Honest to blog
I am a man of intense intestinal fortitude when it comes to stomaching cutesy teen dialogue. That said, the first 15 minutes of this movie strain even my most patient ears, especially Rainn Wilson’s absolutely horrid turn as a “homeskillet”-quipping convenience store clerk.
Thankfully, the opening stretch is the movie’s nadir, and really the only bad part of the script, Diablo Cody’s famous first work, which she wrote while a stripper with a blog, and which won her an Oscar. Cody’s terrifically funny, unique, and touching screenplay pivots towards its teen pregnancy arc very quickly, and the film blossoms into a legitimately outstanding dramedy for most of its brisk 95 minutes.
Elliot Page is indescribably great as the title character, cracking jokes to perfection for an hour and half straight. His comic delivery is hilarious, every bit worthy of his Oscar nomination, but never at the expense of conveying the painful nuances of Juno’s situation. He adds shading to every dramatic moment to make Juno feel so human and fully-realized, flawed but strong, that I almost wish the movie was longer and we could just vibe with her for a few more scenes. It’s very rare for me to have that reaction watching a film.
Honestly, there’s not much of a weak link in the cast. Rattle through the leads and supporting roles, and nearly every one elevates their material: Jason Bateman, Jennifer Garner, JK Simmons, Michael Cera, and Allison Janney are all terrific. Olivia Thirlby’s turn is maybe a little bit spotty but fine. And that accounts for just about every major role. Very high batting average.
Despite the script’s quippy timbre, it captures a lot of scenarios with complexity and darkness: The abortion topic is handled well; hitting just the right tone on an incendiary topic. But there’s shading, poison and comedy, in other moments, too: When Juno jokes that Vanessa should just get pregnant herself, an awkward twinge went down my spine, and it wasn’t the only time. Being 16 is thrilling, but you’re also not able to see the landscape of adult problems yet, which is a central theme of the film.
That brings me to the movie’s biggest wart: Bateman’s character Mark and his escalating flirtation with Juno. I’m not sure the movie would be better without that thread, because it informs Mark’s arc so well, and Juno’s too. But it would certainly be a more enjoyable film without this thread: It’s just so creepy watching thirty-something Mark and snarky-sixteen Juno play romcom-cute with each other… perhaps even more creepy than Cody or director Jason Reitman actually intended (though they certainly intended it some).
But the film more than makes up for it with its heart-expanding depiction of Jennifer Garner’s character Vanessa, a woman filled with maternal love. The film’s closing moments, with Garner reacting to her new motherhood, bring me to tears every time I watch. Parenthood is a miracle, man.
The movie’s romantic subplot between Page and Cera is another one of the film’s weaknesses, but only in the sense that it’s underdeveloped rather than any of it being a problem. The two have weird and addictive chemistry, but it’s hard to get a sense of their relationship at any point because it just doesn’t get enough screentime. (And I wish the movie had been a bit more sensitive to the strange role of Bleeker in the pregnancy saga. As an involved dad myself, seeing Bleeker’s obvious desire to help Juno so carelessly brushed aside is disheartening.)
Juno is the second film by Reitman, son of the famous Ghostbusters director Ivan, following Thank You for Smoking. (Jason would eventually direct a legacy sequel of his father’s franchise after a string of contemporary comedy-dramas to open his filmography.) This is a much better work than his debut. Reitman injects the film with humanity and touches visual wit, plus an overall appealing look that inches towards candy-coated-indie-twee without quite crossing over.
Overall, it’s a great but not perfect film, one worth revisiting for its iconic screenplay by Cody and generationally great lead performance by Page.
- Review Series: 2009 Top 100
Is It Good?
Exceptionally Good (7/8)
Dan is the founder and head critic of The Goods. Follow Dan on Letterboxd. Join the Discord for updates and discussion.