Juno | 
| Director: Jason Reitman
Actors: Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Allison Janney
Studio: Fox Searchlight
Buy New: $3.99
Rating:  323 reviews
Sales Rank: 111
Genre: Art House
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: Video On Demand
Running Time: 97 Minutes
ASIN: B0019I6WDG
Theatrical Release Date: December 25, 2007
Release Date: October 1, 2008 (New: Last 30 Days)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Synopsis:
When she becomes unexpectedly pregnant by a guy pal, a 16-year-old girl in small-town Minnesota decides to give her baby to the "perfect" couple she locates from the classified ads, only to discover that the impending adoption is pushing them towards divorce and causing her to fall in love with the biological father of the child. |
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| Customer Reviews: Read 318 more reviews...
A Complex Tale Told with Humor, Tenderness, and Simplicity April 17, 2008
Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States)
148 out of 159 found this review helpful
Teenage pregnancy is frequently a starting point for myriad philosophical arguments: some see it as a major problem, some see it as an argument for the need of early teaching of contraceptive technique and sex education, some see it as a reason for championing abortion, and some see it as a piece of life that confronts families in both positive and negative ways. JUNO is a beautifully written (Diablo Cody) and directed (Jason Reitman) version of unplanned pregnancy offered by a splendid ensemble cast: it is a movie that could modify the sociologic outlook of many people in a very strong fashion.
Juno (Ellen Page) is sixteen and talks her best friend Bleek (Michael Cera) into having sex: the result is a surprise pregnancy that Juno shares with her girlfriend Leah (Olivia Thirley) and the store clerk Rollo (Rainn Wilson) even before informing Bleek, a likable kid who seems fairly flat about the situation. After discarding abortion as a viable solution, Juno informs her father (JK Simmons) and stepmother (Allison Janney) of her status, and tells them she is going to complete the pregnancy and give the baby to some loving and needy barren couple. Her parents are at first flustered by the news, but quickly become supportive in a way that tells us many things about the durability of successful families. With Leah's help, Juno answers an ad for 'wanted: baby' in PennySaver and visits the Lorings (Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman) who desperately want a child and embrace Juno's gesture of adoption with eager excitement. The remainder of the film follows Juno as her abdomen increases in girth, finding new respect for her parents and for Bleek, and inadvertently walking in the troubled waters of the Loring's marital discord. Without giving the story away, the ending is so tender and free of cliche that it allows us, the audience, to appreciate all the vigor and sensitivity and humor and warmth of Juno - an example of developing maturity that is a fresh breeze compared to the usual teenage movies.
Ellen Page does indeed deliver a pitch perfect performance, but her co-stars are equally fine: Simmons and Janney break away from their usual type cast roles brilliantly, and the other members of the cast (the entire cast) flesh out this well written story with great skill. The mixture of animated graphics and the imaginative musical score enhance the flavor of the tale. JUNO offers an unbiased look at the topic of teenage pregnancy and wins on every level. Grady Harp, April 08
 This is one doodle that can't be un-did January 1, 2008
R. Kyle (USA)
82 out of 142 found this review helpful
Her parents didn't see it coming. They were hoping she'd been expelled, into hard drugs, anything but pregnant.
Well, Juno (Ellen Page) was hoping that, too. It took 3 pregnancy tests to convince her.
Juno tried the abortion clinic first, but couldn't go through with it. Her friend Leah (Olivia Thirlby) convinces her to check out the Penny Saver for adoptive parents--or as she puts it couples 'desperately seeking spawn.'
She finds Mark (Jason Bateman) and Vanessa (Jennifer Garner), who seem to be the ideal couple. Vanessa has always wanted to be a Mom--and Juno and Mark have so much in common.
"Juno" takes us through a year of young Juno's life, including her relations with the father of her baby and her best friend, Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera), school, and the pregnancy and aftermath.
The film takes you on the gamut of emotions, but leaves you feeling good. I saw this film with my husband, who loved "Juno" as much as I did. We'll probably end up buying this DVD, because it's well worth another watch.
Warnings:
Some mature subject themes may not be suitable for really young kids, but I'd definitely take my young adults to this film.
It started in a chair February 25, 2008
E. A Solinas (MD USA)
60 out of 87 found this review helpful
Let's face it -- teen pregnancy is an ongoing problem, and is not something admirable or funny. But I have to admit, the way you handle it can be.
That seems to be the goal of "Juno," a relentlessly quirky, cracking-wise little comedy about a girl who makes a dumb mistake, and the smart decisions she has to make after that. While it initially seems rather precious, the Wes Andersonesque scriptings hide a bittersweet, warm little story about responsibility and love.
After a lot of Sunny D and three pregnancy tests, Juno MacGuff (Ellen Page) comes to the inevitable conclusion: she's pregnant by her friend Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera).
Because she "heard in health class that pregnancy often results in an infant," Juno initially goes in for an abortion, but ends up running out of the clinic. Instead, she's going to have the baby and give it to someone who wants one, but can't have it. So she reluctantly fesses up to her parents, and starts scouting ads for suitably (if unedgy) parents for her baby -- the wealthy Mark (Jason Bateman) and Vanessa (Jennifer Garner).
Mark and Juno form a bond over their shared tastes, but she starts to suspect that not all is well in Yuppieland -- especially when Mark decides to break up with Vanessa, because fatherhood would force him to be a grown-up, not a rock god. As her due date approaches, Juno must decide what is best for herself, Vanessa, the baby... and just maybe, the adoring Paulie.
Recliners on the lawn, cactus-grams, guitars with names and "The Wizard of Gore" -- it's pretty obvious that "Juno" will win prizes for kooky quirk, if nothing else. It certainly has that in spades, and while it has some awkwardly scripted moments, the colourful and acerbic portrait of a teenage girl having to make some heavy adult decisions is definitely a winning one.
Admittedly, "Juno" is a bit too precious in the first few scenes, when we have a weird store clerk saying things like "Your eggo is preggo" and getting replies like "Silencio!" Come on, loosen up and stop trying to be cooler-than-thou.
But as the pregnancy storyline really kicks in, "Juno" settles into a storyline that is equal parts quirky-funny and touching. Jason Reitman flavours the whole plot with his snappy, clever direction with plenty of acid-laced voiceovers from Juno, on the world around her. And Diablo Cody's dialogue ranges from deliciously sharp ("I'm not crying, I'm just allergic to fine home furnishing") to entertainingly over-the-top ("Phuket, Thailand!").
But as witty and quirky as the plot is, it wouldn't be much if it didn't also have a heart. As the movie winds on, we get to see Juno maturing -- learning to weigh coolness vs. maturity, appreciate her family, and what is right for her baby and the Lorings -- the scene where Juno helps an upset Vanessa talk to her baby is adorable. Not to mention that our pregnant heroine has to figure out whether true love is staring her in the face.
Ellen Page gives a note-perfect performance -- her Juno is funny, sassy, wise beyond her years, and profoundly unconventional ("Thundercats are go!"). Cera is equally good in a more subdued, lovably dorky role; it's pretty hard not to love Paulie just for being himself. And Garner and Bateman are wonderful too, as an uptight, lonely woman who desperately wants a baby, and a Peter Pan type who doesn't want to act like a grown-up. Bleah, who needs him?
"Juno" has its flaws -- moments of excessive preciousness -- but it has plenty of heart, wicked dialogue, and excellent acting. Call it a Cautionary Whale.
 Being a sassy pregnant teenager is soooo cool! February 21, 2008
spitgrrl (libraryland, indiana)
37 out of 109 found this review helpful
This movie has so many aspects working against it, that it boggles my mind as to why everyone seems to love it so much. The dialog was absolutely ridiculous and most of Juno's "witticisms" sounded like stuff a 30 year-old woman WISHED she would have said as a teenager. The character of Juno herself was terribly obnoxious and everything about her character came across as trying way too hard to be sassy, hip and cool. But there's really nothing sasssy, hip and cool about having unprotected sex because you're bored and then being surprised to find yourself pregnant! And therein lies the biggest problem of the movie: It is an extremely unrealistic and almost romanticized view of teenage pregnancy. Juno herself never seems that worried or upset to find herself pregnant, her parents certainly don't react to her pregnancy the way most parents would (with utterances of shock and disappointment), and her realtionship with the baby's father....well, I won't spoil it for those who haven't seen it, but it's just ridiculous. How many teenage pregnancies end up that way, with everything neat and tidy and with everyone happy? This movie makes it all seem not only easy, but "cool" as well. Is that really the sort of message we should be imparting to teenagers? That a pregancy is just nine months of mild emotional and physical discomfort followed by sunshine, rainbows and cooing sappy love songs to your faithful boyfriend with an acoustic guitar?
I hope not.
 That's a lot of Sunny D! March 23, 2008
Michael Ward (Athens, Georgia)
35 out of 52 found this review helpful
Besides the Coen Brothers' No Country for Old Men and Ang Lee's Lust, Caution, the film that I heard the most about last year and pouring into this year was Jason Reitman's Juno. For a short duration of time, it became the hip film to watch, and praise was spreading like wildfire across the Internet and college campuses, however, as these things go, as the film gained popularity, the film gained quite a number of detractors. I honestly could not tell if the film was gaining criticism because it was not as great as the ballyhoo of the masses was making it out to be or if it was being criticized because it had become such a popular film and had "loss" its indie cred. Therefore, when the film came to my local indie theater/bar/restaurant, my companion to the film had a large beer within the theater, I decided to check out the film. My reaction: cute...but definitely not the best thing ever.
With so many others already having written a plot synopsis of the film I won't elaborate too much here on the story. The story centers on a Juno MacGuff, a precocious, sharp-tongued high school student who after her one and only sexual foray with the meek, geeky Paulie Bleeker finds herself pregnant. Almost instantaneously after finding out that she is pregnant; she decides to have an abortion, but partially because she runs into a classmate named Su-chin protesting in front of the abortion clinic, "All babies want to get borned!," and learned that her baby has fingernails, she decides to give the baby up for adoption. In the classifieds, next to a section concerning parakeets, she finds a couple looking for a baby: Vanessa and Mark Loring. With her gruff, but supportive, heating and air conditioning repairman father in tow, Juno meets Vanessa and Mark in their rich, yuppie neighborhood. Juno likes Mark because he is a musician, although he writes commercial jingles instead of the Seattle grunge scene music he once aspired to, and is tolerant of Vanessa who seems to have a good heart despite being a bit high strung, so she seems to be pretty set to give the baby to the couple, however, are things ever that simple?
I must be honest and say that I was prepared to dislike the film, and at first I did. The dialogue was quite artificial, ala Kevin Smith, and seemed to be trying too hard at some points. Also, the name dropping was quite prevalent, Thurston Moore, Dario Argento, etc., was a bit too thick and seemed to smack of "oh, look how indie we are, hur, hur," but as the film continued, I was drawn into it and came to enjoy it for what, in my opinion, it was: a cute movie that does tackle some heavy issues. Also, the film does have a good soundtrack, and I am glad that it introduced me to the anti-folk musician Kimya Dawson.
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