I enjoyed every bite

Rating: 9/10 (6 May 2009)

Reading the reviews here, I've noticed that a lot of people don't like "Juno" so much. Now if Juno (the character) could be aware of this--well, she wouldn't care. That's what I love about her. She really doesn't care what anyone thinks. She simply speaks her mind, and what a delightful, snarky little mind it is.
People have complained about the unrealistic dialogue in "Juno," that it's too witty to portray teenagers accurately. When I think of realistic teenage dialogue, my mind travels back to high school art class, where I sat in front of two freshmen who spent every class period calling each other various curse words and shouting, "You killed Kenny!" every couple minutes or so. That is realistic dialogue. Is it what I want to hear? Of course not; I'd rather be amused.
"Juno" isn't a slice-of-life movie, but purely comedic. If I had wanted a more realistic movie about teenage pregnancy, I would have watched the next dreary sob story on Lifetime, where perhaps the lead character might toss her baby into a dumpster. Instead I watched this. Who knew that a movie about a pregnant teenager could be so uplifting? As a feel-good movie it worked for me, because I definitely felt good afterward.
I saw Juno as a strong character, the type of person who wants to know and experience everything life has to offer, much like Diablo Cody herself. As a result she possesses an incredible knowledge of pop culture, but also ends up pregnant. Was that foolish? Sure it was, but Juno wisely turns the pregnancy into something very positive. The point of this is not that teenage pregnancy is a wonderful thing, but that lamenting our mistakes is a waste of time, as mistakes are a part of life; and sometimes, as in the case of Juno, they can serve to make life a richer experience, for ourselves as well as for others.
"Juno" is the cinematic equivalent of pie. It doesn't pretend to be anything else. You never eat pie for its nutritional value but simply to indulge yourself once in a while. If I had wanted the cinematic equivalent of steak I would have watched something else. Yes, "Juno" is sugary and sweet. But those are the qualities you would look for in a pie, and as pie "Juno" is very, very good.