Juno

Rating: Null/10 (9 January 2008)

Juno has become ONE of my favorite movies of ALL TIME! I type this as I listen to the soundtrack I just bought today.
I was once asked, if I felt there were any perfect movies. I have often wondered about that. I am not sure I can say yes with complete confidence. But in the case of Juno, as I see it, I can say YES! To me, Juno is a PERFECT movie.
It began well, played well, ended well.
Like Superbad, the opening credit sequence does well to open the stage of what to expect from this movie. It also lets you know quickly that you are about to watch something original and outside the norm. The first 10 minutes contains some of the best banter I have ever heard on film.
Juno is quick witted and smart with out being pretentious. You may think, going in, that you are going to see a movie about teen pregnancy. Even though there are some educational moments, they are directed at Juno, so they don't come off as preachy. These moments serve to tell the story. Not to present a Pro Life agenda. Even though I feel this movie is more about change and relationships than about teen pregnancy. The complexity of being together.
There is not one performance that isn't fantastically delivered! In my opinion Jason Reitman has surpassed his father, Ivan Reitman of Ghostbusters fame, as a director. Of course Reitman junior doesn't have the long track record of his father. But I cannot recall anything that Reitman senior has done that was this simple and complex all at once. I say this being a big Ivan Reitman fan.
I am afraid to give away too much in this review because, even though you may know where this movie is going, the journey is what you will enjoy.
Ellen Page gives a performance that COULD NOT have been delivered any better. In Juno, she creates a character you want to hang out with. Making the film feel like lunch with a friend rather than a two dimensional projection on canvas.
There were many times I almost squirted tears of laughter, sorrow, and joy. At the end I did loose it. But being with a friend and being a MACHO DUDE, I quickly wiped those tears away.
In the booklet that comes with the Juno soundtrack, Ellen Page's contribution to the film is proved to be more than just in her fantastic performance. Jason Reitman states that two months before shooting, he asked Ellen what music she thought Juno listened to. Her response was The Moldy Peaches. They sing the song 'Anyone Else But You'. The same song sang by Ellen Page and Michael Cera at the end of the film. So in my opinion, Ellen Page not only carries the film through her performance, but she also becomes it soul. The unseen element that cannot be written.
Incidentally. The last shot of the film was actually the last day of shooting for Juno. With mics hidden in bushes, Ellen Page and Michael Cera perform 'Anyone Else But You', while the crew cry from behind the cameras. It was at that point they realized, the shoot was over and this was the end of their family.
Please don't take any of this to mean you are going to see a sap fest.
Juno is NOT a chick flick.
When it is released on DVD, it belongs on the shelf with ANY of your Seth Rogen Kevin Smith Judd Apatow DVDs.
Make a new friend. GO SEE JUNO!