles on the "quirky" side of the material while the rest ofthe cast tend to be well observed minor characters (eg Su-Chin, Vijay,Bleeker's mum) that continue the quirky independent feel.Overall then, Juno does walk a fine line and I totally understand whysome viewers will find it unbearably smug and full of its owncleverness but for me it actually has enough going on within itself toavoid being just a load of quirky characters, songs and dialogue. Pageis great in the title character and the ensemble cast all turn in goodperformances while the script gives everyone plenty to work with. Notthe second coming that some proclaim it as but certainly not thesuperficial quick-fest that others say it is – the truth is somewherein the middle and it is very enjoyable and effective while performingthis balancing act.

zgringa

(2013-04-12 10:54:24)

Is it worth all the hype?

While I would admit that there were definitely a few laugh-out-loudmoments in Diablo Cody's dialogue, there were a lot of inconsistencieswith her characters. Is Juno being portrayed as a "wise beyond heryears" 16 year-old, or are we supposed to understand that she is justyour typical teen who acts on impulse without forethought of theconsequences? She seems mature when she is faced with a very difficultsituation (Mark coming on to her), and she handles it with ethics andaplomb. Yet somehow, she is so naïve that she never saw it coming inthe first place (despite the warnings of her step-Mom). Heck, if she'ssmart enough to figure out how to deal calmly with this accidentalpregnancy, why on earth didn't she use protection with Paulie in thefirst place? If she's supposed to be just a regular teen, then why haveall the hip-quips and precocious attitude? And is it just me, or is ithard to see why Vanessa and Mark Loring are even still together when wefirst meet them? They couldn't be more different than Felix and Oscar,and yet The Odd Couple was entertaining because it was about comedy andconflict. The slow demise of a marriage is sadly real, but notentertaining.Diablo Cody definitely has a talent for creating quirky characters withoff-the-wall dialogue, but can she also create ones that are relatable?"Juno" had a "Napoleon Dynamite" feel to it…interesting to watchbecause the situation was real and possibly mundane, but the characterswere so strange it was like watching aliens in human costumes. Juno'sDad is much more hip than any Dad I've ever met. Juno's step-Mom,except for her obsession with dogs, is way more cleverly sharp-tonguedand protective of Juno than you normally see in a biological Mom. I'mguessing that Leah's taste in portly middle-aged teachers is meant as ajoke; because it is so exaggerated it becomes farcical. I think theonly character that even seems close to a real person is PaulieBleeker. Don't misunderstand me; all the actors gave an outstandingperformance. I just think that the media should hold off on crowningDiablo Cody the next Quentin Tarantino. She may be a professional whenit comes to marketing and self-promotion, but she's not the onlystripper out there who can write…pandorazblog is better than Cody'sP*ssy Ranch.

(2013-04-09 18:01:41)

A movie only SHEEP could love.

An overrated movie about a smart mouthed, unlikable, disenchanting little girl, who just happens to get pregnant who also has idiot parents. Obnoxious dialogue, poorly directed.Insignificant rubbish that only SHEEP of its nature could enjoy.Oh, and there isn't one neither likeable nor real character in this farce of a movie.

richard_sleboe

(2013-04-09 10:42:17)

Litte Miss Sunshine meets Garden State

I *love* that shiny red ten-speed Juno rides through the scenic streetsof Burnaby, British Columbia. Where do the prop people find gems likethis? If you're into vintage bicycles, make sure you also check outHenry's blue beauty in "Fräulein Phyllis" and, of course, Dupree's ridein "You, Me And Dupree". But "Juno" has more to offer than its lovingset design. Ellen Page and Jennifer Garner are amazing in thecomplementary parts of Juno, the reluctant teenage mother, and Vanessa,a thirty-something suburban WASP who can't expect to expect. Thescript, by first-time screenwriter and sometime stripper Diablo Cody,is both deadpan and deeply touching. Think of Juno as of a female andaltogether more capable version of Jason Schwartzman's Max Fischer in"Rushmore". Juno's life is far from perfect, but her friends andrelations form a circle of trust that helps her cope with the mixedemotions (and countless commonplace challenges) that come with teenagepregnancy. She has what may well be the coolest patchwork parents ever,a precocious cheerleader girlfriend holding her hand all the waythrough labor, and a nerdy on-again-off-again boyfriend who is therefor her when it counts. All this is set to fabulous music, partlyperformed by the cast, and including "A Well-Respected Man" by theKinks. Ray Davies, may he live forever.

bprestegaard

(2013-04-04 10:03:20)

Totally surprised

I'm not going to lie to you and pretend like I knew anything (at all)about this movie before I went to it. I was invited (very last minute)to see a movie about "some pregnant teenage girl" (as it was soaccurately described). The only other thing I knew was that it waswritten by a fellow Minnesotan. I was expecting a drama about thestruggle that a pregnant teenager would be faced with.FAST FORWARD (I don't want to give anything away) I left the movie very happy with my decision to tag along. It isrefreshing to have a realistically humorous look into the life of apregnant 16-year old without losing focus of the seriousness of thesituation. Kudos to the cast and crew for being able to do so.I have been singing it's praises and recommending the movie to whoeverI have talked with today (saw the movie last night). The actors wereperfect in their roles and the characters were quite believable. Thefilm didn't over-do the high school atmosphere as is done in so manymovies. The soundtrack was fun and went along with the movie very well.The only criticism (I don't want to use the word complaint) is that theuse of slang in the movie was slightly overdone.I will be going back to see the last two screenings in Minneapolis andwould highly recommend that you attend a screening if you can. If not,see it when it comes out in theaters.BRIAN - Junoverse ID #1592

hobokeninterzone

(2013-04-03 13:45:49)

Juno

I decided to watch this movie just because I was curious about it,nothing more than that and in the end I was quite surprised with theresult; Juno is very pleasant mix of teenage comedy and drama withexcellent performance from Ellen Page as 16 - year old outsider, whofinds out that she's pregnant. The story is quite good despite the factthat the whole story is shown quite "unrealistic", for example whenJuno's parents found out about her pregnancy, they just stand still andsmile at her, with no anger, hard emotions, anything. And also I thinkthat pregnancy is shown in this movie quite unrealistic - I had afeeling like the movie is trying to tell: pregnancy at the age of 16 isnothing special, just gave your child for adoption and you'll be livinghappily ever after with you boyfriend. The humor of the movie is on theother hand very good and connected to real life situations, based onJunos behavior as smart outsider (her quotes are really funny). And Ialso liked the ending of the movie, which is quite realistic, althoughit didn't satisfied me all the way. The music is sometimes good, butmost of the times annoying as hell. This movie is a big step forwardfor Jason Reitman, despite some obvious lack of realism and taking lifenot so serious. Juno is a great movie... watch it, if you have achance.