A Near Perfect Mix of Poignance and Comedy

Rating: 8/10 (21 February 2008)

Upon walking into the cinema on Valentine's Day with a bunch of mates (yep, we're all sad), I honestly had no idea what to expect from Juno- one side of me was expecting a wannabe black comedy that, although funny, didn't really do much to inspire the imagination or ask questions. The other side of me was expecting a typical chick flick with a twist that didn't really work- so, all in all, I was dreading it but was also intrigued. As it turns out, both sides of me were wrong.
Juno tells the story of a teenager (conveniently by the name of Juno) who falls pregnant to a boy in her year- Paulie Bleaker- and portrays a 6 month journey from the discovery of the pregnancy, the admission to the family and friends and then what Juno decides to do next- and what she decides to do is become a surrogate for a couple who, it seems, so desperately want a baby- straight away I was hooked. Although basic, the plot was interesting and not so much controversial as relevant to today's society.
Now, it would be very easy for a film with a plot like this to fall apart at the seams and fail miserably after about twenty minutes- but Juno doesn't do this and this is where it excels wonderfully. The way in which the story is told is both subtly humorous and there is a beautiful poignancy to the events that occur. Of course, there are some questionable scenes at the beginning and some of the humour might not appeal to all audiences (whether this is because they don't understand it- which seemed to be the case with some of the people sitting behind us- or because it is directed at a specific demographic I'm not too sure, possibly a mix of the two) but the way in which Juno's story flows and ultimately comes to one of the most beautiful conclusions to a film this decade is quite simply amazing and it very nearly brought a tear to my eye.
This is a film I would definitely recommend to all ages and genders as, even if the humour doesn't quite appeal or if some find the subject matter a little sensitive, there is a little something for everyone in Juno.