Reaches our hearts

Rating: 8/10 (12 January 2008)

We learn early on in Jason Reitman's comedy Juno that "pregnancy can lead to an infant". This is exciting news. Of course, most teenagers already know this and use condoms but if Juno (Ellen Page), a feisty sixteen-year old, and her boyfriend, Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera), a straight A, high-school track star, realized this, there would be no movie. In that case, we would be spared a Diablo Cody screenplay that inundates us with hipper-than-thou dialogue, overly obvious pop culture references, and cutesy one-liners like a drugstore clerk (Rainn Wilson) telling Juno that "Your eggo is preggo" and "This is one doodle that can't be undid, home skillet". One or two of these one-liners are tolerable but a whole string of them leads us to question whether or not the author has a working relationship with how real people talk.
If the excessive quirkiness doesn't overwhelm you, Juno may ultimately be redeemed by the outstanding performances of Page and Cera, excellent support from Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner, and some genuine emotion and sweetness that leaves us remembering only the good things. While the film has much humanity, Mike Huckabee would have no problem with its anti-abortion subtext. After Juno and Paulie do it in a chair, abortion is considered but it is quickly dismissed as the filmmakers skew the odds against it by showing us a depressing waiting room at the abortion clinic, a disinterested receptionist who jokes about her boyfriend's junk smelling like pie, and a lone protester looking like a brave warrior instead of an obvious kook.
Carrying the baby to term seems like the only "wise" decision and Reitman/Cody display it as something of an inconvenience at worst and a pleasurable experience at best. There is no morning sickness or vomiting, no embarrassment at school, no pain and little trauma. Expecting the worst, Juno tells her parents (Allison Janney and JK Simmons) that she is pregnant but surprisingly dad and mom transcend the movie's flirtation with clichés and provide a thoughtful, supportive response. Dad comments that he didn't think Paulie Bleeker "had it in him" and mom, who works in a nail salon, thinks of the immediate  vitamins, and prenatal care.
The film works its way to a level of burgeoning responsibility and maturity but to get there, it moves through an unlikely adoption scenario in which a willing couple. Mark and Vanessa, is found through a newspaper advertisement. The couple seems more than eager to adopt but somehow we don't know what to make of them or where their real motivations lie. Our suspicions grow and become cringe-worthy when Mark takes a more than passing interest in Juno after they start comparing notes on rock stars and horror films. Ultimately, however, Juno overcomes our fears and our aversion to its smart-alecky cleverness and the film becomes a statement of generosity and unconditional love. Perhaps a bit too quirky for its own good, Juno is still a lovable film that works and works until it reaches our hearts.