Overrated, still nice

Rating: 7/10 (16 March 2011)

A nice enjoyable movie.
The good thing about this film is that the pregnancy of adolescent Juno, around which the film revolves, is not treated in a judgmental moralistic way. It just happened and Juno deals with it her way, which is a little bit odd, as she is. It is truly rare that such a big issue, as teen pregnancy is, is treated in such a fresh and open minded way. That's great.
The dialogs, especially Juno's and the ones she has with her parents, are excellent, but the script shows up and downs regarding the story in general and the dialogs of other main characters. The roles of the future adoptive parents are stereotypical and predictable, although respond to human reactions that we find in real life.
The performance of the supporting actors here is excellent, and both the actors playing Juno's father and step mother are great, sincere and believable in their roles. The same re the actor who plays Juno's boyfriend, who I found adorable. The roles of the adopting couple are not that good, and the performance of Jennifer Garner and the actor who plays her husband are mediocre, sometimes over the top, which unbalances the overall tone of the film.
Ellen Page is a talented young actress, and her quirky character goes well with that quirkiness she has as a person. I think that her nomination for an Oscar was excessive as her performance in Hard Candy was far better and more complex and demanding and she was not nominated. But she definitely has talent.
I loved the little songs that percolate the whole film and the golden tones, which welcome the viewer into a warm story, family and characters.
However, reviews and critics have overrated a movie that time will show did not deserve a 9!