I loved it!

Rating: 9/10 (17 October 2008)

Indie movies and me generally do not get along. This one, however, I found very refreshing and entertaining. I liked Juno from the start and that is why I loved it. Not to mention I was surprised at the twists that resulted from the relationship between Juno and the adoptive couple (Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner.) The only real negative is some of the music. It is too often "cutesy" or "indie" or whatever. It simply sucks sometimes.
I have been a huge Jason Bateman fan since Silver Spoons. He obviously had great acting and comedic talent even then (which sadly Ricky Schroeder did not have.) He was brilliant in "It's Your Move." In short, he's always been great. He was again great here. He is good enough that Oscar should come looking his way.
Back to the movie. The dialogue was funny, hip, and fit Juno's personality perfectly. The simplistic view she had of the world and her situation is exactly what a smart, smart- mouthed but good hearted teen would have. The little touch of the runner's running by was endearing and often funny. Having been a cross-country/track runner myself, I identified with it more than some perhaps. When we first meet Bateman and Garner I did not know what to expect and at first got pretty much what I would have guessed: a happy, yuppie, childless couple looking for a way to start a family. The later opening up of Bateman's character through a shared love of music and pop culture with Juno really made his character come alive, as well as the movie. Bateman's obvious attraction to Juno is exactly what most men would feel in the same circumstance (much like Timothy Hutton's feelings toward Natalie Portman in Beautiful Girls.) Meet a young beautiful girl who thinks like you, is creative like you, is easy to talk to and be around, and it is easy to see yourself falling for such person. The fact that Juno did not recognize the relationship as possibly romantic shows the true naivety both of women in general and of teenagers. Men will recognize Bateman's feelings as true and legitimate while women will likely be (like Juno) horrified and shocked at Bateman's brushing aside his marriage vows, no matter how unhappy he is.
Garner did fine but as a man I did not identify as much with her. I was sad that she would be raising the baby alone. I also was somewhat sad that the baby would not be part of Juno and her boyfriend's life. I wondered whether she would ultimately decide to keep the baby. I thought she might considering how difficult giving up your own flesh and blood would be. One thing that rung false was the high school Asian girl alone picketing an abortion clinic. Overall, I thought the movie was great!