Juno Review

Overall 4.61 of 5 view all 122 reviews

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bkovacs
Annandale, VA

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Funny movie about a smart girl

a fan of little films, not into teen comedies, looking for entertainment

Pros

Nice Minnesota locations, A little quirky, Likable characters, The right ending

Cons

Juno is too smart-mouthed

DEC

2007

I'd seen previews for Juno and sort of knew what to expect, and the film is pretty much as the previews would have you believe. Juno (played by cute Ellen Page) is a 16-year-old girl who is pregnant, and she has to deal with everything that involves. Juno is a comedy but it's not a "teen" comedy, which I think is a good thing. It's far more adult than the premise might imply, although there are some awkward moments among teens in the film. This film is not meant for young teens and is really aimed at adults, as they are the ones who will be able to understand the complexities of the situations. In fact, at one point Juno comes home and says that things are way beyond her maturity level, which is certainly true at that point.

There are many things I like about Juno, including fine acting and a believable setting in Minnesota. However, the real winner is a script that treats everyone with magnanimity. The film doesn't make fun of Juno's predicament and it doesn't treat her boyfriend (the father of her impending child) as a typical love-'em-and-leave-'em high school guy. Juno's stepmom (Allison Janney) is intelligent, caring and non-judgemental, as is her practical and loving blue-collar father (JK Simmons). I also enjoyed the adoptive couple, which included an uptight wife (Jennifer Garner) and laid-back husband (Jason Bateman). The plot didn't move quite in a straight line, which was also part of the film's fun.

This is a movie and it's about entertaining people, so that means that the dialog must set up and deliver punch lines. That said, the character of Juno was WAY more glib than any 16-year-old I ever met. She had the smart-mouth part down perfectly, though. About the only other thing that didn't ring true to me was the amazingly clear complexions of all the high school kids in the film, all of whom appeared to be the after models for a before/after Clearasil ad. In fact, they all looked so good it was a slight distraction... but it's a minor one.

One other positive: I thought the film's opening credit sequence was excellent.

I enjoyed Juno. Keep in mind that this is a film for adults and not young teens. There's not a lot of nudity or rough language, but there are many adult situations and relationship issues that only an adult will fully fathom. That said, anyone older than 16 should be just fine and it's a fun ride. I recommend Juno.

Last edited on Jan 07, 2008

Juno is recommended by bkovacs

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Comments about bkovacs’s Review

MaineMomof2 wrote on Jan 6, 2008 at 2:44PM

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Thanks for the great review! Now, I want to see it even more than I did before - too bad it's not playing in a theater near me :(

bkovacs wrote on Dec 28, 2007 at 10:11AM

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Thanks for all the nice comments! --Bob

vivasuzi wrote on Dec 28, 2007 at 12:19AM

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Thanks for the review. I had seen the strangest preview that really only showed Jason Bateman saying "go see my new film Juno" and I was so confused. Now I know more and it sounds pretty good :)

kid-kansas wrote on Dec 26, 2007 at 10:18PM

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Great Review...ty Ron

GeorgeChabot wrote on Dec 26, 2007 at 10:16PM

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Nice job on your review! :>

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Key Information	Directors Jason Reitman Stars Ellen Page Actors Rainn Wilson Genre Comedies Subgenre Teenagers • Teenage Girls • Comedy • Drama • Theatrical Release MPAA Rating PG-13 (MPAA) Available Formats DVD UPC 024543515951 Release Date 2007 Running Time 1hr 36min
Languages	Original Language English
DVD Editions	DVD Editions DVD: Canadian; 2-Disc Set1hr 32min20th Century Fox Home EntertainmentApril 15, 2008Not Rated024543515951
Credits	Screenwriter Diablo Cody
Professional Reviews	Professional Reviews (12/05/2007, Carina Chocano): "JUNO is hilarious an sweet-tempered, perceptive and surprisingly grounded. It's also a gust of...

Juno Review

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