5Q Movie Review: Juno

My "Gettin' Caught Up" week rolls on with a luck at the plucky underdog film that could. Yep, it's lovable ol' Juno. Aww!


Q: OK, isn't this Diablo Cody hype way out of control?

A: Hype? Well, yeah, she got an Oscar and a chatty Entertainment Weekly column for writing this movie (well, the whole used-to-strip thing probably helped her get at least one of those), but come on, give her a time in the spotlight. I was all prepared to hate Juno, but I actually found it a solid movie, one much less gimmicky than I had assumed it was. And why shouldn't there be a female voice on EW's back page, or, more importantly, a female screenwriter/celebrity with an affinity for way-too-cutesy dialogue and improbably hip speech patterns? Us guys have Kevin Smith.

Q: Yeah, but the movie itself--doesn't that dialogue get old?

A: Hey, I thought for sure it would. The first 10 minutes are almost unbearable, with an overwritten and underfunny exchange between star Ellen Page and Rainn Wilson that may have played much better on paper but made me cringe. "Oh, no," I thought in silent panic, "is it gonna be like this the whole time?" Thankfully, though, the screenplay quickly settles down, and "Juno" the movie becomes a intelligent film with likable characters and interesting performances. One critic was absolutely right, though, in selecting this example of how "Juno" is a little too pleased with itself sometimes: Juno the character can't just have a hamburger phone in her room; she has to tell her friend that she's talking on a hamburger phone." There is some of that kind of cutesiness, but stick with the movie, and it rewards you.

Q: But can grownups really get "into" a movie about teen pregnancy?

A: Oh, you might think it's just a wacky story about a teenager that gets knocked up, and the comparisons to "Little Miss Sunshine" might worry you (well, they did me, since I didn't like that one), but really there's much more going on. By looking at Juno and her world, we get a thoughtful look at pregnancy, abortion, and responsibility.

Even sharper is the exploration of relationships, both teenage and adult. Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner are outstanding as a potential adoptive parents for Juno's baby. I don't agree with every action their characters took, but their journey "gets it" in a way that "Knocked Up," for example, doesn't. I find Bateman's angst over impending fatherhood and all it entails much more convincing and affecting that Seth Rogan's in a movie that supposedly "has a big heart."

Q: Hey, that soundtrack is a big, smash hit! Is the music a big part of the film?

A: Well, it is, but if you go expecting a smorgasbord of cool tunes, you might be disappointed. I think the songs work well in the context of the movie, but I can't picture myself sitting down and listening to them in a CD player. That whole too-cute thing rears its ugly head again at times, but if you like The Moldy Peaches, hey, go for it. I just feel this may be like "Garden State," where a selection of songs proved so much more entertaining in a movie theater than in the car stereo.

Q: OK, bottom line: Does 'Juno" live up to everything or not?

A: No way it should be a Best Picture contender, and it's not a great film. But even if you're a Cody-phobe at first, as I admit I was, and you held out this long, you might enjoy it on DVD, where you can enjoy this film on its own merits, as not some blockbuster or classic, but as a fine effort from director Jason Reitman, an outstanding cast (including another standout turn from Michael Cera) and, yes, a screenplay by Diablo Cody. It'll be interesting to see what she does next and how another director will adapt it. "Juno" however, holds up well not just on its own merits, but compared to others. I'll go ahead and say it: "Juno" totally slays the previous year's Indie Darling, "Little Miss Sunshine," and it's also more insightful and even funnier than that other pregnancy-focused smash, "Knocked Up."