BOTTOM
LINE:
A smart,
light-hearted and realistic drama about teen pregnancy that has
razor-sharp wit and heart.
THE
GOOD: I
wasn't expecting much going in to this film other than that it could
have either been a lame teen flick or a silly comedy. I was quite
surprised to discover however that 'Juno' is an intelligent film
with strong wit, great humour and strong themes. A lot of the success
of the film can be held directly accountable to the actress playing
the title character, Ellen Page, who commands the screen right from
the very first shot with her satirical, humorous and genuine personality.
Juno finds out she's pregnant after having a 'session' with her
best friend Bleeker. After surviving the moment of telling her father
and step-mother, she proceeds to search for would be adoptive parents
and find them in Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman. The plan is
for Juno to have the baby and to hand him/her over to the adoptive
parents and forget the whole thing ever happened. Of course, not
all goes according to plan and Juno comes to learn a lot of things
about life and relationships. Although this sums up the plot of
the film and it may appear dry at a glance, the quality of this
film lies in its character moments and motivations which are surprisingly
realistic but laced with a lot of satirical, intelligent humour.
All of the characters turn out to be surprises, as does the story,
not following in any obvious direction but once it gets there, it
feels quite satisfying and real. The acting in the film is the standout;
aside from Page we get a great turn from JK Simmons as her down
to Earth father and strong supportive performances from Jennifer
Garner and Jason Bateman. Overall, this is a film that will make
you laugh but still pull you in to the heart of the story and its
themes.
