by The Film Blogger

Created on: September 07, 2009

Juno, helmed by Jason Reitman, director of the excellent Thank You for Smoking, dictates the emotional peaks and troughs of Juno (Ellen Page), a 16-year old girl who suddenly discovers that she is pregnant by her friend, Paulie Bleaker (Michael Cera). Think a slightly edgier version of Knocked Up, given the age of the pregnant person, and you're right on the money.

The film assumes unto itself a certain hipness from the outset the seemingly rotoscoped (or some equally impressive visual effect) opening credits are accompanied by a rather catchy little tune, although as with many songs from the indie genre (and subsequently, most songs from this film's soundtrack), it is very hit and miss, and moreover, very much love it or hate it. Nevertheless, whether you appreciate the aural aspects, at least artistically, the film must be commended it is a crisp and snappy picture.

What is most striking once the film truly gets underway is its dialogue form it is highly unnatural, and whilst it is without doubt well-written, to hear such verbiage spew from the mouth of a 16-year old seems forced, overly precocious, and even a little annoying.

The film makes nice in not wasting its rather short running time Juno soon lets the father, Bleaker, know of his impending fatherhood, and the moments such as this in which the film slows down, opting for simpler dialogue, are among the film's best.

One of the film's more memorable scenes also involves Juno gently breaking to her father (J.K. Simmons) that she is pregnant. It is a scene of great, restrained hilarity, highlighting the importance of the many great supporting performances within the film, ranging from the obvious, such as Jason Bateman (as one of Juno's prospective adopters), and the less obvious, such as Rainn Wilson, from Six Feet Under and The Office (US) fame. Whilst none of these performances are surprising in their quality, Jennifer Garner as the wife of Bateman's character certainly is Garner not only radiates, but pulls off a career best by a considerable margin.

After initially making Bleaker privy to his siring a child, he is kept out of sight for a considerable period of time before we ever truly learn his emotional stance on what is before him. The little that is clear is that he, as with Juno, is utterly dumbfounded by the prospect of a child on the horizon, and for originality's sake, it's more refreshing than the drama from Knocked Up, as enjoyable as that film nonetheless was.

By and large, Reitman's film assumes

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