Dollymix's review of Fox Searchlight's film Juno, starring Ellen Page & written by Diablo Cody

As I have blabbed on and on about the past two days, I had the lovely opportunity to attend a screening of the uber cool movie, Juno, from Fox Searchlight. While it's easy to say that Juno is a film about a teenage girl named Juno McGuff that sleeps with her best friend Bleeker, gets pregnant, and decides to give the baby up for adoption - it is so much more than that. Yes, Juno does accidentally get pregnant with her best friend Bleeker. Yes, Juno decides to give the baby up for adoption. But beyond the storyline and synopsis, this film is about the relationships between people: between lovers, between parents and daughters, married couples, and the relationship we have with ourselves.

Juno is described as having a "fearless intellect far removed from the usual teen angst, Juno conquers her problems head-on, displaying a youthful exuberance both smart and unexpected", and she is exactly that. From the beginning of the film, to the end, you become entranced in the wit, intelligence, growth and vulnerability that is the world of Juno. Ellen Page is absolutely breath taking in this film, and her accompanying actors such as Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, JK Simmons and Allison Janney are amazing, as well. They all worked together on screen so flawlessly, that you can imagine how incredible the atmosphere on the set of Juno must have been like.

I would love to give you a scene by scene rundown for you, but I seriously don't want to give anything away. There are so many charming quirks to this film. from Juno and Bleeker's matching hamburger phones, to the fact that brand of the pregnancy test Juno used was called Teen Wave, to Juno's best friend having photos of Prince Charles and Bill Clinton on her wall. There are no voids in Juno. No empty spaces, no black and white. Everything is in color, and filled with purposeful detail.

This movie will remain with you for long after you have left the cinema. As a scary movie will haunt your mind when turn off the lights before bed, Juno will pop into your memory whenever you see a the white, glistening legs of a high school boy's track team, listen to sweet tunes of The Moldy Peaches, or hear someone say, "Shut your friggan gob!!"

While some films tend to make you uncomfortable with their realism or political statements, Juno weaves those moments in with its sharp humour so brilliantly, that you're never left feeling unsettled. Quite often you'll hear the term "sexually active" being thrown about by adults, with Juno and her friends immediately responding, "What does that even mean?" As really...what does it mean? The heavy issue of abortion is raised, as well as divorce, broken homes, and teenage pregnancy - but somehow Cody and Reitman manage to handle these issues with such raw grace, that you focus on the people and their emotions, instead of the subject matter.

What I found interesting was how Reitman felt that Jennifer Garner's role of Vanessa, the woman who wants to adopt Juno's baby, was the perfect example of how feminism has both helped and confused a lot of women today:

"Vanessa Loring, is the apotheosis of post-feminist consumerism, a woman who finds power and liberation in her career and measures her success in the acquisition of goods and, even, a child. 'I like that the characters defy convention and are people who make personal, as opposed to political, choices for themselves, just like in real life,' Reitman said. 'Feminism has paved the way for Vanessa’s career, but ultimately Vanessa wants to be a full time mother,' he said. 'I think a lot of women today who want to be mothers are really conflicted between that desire and everything they’ve put into their career.'"

As far as I'm concerned, Juno is the must-see movie of the year. Not only because it's fabulous, but because it is incredibly refreshing to see a cast of complex, original women who truly do defy convention and follow their gut instincts...no matter how bumpy the road may be.

Cate Sevilla is the Editor of Dollymix. She's got a crush on Juno, and doesn't care who knows it.

Comments