AML Movie Review: “Juno”

Every year you tend to find that one little movie that just stands out from the others. Last year it was Little Miss Sunshine for me. In 2004, it was Napoleon Dynamite.

This year, I’ve gotten lucky to find two of those. The first was of course Once, a remarkable little indie film that everyone who saw it fell in love with, and the second is Juno.

I wrote about this movie in September when I heard it had been a big hit at the festivals. Well, that buzz was totally warranted.

Juno stars Ellen Page, an amazing young actress who gives a top-notch, smart and funny performance in this movie about a 16-year old girl named Juno who gets pregnant. The plot revolves around her telling her parents and then deciding to give the baby up for adoption.

The father? None other than Michael Cera, from Arrested Development and Superbad. He plays an awkward looking cross-country runner, who wears a yellow orange suit when he’s out practicing and just might have an addiction to Tic-Tacs.

Everyone has those actors that they just love to see anywhere, and Cera is one of those for me, ever since Arrested Development. He was hilarious in Superbad and great here as well.

The supporting cast was amazing. Allison Janney and J.K. Simmons play Juno’s parents, and both give their own personal touch to the film. Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner are the adoptive couple, whom Juno has to meet before deciding to go ahead with the plan.

Garner is especially great as a woman who hasn’t been able to have a child so far in life and has been burned before in this adoption idea. She had just the right amount of contained emotion and stress to make her role totally believable.

I cannot tell you how much I loved this film. The dialog, while probably too witty for a real 16-year old, was hilarious and different. The appeal of a good movie to me is when a writer can churn out something that feels totally unique and unpredictable.

This movie did that, and for the most part, I had no idea where it was headed. How would it end? It kept me mostly guessing right up until the end. Which is what makes a good movie a great movie, and breaks all the standard molds of other films.

Diablo Cody was the writer of this film, and she has had a strange life, which includes stripping, peep shows, blogging and screenplays. Talk about a crazy background.

It’s no wonder Juno feels so new and fresh.

Roger Ebert had this to say of the movie:

“[Juno is] just about the best movie of the year. Has there been a better performance this year than Ellen Page’s creation of Juno? I don’t think so.”

I totally agree and it’s probably why Page is up for a Screen Actor’s Guild Award for Best Actress.

This and Once are the hits of the year for me, movies that hit you on an emotional level and keep you thinking about them long after it’s over.

And while it’s not a Christmas or holiday movie, Juno will inspire you and give you warm fuzzies to last all winter long.

AML Rating: A+