Upon reading that Roger Ebert listed it as the No. 1 movies of the year in his Top Ten Movies of 2007, I was skeptical “Juno” was going to fall under the ill fate of being overly hyped. I’m sure it was going to be good, but better than “No Country for Old Men”? Better than “Into the Wild”?
After coming from theater, I reread Ebert’s reasoning:
Because of all the year’s films I responded to it most strongly. I tried out other titles in the No. 1 position, but my heart told me I had to be honest: This was my true love, and I could not be unfaithful. It is so hard to make a great comedy at all, and harder still to make one that is intelligent, quick, charming, moving and yes, very, very funny. Seeing “Juno” with an audience was to be reminded of unforgettable communal moviegoing experiences, when strangers are united in delight. It was light on its feet, involving the audience in love and care for its characters.
I’m not entirely yet in agreement that it’s the year’s best film; “Juno” goes above all preconceived expectations I had going to the cinema. “Juno” fits perfectly into the indie mold, but don’t let the references to bands no one has heard of or the ostracized protagonist steer you from enjoying it. The audience reaction to this movie was as absorbed and attentive as any I’ve been in since I went a field trip to go see “Titantic” in the 7th grade and the hormone-crazed boys got to see nudity on the big screen for the first time. (It was awesome.)
“Juno” is centered around a 16-year-old girl named Juno, not like the capital of Alaska, who becomes pregnant with an awkward stiff who goes to their Minnesotan high school. She decides she’s not the kind of person to abort a baby and attempts to deliver the baby but hand it off to a couple in need of a child.
As simple as the premise is, both main and supporting characters are as deep and genuine as are seen in comedies. It boasts a cast that’s stacked full of great actors and actresses, much more than your average indie flick. One of my favorite actresses, Ellen Page (“Hard Candy,” “X-Men: The Last Stand”), plays the lead role. Two actors — Michael Cera and Jason Bateman — from my favorite TV comedy of all-time (Arrested Development) star in it as well. Jennifer Garner (Alias), Allison Janney (West Wing), J.K. Simmons (“Spider Man”) and Rainn Wilson (The Office (U.S.)) are all well-known coming into this film.
“Juno” remains consistently funny throughout the film, yet it doesn’t sacrifice the plot and flow of the film. One of the reasons I feel most comedies fall flat on their faces is that they are funny for the first two-thirds, until the director and screenwriters realize they need to play catch-up and finish the plot so they make sense. (Which they don’t). This, in turn, yields vast portions of humorless dialogue. “Juno” doesn’t lose direction of its comedic value, and it shows well.
The other way most of today’s comedies fail, besides being unfunny or insufferably clichéd, is that the punch lines are written before the story takes form. This is why I couldn’t stand pregnancy-themed “Knocked Up” and “Superbad.” Most of the jokes aren’t inherent to the plot. For example, in “Superbad,” there is a scene where the fat kid confesses that when he was younger he had a habit of drawing penises. It adds nothing to the flow of the story, nor does it have to do with anything other than the vile writers thinking to themselves, “Ya know what’s funny? Penises. Chuckle. Chuckle. Chuckle.” I’d like to think that, for a change, “Juno” steers clear from this trend.
I agree it’s distasteful to knock other movies in a review and provide film criticism. My point is that everything good in “Juno” shows why nearly every true comedy in the past five years faltered.
Ellen Page is deserving of recognition for her role as Juno. She never goes past the point of being over the top. Yet she plays the part as if it were drama rather than a comedy.
The soundtrack is one thing to be rewarded. Comedies are generally filled with songs that sound good in the moment. Instead, “Juno” uses them as a motif, of sorts. They are used transitionally and are soft-sounding.
Is it worthy of the high rating I gave it when there are others that have more cinematic value that I’d normally rate lower? Perhaps not. But it’s the first comedy that left such a strong lasting impression in a long time. In comparison, it is deserving.
