A: When 16-year-old Juno MacGuff (Ellen Page) accidentally gets pregnant, she commits herself to making sure that her unborn child lands the perfect surrogate family. The question is: can you find perfection when it comes to your family?
Q: Who’s in the movie?
A: Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jason Bateman, Jennifer Garner, J.K. Simmons, Allison Janney, Olivia Thirlby
Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?
A:
Go! What’s fun about this film is the cavalier attitude with which Juno approaches her unwanted pregnancy. At no point do the characters get precious about the issues related to teen pregnancy and whether or not to keep the child. In so doing, this movie easily dodges the “afternoon special” nature of these types of stories.Q: Will this movie make me laugh?
A: Yes. Writer Diablo Cody has a fresh and interesting voice, and with it comes a new perspective that is honest, blunt and in your face.
Q: Will this movie make me cry?
A: Not likely.
Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?
A: From the Director of Thank You For Smoking, and in a tone that falls somewhere between that and Little Miss Sunshine, this movie has a good chance at sweeping the Independent Spirit Awards.
Q: How is the Acting?
A: Excellent across the board. If you haven’t enjoyed Ellen Page’s work to date, this performance will make you feel like you have just discovered a new star. Michael Cera does his usual Michael Cera thing; but his thing feels so real and unaffected, that I don’t plan on tiring of it any time soon. For Jason Bateman this was my favorite performance of his since Dodgeball (although his characters in these two movies have nothing in common). Bateman brought a sexiness to this role, that hasn’t been in some of his recent work, as he often gets stuck playing “the uptight guy.” Olivia Thirlby does a great job of walking the line between hyperactive teenager and real person. And as Juno’s laid-back-but-concerned parents, J.K.Simmons and Allison Janney make you feel like they can do no wrong on the screen.
Q: How is the Directing?
A: If you liked the directing in Thank You for Smoking, you will like the directing in Juno. Jason Reitman’s sophomore effort proves that his style is already well defined. He brings a slight edge to the look of this film (which matches the style of the script), but he doesn’t try to get too showy, or upstage the story more than just to add a little flare here and there.
Q: How is the story/script?
A: The dialogue is clever and raw, the story structure is solid and original, and it never fails to entertain. The only thing I would fault this story with is that I don’t think it will stick with me for more than a day or so.
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2 comments:
You should remember the reader who plays which role. As I never read the credits, neither at the begining, nor at the end (when everybody gets up anyway), I don't know which role Jason Bateman plays and I never heard of Dodgeball.
Jason Bateman plays the husband who is trying to adopt the baby, Olivier. He has never been in a Jarmusch film. :-)
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