Juno (2007)

THE SCOOP
Director:  Jason Reitman
Cast:  Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner
Plot:  Faced with an unplanned pregnancy, an offbeat young woman makes an unusual decision regarding her unborn child.

Genre: Comedy/Drama/Romance
Awards: Won 1 Oscar - Best Original Screenplay. Nom. for 3 Oscars - Best Picture, Best Director, Best Leading Actress.
Runtime: 96min
Rating: NC16 for mature thematic material, sexual content and language.

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IN RETROSPECT
One of 2007's most anticipated Oscar-nominated pictures, Juno is this year's Little Miss Sunshine;  a quirky, witty, and highly original film that deserves its four Academy Award nominations, and might just snatch a couple of wins during Oscar night.

While some may debunk its originality because it's the third film this year after Judd Apatow's Knocked Up and Greg Mottola's Superbad to touch on the increasingly discussed subject matter of teenage delinquency - here being teenage pregnancy.

Jason Reitman (Thank You for Smoking) earns a slightly undeserved Best Director nomination for Juno;  there are limited opportunities for Reitman to show off his directing talents.  His Oscar berth should have been given either to Ridley Scott or Tim Burton for American Gangster and Sweeney Todd respectively, both of which showcase far more accomplished directorial ability.  

But most importantly, Juno succeeds because of two major factors - Ellen Page's performance in the title role and Diablo Cody's screenplay.  Together, Page and Cody form a lethal partnership.  Cody writes with considerable skill while Page has the charisma and persona to pull off such a demanding role as Juno.

I believe there’s no other young actress whom could have digested and performed Cody's script to perfection.  She spouts lines after lines of fascinating remarks with such eloquence that not falling in love with her character would have been sinful. 

Comparing with Knocked Up, Juno falls short of giving viewers that overwhelming, it-sweeps-me-off-my-feet movie experience that is apparent in the former.  Since Juno runs at just over ninety minutes, it feels short-lived; Knocked Up, on the other hand, clocked more than two hours and thus feels more complete and ultimately, more satisfying.

In my opinion, Juno will not win Best Picture or Best Director, although there are pretty good scoring chances at the other two nominated categories.  One thing's for sure though - Ellen Page is undoubtedly the next hottest property of Hollywood.

GRADE: B+





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