Juno Makes Teen Pregnancy Rad!

The latest film from director Jason Reitman is a far cry from his freshman effort: Thank You For Smoking. I first saw a preview for the much anticipated: Juno, a few months ago, before the showing of Superbad. It was a short teaser beckoning future Michael Cera fans to another vehicle for his understated stardom, albeit one that reunites him with his Arrested Development co-star Jason Bateman (previously of Teen Wolf Too fame). For weeks I have been hearing about this movie's premier, reading reviews on Rotten Tomatoes that liken the film to last year's surprise hit: "Little Miss Sunshine," or Zach Braff's reach for credibility: "Garden State."

Like both "Little Miss Sunshine," and "Garden State," "Juno" is a humble comedy. But Juno stands on its own as a unique vehicle for considering the serious human issues of teen pregnancy and adoption in a humorous way. I could even stomach the touchy moments between Ellen Page and Michael Cera, when pre-empted by Juno's bold-faced cynicism. The film succeeds in not politicizing the touchy subject of abortion, which can too often lead right-wing extremists to violence or at the very least to crafting creepy midwestern road signs or such monstrosities as the truth trucks in Louisiana adorned with adorable fetuses.

So far I haven't heard of protests outside of this film, perhaps because the protagonist makes the Zealot friendly decision to go through with the pregnancy and give the child to a loving family. Much hilarity inevitably ensues.

Much has been publicized about Diablo Cody and her racy past as a stripper and Bloginatrix, yet while this makes for good gossip, I think it is her unusual background that brings a sense of reality to the story. It's the whole romanticized Kerouac model of writing, "live an interesting life and write interesting stories." The movie doesn't seem to hold any pretensions and at no time does it seem like the screenwriter, or director for that matter, is showing off. It is basic, it is indie, split into succinct seasonal sections and punctuated by Juno's off-the-cuff and endlessly entertaining diatribe on the world at large. One interesting detail for me is the contrast between the acoustic lo-fi soundtrack of the film with the old-school punk bands the protagonist is enamored with. In fact, we never get to hear any of the hardcore punk referenced in the film.

The screenplay is tightly constructed, and at no time during the film, did I feel that anything was wasted or that there were strange unnecessary scenes cluttering up the evolving tale. This is one thing that Juno has over Garden State, which was a sweet movie, but very unpolished. And amazingly enough, the writer's wit doesn't come out of every character's mouth like cloned sheep, a problem with the T.V. show Gilmore Girls, to which the dialogue has also been compared.

Overall, I think that all of the hype surrounding this movie is justified. And the fact that it is being hyped, is evidence that the Academy and critics at large are recognizing good writing at an early stage. I am reminded that last year both Little Miss Sunshine and Stranger Than Fiction were both panned at their initial releases, though both films eventually developed large followings.

Want to find an escape from the gray skies of winter? Want to find a movie with memorable characters? Quotable dialogue? Orange Tic-tacs? Then look no further than Juno (which is nothing like the city in Alaska).