After a couple of months of anticipation, I finally got to see "Juno" on Friday night, starring Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner -- even if I did have to drive 30 minutes to find a theater playing it.
Disappointed I was not. Quite enjoyable it was. Yoda-speak, enough of already.
The film follows the story of a 16-year-old girl who discovers she's pregnant after what I think was her first sexual encounter. (I'm not sure if that point is made clear; though in an argument Juno does quip to baby-daddy Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera) that she still has his virginity.) She promptly makes an appointment at an abortion clinic, but she can't go through with it after a pro-life classmate protesting outside the clinic tells her the fetus already has fingernails and the waiting room of the clinic looks like the kind of place you wouldn't dare buy auto insurance, much less submit to a medical procedure.
After the aborted abortion, Juno decides she'll find a nice childless couple (but not too nice; she wants someone a little edgy) and give the baby up for adoption -- meaning of course she's willing to carry it to term and deliver the child. The couple turns out to be played by Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner, as you've probably guessed.
I won't spoil the whole plot for you, because you really should see the film yourself. But basically, it's a quite funny and sweet movie with a peculiar soundtrack that I felt the urge to whistle periodically over the weekend after watching it.
Juno is a wise-cracking, quasi-bohemian teen, and Paulie Bleeker is, well, the same awkward, timid teen boy that Michael Cera played in "Arrested Development," and probably everything else he's ever done. But I'll still find him funny long after everyone else is sick of him, so there.
The movie had a nice indie-flick quality to it, but not so indie that I had to endure dark, bouncing camera work or extensive subtitles. Actually there were no subtitles. (I'm sure that Jacob will have some lesson for me here about why "Juno" is not technically an independent film, but I read in some online article that it was and that's good enough for me. Besides, baiting Jacob is a good way to draw comments on my posts.)
You may have read some critics' reviews claiming the humor of the film is a bit forced and the dialogue unreasonably witty for high schoolers. Well, those critics are crotchety old SOBs, so don't listen to them.
Actually, they've got somewhat of a point. The humor does rely heavily on one-liners that sometimes feel out of place. If these characters tried to live in a sitcom, it would get old after a few weeks, I think. But for the length of this movie, I found it delightful.
Yes, I said delightful. Deduct man points if you must.
Now, for a few glowing, detached sound bites to improve my chances of having this blog quoted on a TV commercial or at the Golden Globes or something (since Ellen Page is nominated for her performance):
"...witty...delightful..."
"...quite funny and sweet..."
"Ellen Page... was... edgy... and... bohemian..."
I suppose I don't gush enough for quality sound bites. But I give it five stars, so maybe someone will quote me on that.
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11 comments:
I am looking forward to seeing Juno. However, we put our money into a 62" tv and a Netflix subscription so it will probably be a while before I get to see it.
So thank you for confirming my desire to see the movie, but not setting me up for a disappointment when I finally get it. And for not giving away the entire plot.
Hurray for you.
How would I know if Juno is indie or not? Besides, I think you said like an indie or indie feel, in which case whether or not it was is irrelevant. There, you happy! You made Kim cry!
And the Golden Globes were cancelled. Probably thanks to you. First sentence is not a joke.
And I'd like to finish with just two words: Book report.
I've been looking forward to seeing Juno. Perhaps that's what we'll do this weekend.
Have you seen Little Miss Sunshine? If not, you should. I think they're probably in the same vein.
I accompanied Chris to said movie and found it HILARIOUS!!! Since most of the audience were annoying teenagers that Severo had to tell to shut up, there were parts where I was laughing and no one else really was (maybe I'm retarded, but either way, it was funny).
Courtney: we did see Little Miss Sunshine, which we thought funny as well. The plots are totally different, so it's hard to compare. I actually laughed more at Juno.
Oh, and when you all finally do see the movie, pay close attention to her parents. They're awesome!
Movie review, yeah! I'm also looking forward to it, but only because pregnant chicks are hot. What?! Somebody had to say it.
My housemate and her boyfriend saw this the other day and just loved it. And Michael Cera is one of my faves. Damn personal budgeting in January!! Have y'all seen Superbad??
I'm sorry this bored you Jacob. Next time I'll post a photo of a milk carton or something. (Just teasing: "tastes like homo" was freakin' hilarious.)
I did enjoy "Little Miss Sunshine" quite a lot, also. Have not seen "Superbad" yet, but it's on my list.
Superbad was the funniest movie I saw last year.
And I know funny.
Chris, you didn't bore me. I just thought you'd feel unloved if your movie review didn't get some of the love mine did.
We just got back home after seeing Juno and we both LOVED IT! I especially liked Juno's dad. His comic timing was hilarious.
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