Juno (2007)

A Heart-Warming Laugh Fest

- Juno MacGuff (Ellen Page) is 16 years old and pregnant. Woops. She decides to go through the pregnancy however, planning to give the baby to a couple who are looking to adopt. Naturally, such an experience is plenty eventful, especially for the quirky Juno. Hilarious from reel to reel but with other serious themes in between, Juno  (2007) is a great dramatic comedy.

Written by Diablo Cody, Juno has a great script with a fun story to follow. The dialogue is very funny with humor mostly coming from the characters and word usage, and it is also just plain unique and enjoyable.

Although.... I'm sorry? Gibson better than Fender? Come on!

Juno is a hilarious movie but meaningful scenes can also be found throughout, adding an emotional aspect to the film that is often lacking in other comedies. All of the many connected characters are also quirk-filled, giving the film an unrealistic bent in a very human story that makes the film incredibly unique.

The entire cast fits the bill for these clever characters perfectly. There is really not a bad performance in the whole film, whether it s Jennifer Garner, J.K. Simmons, Allison Janney, Rainn Wilson, or Olivia Thirlby give every colorful character is memorable and fun to watch.

The film's trailer gave me the impression that Jason Bateman would be virtually playing the same character he did in "Arrested Development" (not to say that would exactly be a bad" thing) but, to my surprise, this was not the way things worked out. Bateman does a great job with his unpredictable, typecast-breaking role as the husband-half of the adopting couple. Michael Cera, on the other hand, does basically play the same character he played in "Arrested Development" (as he always does) as Paulie Bleeker (the cheese to Juno's macaroni)- but it is great. His ability to play an awkward and confused natured character is why we love to watch him!

Starring as Juno, Ellen Page is incredibly funny with a glowing presence and sparkling line deliveries. But Page is not just funny, she gives a great overall performance, doing an excellent job with the emotional scenes and giving her character to much life and personality.

A meaningful and laugh out loud funny film featuring an unforgettable Ellen Page performance, Juno is just a film that you would hate to miss.


CBC Rating: 8/10