Juno (Special Edition + Digital Copy) (2007)

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 cliché 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

Juno was Little Miss Sunshine of 2007 the little independent film that could. Once the studio realized that it had a successful crowd-pleaser on its hands, the film was promoted from the art-house circuit to the multiplexes. Actress Ellen Page and first-time screenwriter Diablo Cody became the film's breakout stars garnering the lion's share of critical raves and awards with Page getting an Independent Spirit Award and Cody an Academy Award. Now that all of the dust has settled, Juno can be reassessed to see if it really has the staying power and substance to cut through all of the hype and stand-up to the inevitable backlash.

There is an audio commentary by director Jason Reitman and screenwriter Diablo Cody. The first thing that you notice when listening to Cody talking is how well Ellen Page mimicked her way of speaking. Reitman tends to dominate the track and, not surprisingly, talks about filmmaking aspects like the casting of minor roles, the attention to details for the sets, how he shot certain scenes, and so on. This is pretty decent track filled with lots of anecdotal stories and production details.

Also included are 11 deleted scenes with optional commentary by Reitman and Cody. We meet Juno's crazy next-door neighbour. There's also a different introduction to Juno's family. We see Mark and Vanessa's first attempt to adopt. There's also an amusing bit where Juno has a solo gig and sings a song about getting pregnant. These are all good scenes and Reitman explains why there were cut.

There is the obligatory "Gag Reel," a hilarious collection of blown lines and goofs with Bateman making Page break character time and time again.

The "Gag Take" is an odd scene where Rainn Wilson and Reitman get into it with a mock heated argument.

"Cast and Crew Jam" features the cast and crew members rockin' out to a song in this mock music video.

There are "Screen Tests" for Ellen Page and Michael Cera. In the scene they do together you already see them in character and displaying excellent chemistry. There is also a test with Page and Olivia Thirlby and one with Page and J.K. Simmons as well.

"Way Beyond `Our' Maturity Level" takes a look at the characters of Bleeker, Juno and her best friend Leah with interviews with the actors that inhabit them. Diablo Cody talks about how they are based on people in her life.

"Diablo Cody is Totally Boss" is a profile of this novice screenwriter who got her start writing a blog and got noticed by a film producer. Reitman recalls his initial impressions of the script and the cast gush about its "unique voice."

"Jason Reitman for Shizz" takes a look at the director. The producers gush about how he was the right fit for the material. He talks about establishing the right tone and how he shared the same vision for the film as Cody.

"Honest to Blog!: Creating Juno" features Cody and Reitman talking about how the film came together. She credits her stylized dialogue to spending lots of time on the Internet. Cody also talks about how she came up with the idea for the story. They talk about specific scenes and her knack for depicting an unconventional family.

Buy Juno (Special Edition + Digital Copy) (2007) Now

It means the bonus disc includes a digital copy of the film that can be automatically downloaded to a laptop or iPod. Seems obvious after you know it, huh? The second disc also includes some extra bonus features not on the single-disc DVD -four featurettes titled "Way Beyond 'Our' Maturity Level: Juno Leah Bleeker," "Diablo Cody Is Totally Boss," "Jason Reitman For Shizz" and "Honest To Blog! Creating Juno."

Read Best Reviews of Juno (Special Edition + Digital Copy) (2007) Here

Juno a teen who becomes pregnant by her friend and decides to give up the baby for adoption to a lovely couple or does she change her mind. I reccomend all teens to see this, not to get the idea to just go out and have sex to so call (get a baby) but let the teen see what Juno has to go through on her own being pregnant without the baby's father having anything to do with her or the child. It happens all the time in the world we live in. Being puzzled about how it was going to end....Well I wont give the ending away you just need to view it for yourself. This movie is a serious subject, but has humor by Juno. I was happy to have purchased this myself. Ellen Page (Juno) a rising actress. Through friendship and pregnancy, there is a bond of LOVE forever.

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Obviously by now everyone has heard the hype surrounding this movie. Unfortunately, the hype has assisted my lukewarm rating of this movie. A scant three minutes into the movie and one has to wonder how Diablo Cody won an Oscar for writing such fake dialogue.

The lead character, Juno, is in a pharmacy purchasing a pregnancy test. Her interaction with the clerk was the stuff you can only find in a movie. No one talks like they do. The clerk and Juno both spoke like they were from another planet. Unfortunately, we're subjected to little more than this type of dialogue for the first two thirds of the movie. It was as though Diablo Cody watched Quentin Tarantino movies and then decided to try her hand at writing sarcastic, quick-witted banter. She has a very long way to go. One-liners don't make for conversation.

I feel that most of the hype about the writing was due to the fact that it was different. Not that it was really good, but because it is different than typical Hollywood fare. Different doesn't equal good here. Nothing is more ridiculous than when, upon being told by Juno that she is pregnant, her father comments that he didn't think the boy who knocked her up "had it in him". The ho-hum manner that everyone takes to the situation is very unrealistic and distracts from the story. No one seems to take the matter seriously. Not her father, not the boy's family, not the boy, and not Juno herself.

So how did I end up giving this movie three stars rather than one? Well, the story found its way in the last half hour. I found Little Miss Sunshine to be like this as well. Most of the movie was rather dull, but the ending was so good that it made up for the rest. Juno has a similar quality. We finally see resemblence of humanity when Juno finds out the perfect couple she chose to adopt her baby aren't the perfect couple she thought they were. We finally see some realistic interaction between father and daughter. We see a woman who cannot have her own children distressed over the uncertainty of the adoption process. You can feel her uneasiness. After Juno gives birth, her boyfriend visits her in the hospital and there is a real tender scene between them. Alas we see Juno as a vulnerable child having to deal with the weight of having a baby and giving it up. I found the final scene to be rather charming as Juno and her boyfriend sit and play guitars and sing a tune together. It's still unrealistic, but nevertheless it was a nice finish.

There are better movies about intelligent, self-aware, teenage girls who struggle as misfits to find their calling. One that comes to mind that is better written and superbly executed is Ghost World. It stars Thora Birtch, Scarlett Johansson, and Steve Buscemi. The movie isn't for everyone, but if you're interested in a Juno-type movie, Ghost World is far superior. Ghost World

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