Juno | 
 enlarge | Director: Jason Reitman
Actors: Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Allison Janney
Studio: Fox Searchlight
Category: Movie
Buy New: $3.99
Rating:  315 reviews
Sales Rank: 60
Genre: Art House
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: Video On Demand
Running Time: 97 Minutes
ASIN: B0019I6WDG
Theatrical Release Date: December 25, 2007
Release Date: August 8, 2008 (New: Last 30 Days)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Synopsis:
When she becomes unexpectedly pregnant by a guy pal, a 16-year-old girl in small-town Minnesota decides to give her baby to the "perfect" couple she locates from the classified ads, only to discover that the impending adoption is pushing them towards divorce and causing her to fall in love with the biological father of the child. |
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| Customer Reviews: Read 45 more reviews...
 This is one doodle that can't be un-did January 1, 2008
R. Kyle (USA)
80 out of 141 found this review helpful
Her parents didn't see it coming. They were hoping she'd been expelled, into hard drugs, anything but pregnant.
Well, Juno (Ellen Page) was hoping that, too. It took 3 pregnancy tests to convince her.
Juno tried the abortion clinic first, but couldn't go through with it. Her friend Leah (Olivia Thirlby) convinces her to check out the Penny Saver for adoptive parents--or as she puts it couples 'desperately seeking spawn.'
She finds Mark (Jason Bateman) and Vanessa (Jennifer Garner), who seem to be the ideal couple. Vanessa has always wanted to be a Mom--and Juno and Mark have so much in common.
"Juno" takes us through a year of young Juno's life, including her relations with the father of her baby and her best friend, Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera), school, and the pregnancy and aftermath.
The film takes you on the gamut of emotions, but leaves you feeling good. I saw this film with my husband, who loved "Juno" as much as I did. We'll probably end up buying this DVD, because it's well worth another watch.
Warnings:
Some mature subject themes may not be suitable for really young kids, but I'd definitely take my young adults to this film.
Two-Disc Special Edition Chock Full o' Extras! April 14, 2008
Cubist (United States)
21 out of 24 found this review helpful
Juno was Little Miss Sunshine of 2007 - the little independent film that could. Once the studio realized that it had a successful crowd-pleaser on its hands, the film was promoted from the art-house circuit to the multiplexes. Actress Ellen Page and first-time screenwriter Diablo Cody became the film's breakout stars garnering the lion's share of critical raves and awards with Page getting an Independent Spirit Award and Cody an Academy Award. Now that all of the dust has settled, Juno can be reassessed to see if it really has the staying power and substance to cut through all of the hype and stand-up to the inevitable backlash.
There is an audio commentary by director Jason Reitman and screenwriter Diablo Cody. The first thing that you notice when listening to Cody talking is how well Ellen Page mimicked her way of speaking. Reitman tends to dominate the track and, not surprisingly, talks about filmmaking aspects like the casting of minor roles, the attention to details for the sets, how he shot certain scenes, and so on. This is pretty decent track filled with lots of anecdotal stories and production details.
Also included are 11 deleted scenes with optional commentary by Reitman and Cody. We meet Juno's crazy next-door neighbour. There's also a different introduction to Juno's family. We see Mark and Vanessa's first attempt to adopt. There's also an amusing bit where Juno has a solo gig and sings a song about getting pregnant. These are all good scenes and Reitman explains why there were cut.
There is the obligatory "Gag Reel," a hilarious collection of blown lines and goofs with Bateman making Page break character time and time again.
The "Gag Take" is an odd scene where Rainn Wilson and Reitman get into it with a mock heated argument.
"Cast and Crew Jam" features the cast and crew members rockin' out to a song in this mock music video.
There are "Screen Tests" for Ellen Page and Michael Cera. In the scene they do together you already see them in character and displaying excellent chemistry. There is also a test with Page and Olivia Thirlby and one with Page and J.K. Simmons as well.
"Way Beyond `Our' Maturity Level" takes a look at the characters of Bleeker, Juno and her best friend Leah with interviews with the actors that inhabit them. Diablo Cody talks about how they are based on people in her life.
"Diablo Cody is Totally Boss" is a profile of this novice screenwriter who got her start writing a blog and got noticed by a film producer. Reitman recalls his initial impressions of the script and the cast gush about its "unique voice."
"Jason Reitman for Shizz" takes a look at the director. The producers gush about how he was the right fit for the material. He talks about establishing the right tone and how he shared the same vision for the film as Cody.
"Honest to Blog!: Creating Juno" features Cody and Reitman talking about how the film came together. She credits her stylized dialogue to spending lots of time on the Internet. Cody also talks about how she came up with the idea for the story. They talk about specific scenes and her knack for depicting an unconventional family.
"I don't see what anyone else can see in anyone else..." January 2, 2008
Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota)
24 out of 32 found this review helpful
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).
It's All In The Dialogue February 5, 2008
B. Merritt (WWW.FILMREVIEWSTEW.COM, Pacific Grove, California United States)
5 out of 9 found this review helpful
Imagine having a baby when you're sixteen. Can't? Neither could Juno MacGuff (Ellen Page, Hard Candy), a sassy and intelligent young girl who finds herself having to deal with this very issue in the highly acclaimed film JUNO.
Once the rabbit dies, Juno is forced to come to terms with what she must do. Telling and not telling various people becomes a challenge, as does deciding whether or not to terminate the pregnancy. Once she decides against abortion (after a hysterical scene in the clinic where tapping fingernails play an annoying part), Juno decides to tell those closest to her. This includes the would-be father Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera, Superbad), a geekish track and field teen who's shocked to learn that his first time sexual encounter has also resulted in first time potential fatherhood, and her father Mac (J.K. Simmons, The Astronaut Farmer) and stepmother Bren (Allison Janney, Hairspray). Paulie seems equal parts embarrassed and elated (his seed has taken hold), while Juno's parents are dismayed, disappointed, but eventually supportive ...especially after they learn that she's decided to give up the baby to a couple that can't have kids (whom she finds advertising in the PennySaver).
The unborn's future parents are the Lorings, Vanessa (Jennifer Garner, The Kingdom) and Mark (Jason Bateman, Smokin' Aces). Vanessa is agog with the anticipation of motherhood, while her husband, Mark, is more pensive, unsure if he's ready to take the dive into daddydom.
The mixture of characters works well for the film with the only exception being that it was tough to swallow someone of J.K. Simmons' and Allison Janney's age being parents to a sixteen year old; they're a bit too old for those roles. Even so, the dialogue is stupendous, often making one forget that visual distraction and making them strain to catch every last nuanced syllable. And there are plenty.
Although there aren't many teens out there with the intellect that Juno possesses, that's exactly what makes this film so watchable. It touches on an unfortunately ordinary premise (teen pregnancy) but pulls it up to a whole new level by allowing us to see it through the eyes of someone (Juno) battling with self-recognition during an age-crucial time.
If there was ever any doubt that Ellen Page is one of the finest young actresses working in film today, Juno should put further arguments to rest. It is her razor-sharp line delivery that makes this film what it is: a character study of unusually funny proportions.
A star is born January 3, 2008
Robert Moore (Chicago, IL USA)
10 out of 14 found this review helpful
There are many, many good things that one could say about JUNO, but they all have to begin and end with Ellen Page. Mind you, this film features a very good cast and everyone excels in their role, but if Ellen Page is in the scene -- and she is in nearly every scene in the film -- she dominates everything. As the wisecracking, (almost) unflappable, and very pregnant 16-year-old Juno, Ellen Page steals this movie. She has already been nominated for or out and out won a number of awards for her performance in JUNO (including the Screen Actor's Guild and the Golden Globes -- she is considered a lock for an Oscar nomination), and seemed destined to sweep all awards for break out performance of the year. She really is that good in this film. I'd noticed Ellen Page before. I first became aware of her in the third X-MEN movie, when she played my favorite X-Man, Kitty Pryde aka Shadowcat. She did a great job in a pretty small role. Later I saw her in the independent Canadian film WILBY WONDERFUL. Most people will know her from her role in HARD CANDY. But JUNO could be more than a breakout role for Page. This could be the making of a legitimate star. She is both extremely young and extremely talented. If she wants to be, she could well be the next Winona Ryder. The "wants to be" could be huge. From interviews it doesn't sound like she especially wants a star career. JUNO was not a Hollywood production, but was instead filmed in Vancouver. In the past a number of Canadian actors have turned their backs on Hollywood and stayed largely north of the border (Paul Gross and Sarah Polley are just two actors I can think of who could have had big careers had they "gone Hollywood," but instead fostered smaller but superb careers in Canada). I would not be surprised if Ellen Page was one of those. But I would also not be surprised if she gobbled up a score of very desirable roles for smart, sassy young women in the next several years. One thing she certainly has going for her is versatility. She has at age 20 already shown that she can excel in drama, comedy, and horror. Her range as an actress seems unlimited.
As great as Ellen Page is, much of her success has to be credited to Diablo Cody's incredibly witty script. To be honest, this is not truly a great movie. The central story isn't that substantial. But a dominating lead performance stringing together an unending number of great one-liners can certainly give the appearance of greatness. I don't remember the last time I saw a movie that had so many truly funny lines. And for that Cody has to be given the credit.
As mentioned above, the film has a great supporting cast. I was especially impressed by Jennifer Garner, who plays what is largely an unsympathetic role (until fairly near the end of the film). As the "uncool" half of the couple who plan on adopting Juno's child, she has to play completely against type. As a huge ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT fan I was delighted to see both Michael Cera (for whom 2007 has been a very good year) and Jason Bateman together in the same film, though they didn't have any scenes together. J. K. Simmons and Allison Janney were both wonderful as Juno's parents. Rainn Wilson of THE OFFICE has a very small but memorable role as a convenience store clerk.
One thing that struck me while watching this film is how few starring roles there have been for wisecracking young girls. There have been scores of films featuring wisecracking teenage boys (one need only look back to SUPERBAD as a recent example). But once one gets past JUNO and GHOST WORLD there aren't a huge number of comparable films for young girls.
One other random comment. There was a very strange moment in the film when I realized that every actor in the scene (excepting Jason Batman) had been in a major action movie or TV series. This was when Juno and her father were meeting with the adopting couple and their lawyer for the first time. Ellen Page had been in X3. J. K. Simmons, who played her father, has memorably portrayed J. Jonah Jameson in the SPIDER-MAN movies. Eileen Pedde, who played the Lorings' lawyer, is a regular on BATTLESTAR GALACTICA as Sgt. Mathias, a veteran marine. And Jennifer Garner portrayed yet another Marvel superhero, Elektra, in a pair of films, as well as Sydney Bristow for five years on ALIAS.
A couple of more random comments. The opening credits are among the best I've seen in ages. They apparently took photos of Eileen Page and digitized them somehow to produce an animated sequence. Very compelling and quite unforgettable. Finally, the film has a truly great soundtrack. Almost every film these days has a great soundtrack, but this one was especially fine. They use the music of Kimya Dawson pretty extensively (whose music, I must confess, has always underwhelmed me), but they also use a long string of gems by Belle and Sebastian, the Kinks, Buddy Holly, Sonic Youth, Mott the Hoople, and Cat Power for one of the best and most eclectic soundtracks I've heard. They also name drop the Stooges, but alas use none of their or Iggy's songs.
All in all, this is a really fine film. I'm not sure it is a great movie, but there is no question that Ellen Page turns in one of the best performances of the year by any actor, male or female. My best guess is that she will get nominated for an Oscar but will not win, though she probably deserves to. The Academy tends to bless mediocrity, hates comedies, especially hates films dealing with culturally controversial topics (like teen pregnancy, though drug addiction is usually a ticket to a walk to the podium, so go figure), and usually rewards bloated, "serious" films. But I'd be delighted if she defied tradition and won the Oscar.
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