Juno — A Perfect Movie
“I just need to know that it’s possible that two happy people can stay happy together forever.”
Date watched: July 14, 2020 (rewatch)
Date released: 2007
Director: Jason Reitman
Writer: Diablo Cody
Memorable Cast: Elliot Page (Juno MacGuff), Michael Cera (Paulie Bleeker), Jennifer Garner (Vanessa Loring), Jason Bateman (Mark Loring), Allison Janney (Bren MacGuff), J.K. Simmons (Mac MacGuff)
Awards (This movie won the Academy Award for Best Writing, Original Screenplay and was nominated for three others: Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (Elliot Page), and Best Achievement in Directing)
Juno has everything I want in a movie.
For a film that feels so indie, it has the production value and talent of a big block buster. All of its praise and awards were well deserved.
But, I didn’t know how to start writing a review about a movie I love so much. It is placed into not only my top ten list, but it stands as my favorite movie of all time. This film, to me, has no flaws that were not called out on (I thought the flirty relationship of Juno and Mark Loring was creepy and uncomfortable, but the movie showed him to be a royal a**hole so it’s okay). I don’t want to simply praise this movie, because that would be boring: it won an Academy Award and was nominated for three others, I think the general consensus of Juno is that it’s pretty good. I took almost ten pages of notes watching this movie because I continuously felt like there were things I loved that I needed to remember or note, which makes writing a concise and complete review hard. But I can’t not write about it. Something so moving and impactful to me is something I not only deserve to write about, but something I NEED to write about.
So, I begin.
From the opening shot, Juno’s world is formed. With a great animation title sequence and Juno just walking around her town, the audience is introduced to how incredible this movie’s direction is. Reitman used a variety of pleasing shots that never felt out of place and were always beautiful throughout the film. The score is also first utilized in this scene. What I appreciate so much about the score as a whole is that it is not overdone. I love the songs, don’t get me wrong, but the story didn’t need constant music to pull it along which I appreciate. They help to compensate with this by using good sound effects that elevated otherwise too quiet scenes. The beginning exposition-like scenes to explain Juno’s pregnancy predicament are done effectively, while not spending too much time telling rather than showing. One of my first technical observations was of the coloring. I thought that the slight saturation helped this movie feel nostalgic and light hearted, despite the premise of teen pregnancy being a heavier one. The acting is incredible. For Page to be able to bring to life such a cool and understandable character that the audience can truly feel for is unexpected, but beautiful. Her performance isn’t the only one of note. I think all of the cast do a phenomenal job and show real chemistry, Page and Cera’s on screen relationship is a great example of this. For a somewhat unconventional couple by rom-com standards, they made me feel and root for them. The screenplay is also well done, with all of the dialogue feeling natural, which I don’t always see in teen movies. Cody also accomplishes the seemingly unachievable ability to have dark humor in a teen movie that isn’t constantly tearing down other people and groups (my review of Flower talks more about this idea of dark humor if you’re interested).
However, the most special part of this story is the story itself. I think that there are a lot of hard topics addressed in this movie that were done in a really good way. The idea of teen pregnancy in general is very stigmatized, so depicting adults in Juno’s life who support her through this journey is incredible. And they don’t make it blind support either. Her parents are not afraid to express their concerns with her situation, but still vow to always be there for her. This support is more notably shown by Juno’s stepmother and I thought it was really great to show not only a healthy familial relationship, but also a healthy relationship between a stepmother and stepdaughter. It also shows the fears of what it’s like to adopt. I won’t delve into the specifics in the hopes that I won’t spoil it, but I think it shows a different side to adoption: one that’s not all sunshine and rainbows.
The complexities of love is a central theme in this film and is shown in a raw manner. The fear of love and that it won’t last is something touched on throughout this movie, which left me pondering for a long time. To sit with the knowledge that love is not always forever is uncomfortable, but the movie also doesn’t try to show that love is impossible or doesn’t exist. A really good example of this is through the relationship of Juno and Paulie. I think in general they are a really good depiction of a non-toxic couple. In my few years on this Earth, I have seen far too many not healthy relationships advertised and practically thrown at me. So, to see a normalish (I mean Juno did get pregnant, so it’s not a perfect or normal start to a relationship) will they/won’t they couple be highlighted in this is good. Teenagers developing their sense of love and ideas of relationships need to see these examples of what a healthy relationship should look like. Hopefully with couples like this being shown, less teenagers will want the toxic relationships they might otherwise see (I’m looking at you Bella and Edward/Jacob).
With a movie you already know is going to be technically good, there has to be more than just what surrounds the camera; it has to have an affect on the audience. Juno is a film that left me feeling overwhelming and unexplainable joy for hours after seeing it. That to me, is what solidifies this as an incredible movie. Having something that you can’t stop thinking about and deeply moves you is what I look for in a movie, it doesn’t always have to be the feel good or coming of age story this one is.
But, this is a perfect film to me: one that has great technical elements and a moving story. I will never hesitate to watch this movie again and think it is something everyone needs to see, even if you aren’t a pregnant teen.
Rating: 10/10
This is the #1 spot on my Top Ten List and is on my All Time Favorites List.
July 14, 2020