Funny, entertaining, and insightful.

Rating: 9/10 (26 April 2012)

The movie "Juno" is about a young high school girl, Juno (Ellen Page), who unexpectedly gets pregnant with her good friend Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera) and we are taken through the struggles and difficulties she goes through. Instead of having an abortion like she had originally planned, she decides to give the baby up for adoption to someone who desperately wants a baby and can give the baby a better home. The movie is mixed with ironic humor and blatant reality as it portrays how a pregnant teen may feel and be treated in this situation. The comedic spin on this film helps to lighten the situation and bring a fresh entertaining spin to a common reality. The theme of the film is focused on the complexity of relationships and the struggles of the teen years. The struggles between Juno and Bleeker, a young first love are played out as well as struggles between Vanessa(Jennifer Garner) and Mark(Jason Bateman), the couple Juno decided to give the baby to. The difficulties in dealing with parents as well as teachers and piers as a teen who is pregnant are portrayed in a realistic and yet funny way that is both entertaining and touching. Juno has a similarity to the film "Knocked Up" as the themes in both movies have to do with unplanned pregnancies and complex relationships in an other than ideal situation and is given a comedic spin to bring a lightened and entertaining feature to these films. Juno differs in that the main characters are teens a more subtle, quirky kind of comedy is used. The lighting in the film that was used is very natural lighting. Many of the scenes were either shot outside or were given the illusion that outside or natural lighting was used. The night scenes were kind of dim and felt like they were shot in a regular family room. These uses of lighting seemed to give the film a realistic feel and like you were friends with Juno who was just alongside her throughout the film. The sound in this film was unique. The music used was well selected in placement and choices as it portrayed Juno and Bleeker as laid back and both kind of quirky and not mainstream. Just by using these music choices we are given an inside view at these two without full descriptions or backgrounds being given. Also, throughout the film Ellen Page does a voice over narration for Juno in certain parts of the film to give an inside point of view of Juno and what she's thinking and going through in ways that aren't verbally expressed in the dialogue of the characters of the film. The movie "Juno" does an excellent job portraying the pressures and struggles of teens as Juno goes through her teen pregnancy and how judgmental others can be. Along with this insight, the comedy in the film brings a sense of lightness and positive attitude to an otherwise stressful situation.