Juno

I started off the New Year right yesterday, with two film viewings. The first was Margot at the Wedding, which I'll probably review later. The second was Juno, this year's winner of an award created specifically for Garden State back in 2004, the Trendy-
Independent-Film-That-Every-Hipster-Will-
See-And-Love award.

Let me start out by saying that I definitely enjoyed Juno, but since the film has been so hyped (even Roger Ebert picked it over No Country for Old Men), I'll probably spend an inordinate amount of time on why it's not quite as good as everyone thinks. So I'll tip my hand and rate it a solid 7.5 out of 10, and let the review be couched in those terms.


For those who don't know already, Juno is the name of the lead character, a 16 year old high school junior who finds out at the beginning of the movie that she's pregnant from a one off night with her best friend Bleeker (the excellent Michael Cera from Superbad and Arrested Development). She starts to get an abortion, but later decides to give the child up for adoption to a nice, yuppie couple.

Let me here agree with every single person who has reviewed this movie by saying that: A. Ellen Page is amazing as Juno, as in "won't get the best actress buzz she deserves because she's young and in a comedy" amazing. And B. It is impossible for a real person to use that much rapid-fire, mind-numbingly hip slang. It simply can't be done, although Page is so good, that she kind of makes you forget that (kind of).

By the close of the movie, I would have been completely unsurprised had the end credits contained a line something to the effect of, "From the makers of Scrubs." In much the same way as that show (which I love, by the bye), Juno seemed to be saying, "Hey look at my trendy music! Look I use hip slang, and I'm funny and poignant at the same time! Wooooo!" Like Scrubs, Juno really is funny and poignant, and at times overuses independent music.

Really Juno the movie is a lot like Juno the character. Trying desperately to be as hip and quirky as possible. No one in real life could try as hard as the character and actually be cool, and no film could try as hard as the movie and actually be as good as people are saying it is. But both are charming, and in ways that escape their attempts at hipness. So, having said all of this, see the movie. Laugh. Be charmed.

Other thoughts anyone?