MOVIE REVIEW: Juno

Juno shows us that even smart teenage girls get knocked up; it’s not just for tramps and tween queens. But this girl is no Jamie Lynn Spears.

Juno is a cute quirky tale about a wise cracking sixteen year old girl who gets herself impregnated by a boy she sort of likes. Luckily Juno is no role model for 13-year-olds the world over.

Juno (Ellen Page) is a smart and quick witted teenager, who after chickening out of an abortion decides to give the baby up for adoption. Having found the perfect parents in the shape of Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman, Juno takes on the task of being the pregnant school girl and cautionary tale. From then on we have a sweet movie about a girl who discovers that she really isn’t as clever as she thinks she is.

Penned by the just-as-quirky named Diablo Cody and directed by Jason Reitman (Thank You for Smoking). Its been dubbed Apatow For Girls, mostly in that it's for girls who like Apatow but find the lack of quick witted female characters unappealing. The witty lines here belong mostly to the girls, with the titular main character spouting the best of them.  

Reitman’s understated visuals and vivid use of colour allow for the perfect backdrop to Juno’s cynicism. He gives the dialogue space to sell itself and extracts a genuinely funny and touching performance from his actors. On the negative side, the cartoon opening sequence set to strummy indie pop was far too long and it’s not a good thing to start a movie squirming impatiently in your seat.

Ellen Page’s bored monotone rivals Daria’s but she is able to portray the character's hard-edged know it all sarcasm with the vulnerability of a 16-year-old girl dealing with issues ‘far beyond her maturity level’. The actors here manage to choke down the clever dialogue and allow some humanity to their characters. Jennifer Garner’s uptight yuppie mother-to-be is at points heartbreaking and Jason Bateman’s immature manchild manages to be likable despite his flaws. There are also some fabulous performances by Juno’s parents Allison Janney and JK Simmons, enhancing some of the movie’s most dramatic and hilarious moments.

While at points it feels a little over-written, Juno manages to tackle unplanned teenage pregnancy in a comical yet poignant way and handles the coming of age journey of Juno with astonishing maturity.  

You will laugh, no doubt about it. You’ll probably annoyingly quote the lines too (if you’re that sort of person). You will definitely be entertained, so go see it. It's out on 8th February.

[story by Karissa Hamilton]