Juno

Composite Score: 87.15

Starring: Elliot Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Allison Janney, J.K. Simmons, Olivia Thirlby, Eileen Peddle, and Rainn Wilson

Director: Jason Reitman

Writer: Diablo Cody

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Coming of Age, Romance

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for mature thematic material, sexual content, and language

Box Office: $232.37 million worldwide

My take on Watching This Film:

                Juno is the 2007 film from Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody about a pregnant teen and her experiences with high school, considering adoption, and her own family. The film stars Elliot Page (who at the time was still presenting as female) in the titular role of the pregnant Juno MacGuff, joined by Michael Cera as her baby daddy and friend Paulie Bleeker, Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman as the parents who want to adopt her unborn child, Vanessa and Mark Loring, Allison Janney as her step-mother Bren, J.K. Simmons as her dad Mac, and Olivia Thirlby as her friend Leah. The film follows Juno throughout the three trimesters of her pregnancy, paralleled in the seasons of the year, as she navigates the slew of adult choices and situations that she finds herself faced with as a result of her pregnancy. It received Oscar nominations for Best Director, Best Actress for Page, Best Picture, and a win for Best Original Screenplay. Between its iconic characters and realistically witty script, Juno has stood the test of time and remains one of the most memorable films of the 2000s and now, has even inspired the title of a hit pop song from Sabrina Carpenter.

                The takes on Juno are all over the board, with some viewing the film as explicitly pro-life, others taking the film as a pro-choice narrative, some view it as overtly quirky and trying too hard to relate to a teen audience, while still others see the film as offering a realistic depiction of teens in these types of scenarios. Regardless, it is a film that’s sure to get you thinking and/or talking if you watch it with a group. Cody’s Oscar-winning screenplay is by far the star of the show without which the rest of the film obviously could not have existed. She has given us a slew of characters, relationships, and situations that feel incredibly real as only the best comedies do, and then the star-studded cast does their best to bring that realism to the screen. Reitman does a solid job directing the film, maintaining its atmosphere of serious humor quite admirably, but it’s definitely a screenwriter’s film first and foremost. The story, while not entirely unique in the world or in film, stands out from some other “unplanned pregnancy” films – even of its era – in its decision not to make the pregnancy and the choice about what to do with it the central catalyst of the drama and conflict. It’s a film that’s much more interested in the humans and relationships behind the situations than the situations themselves, and it wins because of that. The entire cast leans into the relational aspect of the script, giving us memorable characters, moments, and interactions throughout, with Page as the standout, but recognition certainly deserved by the rest of his compatriots as well. It’s a true ensemble piece surrounding a central figure, and it works beautifully thanks to the authenticity of all of its performances.

                Between a stellar cast owning the feel and energy that the film seeks to capture and a script that refuses to become overtly caught up in the “issues” at the heart of its story, instead highlighting the humans that engage with those issues, Juno is more than deserving of recognition among the all-time greats. While its politics are nowhere near its flannel sleeves, it still has plenty to say about adolescence, pregnancy, and family for anyone who engages in a viewing, and you’re sure to be rewarded with some very memorable moments and characters. Currently, you can rent this movie on most streaming services if you’d like to check it out for yourself.