Oscar would be well deserved

Rating: 8/10 (17 February 2008)

What I really liked about this movie is the multi-dimensional approach. Just take the characters. They turn out to be just a little different than you thought they'd be. Juno is a nice girl, but at the same time she's rather heartless. She keeps referring to her baby as 'that thing' and decides against an abortion not because she wants to save her baby's life but because she doesn't like the receptionist at the abortion clinic. Adoptive father Mark at first seems to be the cool guy who likes punk rock and slasher movies, but turns out to be a childish and immature man who'd rather pursue a hopeless career as a would-be rock star than be a responsible father. And Juno's stepmother Bren, who had hoped Juno would be on hard drugs instead of pregnant, later verbally abuses an ultrasound technician who suggests teenage pregnancies are 'poisonous' for babies. The movie doesn't take sides. Not for or against teenage pregnancies, not for or against abortion, not for or against adoption ads in the newspapers. It shows things how they are, and adds a lot of humor and witty dialog. That's refreshing, especially from a country where this kind of thing very often seems to suffer from an one-sided approach. An Oscar for this movie would be well deserved.