A nice little movie

Rating: 7/10 (23 June 2008)

Every once in a while there comes along a nice little movie which becomes a cultural phenomenon. When this happens all perspective tends to get lost and amidst all the breathless hype people overlook the fact that it's really just a nice little movie. And then comes the inevitable backlash as those who didn't like the movie get fed up with all the hype and declare it to be the worst thing they've ever seen. Such is the case with Juno. It's not the best movie of the year. It's not revolutionary. And it's certainly not the abomination its detractors would have you believe it to be. It's a nice little movie.
Seeing as the movie's a cultural phenomenon and all a plot summary seems rather unnecessary. Everyone knows the story...teenage girl gets pregnant and decides to give the baby up for adoption to childless yuppie couple. It's an incredibly simple story which plays out in such a way that the movie ends up being rather enjoyable and entertaining. Screenwriter Diablo Cody took home an Academy Award for her efforts but the film really is not brilliantly scripted. It is however brilliantly performed with director Jason Reitman coaxing wonderful performances out of his talented cast. All the performers are spot-on, falling into their roles perfectly. Of course the most important role belongs to Ellen Page playing Juno. The whole enterprise would have been sunk if Page was not up to the task but she does a truly outstanding job. With Page holding everything together everyone else around her offers brilliant support. Michael Cera as Juno's best friend (who happens to be her baby's father) is terrific. J.K. Simmons and Allison Janney have some very witty moments and some very loving moments as Juno's parents who are rather understanding given the circumstances. As the prospective adoptive parents Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman do a great job in bringing to life two characters who have very different motivations, hopes and dreams. It's apparent as soon as we meet this couple that something may not be quite right and Garner and Bateman are pitch-perfect as the couple's story plays itself out.
So what we have is a simple but ultimately surprising and charming story. And that story is brought to life wonderfully by the cast who make it so easy to embrace these characters. As always seems to be the case in these teen movies music plays a key role and so many of the songs chosen here fit the film perfectly. It really is a very good movie. But is it truly as great as the hype would lead you to believe? Probably not. It's a movie which certainly has its flaws. The script may have won an Oscar but too often it seems Cody is trying way too hard to make her teenage characters sound cool or quirky. There's only so much "cool" teen dialogue one can take. Honest to blog. For her next script one hopes Cody will realize not every line has to be a potential catchphrase. Sometimes people, even "cool" teenagers, just need to talk like normal people. And again the story is not at all a deep one, in fact it's often rather mundane. With a lesser cast and director this movie could have been entirely unremarkable. It's the performers which inject life into this story and it is the performances more than the story itself which you will really cherish. If you go into it expecting the best movie of the year you almost can't help but be disappointed. But if you have realistic expectations you'll find that this is a rather enjoyable and charming movie. It's not the greatest movie you've ever seen. It's a nice little movie. And there's nothing wrong with that.