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Title: Juno
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Though we already got a movie about unexpected pregnancy with Judd Aptow’s “Knocked Up,” that movie, realistic as it was, came off a bit too strong for people with kinder souls who may have approved of the message, but not the methods. For those who found “Knocked Up” to be too much, I would like to direct them to “Juno,” a movie with a very similar premise, but with more restraint, I suppose. Of course, it’s a shame that no one in these movies show some restraint themselves, otherwise they wouldn’t get into shenanigans like these. Anyway though, the story of “Juno” revolves around Juno MacGuff (Ellen Page) who ends up sleeping with the co-star of “Superbad” (of all things) and getting pregnant. Though in love with Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera), Juno knows in her heart that she is not ready to take care of a child.
Though she flirts with the idea of an abortion, she finally comes clean about her situation with her parents. In a scene of great writing Juno delays telling her dad and stepmother about being pregnant, and then finally spills the beans. Neither of the parents overreact, showing how much the situation is accepted in this day and age. When Juno leaves the room her dad (J.K. Simmons) looks at his wife and says “did you see this coming?” The wife says, “of course, but I was praying it would end up being school problems or something.” Hollywood used to make movies about pregnancy that was unexpected and unwanted. Now it’s simply unwanted. Anyway, since abortion is out of the question, Juno looks up an ad in the Penny Saver for adoptive parents. The parents are played by Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman, who seem to be the smart, mature people who simply can’t get pregnant.
A red flag is raised when Juno takes a liking to the husband, who acts like a kid who never quite grew up. The script for “Juno” was written by Diablo Cody, and is most likely going to get an Oscar nomination. The movie is directed by Jason Reitman, who delivered last years critically acclaimed “Thank You For Smoking.” In that movie Reitman made a clever satire about a topic that is normally too serious to joke about. It’s a shame that “Juno” comes out the same year as “Knocked Up” though, as the movie pales in comparison. Yes, I get that of the two, “Juno” is the more audience friendly movie to go to. It’s rated PG-13 in comparison to “Knocked Up’s” hard R, and even then the movie feels like a PG rated film. Yes, it’s also less vulgar. Still, while “Juno” is a good film, even a very funny one at times, I feel it doesn’t have much to say about teenage pregnancy. Also, as an added complaint, the songs in “Juno” are terrible.
The script, written with wit and style, brings attention to itself by sounding like it’s trying to be clever. What keeps this from being senseless mugging is the fact that, eight out of ten times, the jokes hit the mark. Still, I can’t help but feel this movie was a wasted opportunity. In a time where one out of every ten teenage girls are getting pregnant, this movie is shockingly casual about it’s subject matter. If I had a teenager daughter, I would rather show her “Knocked Up” then this. Not only is it about unexpected pregnancy (though from an older woman), it lays out the problems with this situation, as well as the blessings that can come if dealt with properly. In comparison, “Juno” seems like a lost child without a sense of direction. Of course, the movie is about a lost teenager who has no sense of direction for her life, so maybe it’s just as well.
- -Review By Kevin T. Rodriguez- -
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