Juno (2007)

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

When a geeky Minnesota teen gets pregnant, hijinx ensue.

Without giving any more away, I definitely recommend you see it so we can discuss it. For now, I give it a huge thumbs up with a few little "buts."

[Edgy MD]

You're in the midst of the Accidental Pregnancy Film Fest, aren't you?

It's Immediate Family on Friday and then a Saturday matinee of The Snapper.

[metirish]

I've heard great things about this movie and after seeing this kid in Superbad I wanted to see this movie.

Not sure when I will see it though, probably on DVD.

[Guest Carnac the Metnificent]

A: Juno














Q: What does Omar Minaya say just before WhatImSayin' ?

[Valadius]

This was a FANTASTIC film. I highly recommend it. Ellen Page's performance is Oscar-worthy.

[Guest OlerudOwned]

I've missed seeing this movie twice now because of poor timing and circumstance. It's Superbad all over again.

[Chad ochoseis]

I saw it two weeks ago - it was my "It's Christmas and I'm Jewish and there's nothing else to do" movie.

Cute. Sweet. Heartwarming. Well written and well acted. A little unrealistic, but still fun to watch.

[Guest sharpie]

Saw it. Liked it. Well written and well acted. Gave it an 8 outta 10.

[Guest themetfairy]

D-Dad and I saw this last night. It was cute, and sweet, and had a humor you could laugh with rather than laugh at. I don't think that anyone would be talking about awards for Juno, though, but for the fact that this has been a weak year for films. Nonetheless, it was a pleasant and enjoyable movie.

[Vic Sage]

nice date movie for me and the missus.

[soupcan]

Saw it last night.

Wife and I liked it a lot. Gave it 8 stars.

Not just Ellen Page, but the entire cast was stellar. Jason Bateman, Jennifer Garner, J.K. Simmons and the actress that played the step-mother.

'Dream big Bren!'

[Fman99]

Mendoza Line wrote: I saw it two weeks ago - it was my "It's Christmas and I'm Jewish and there's nothing else to do" movie. Cute. Sweet. Heartwarming. Well written and well acted. A little unrealistic, but still fun to watch.

Ah that takes me back to seeing Godfather III in high school.

Unfortunately I was unable to buy into the premise that Andy Garcia could bed Bridget Fonda 15 minutes into the movie but would ultimately fall in love with his ugly cousin instead. Drat.

[Elster88]

Cute movie.

Hilarious, Carnac. sc = zero

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Are we ready to open this up to discussion of whether you felt this was really a well-written movie, or whether the character Juno was just an artificial amalgam of specific "ironic cool" code and cliches that couldn't possibly belong to an actual 16-year-old?

Like, calling the abortion clinic and excusing her hamburger phone. Like, the long conversation with Bateman over the relative coolness of Mott the Hoople.

I tell you, in retrospect the only thing that saved this movie for me was Bateman's character turning out to be such a scumbag. I thought that was great. I thought, maybe this mitigates the whole cool-name-dropping scene. On second thought I'm not sure it does at all.

[Guest sharpie]

The Mott the Hoople thing bugged me too.

I'm the right age for "All the Young Dudes" to be played at my prom. I don't remember what was played ("Colour My World" was I'm sure) but I'm pretty sure that that "All the Young Dudes" wasn't -- because it isn't really a song to dance to.

[soupcan]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: ... thiswas really a well-written movie, or whether the character Juno was just an artificial amalgam of specific "ironic cool" code and cliches that couldn't possibly belong to an actual 16-year-old

Do these ideas have to be independent of each other?

Can't the 'ironic cool' also be well-written?

Suro the Juno character was a reach - I've never met a 16 year-old girl cool enough to make me leave my wife and reassesss the last (almost) 30 years of my life, but it was a movie. A 'real' wise-ass 16 year-old wouldn't give you much a story would she?

Look at the crap on MTV when they follow these kids around with cameras for whatever semi-reality show they're filming. These kids aren't interesting. They don't know anything and their opinions are either non-existent, ill-informed or just naive.

I liked this movie because it was well written and the entire cast was great.








1982 prom theme for me was 'Breaking Away' by Al Jareau.

It dovetailed nicely with a senior class theme of 'Break On Through in '82!

I'm sure I've got my button around here somewhere...

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I dunno. I felt like there were a few points where "Juno" stopped being a pregnant teen heroine and became instead a vehicle for the writer/director to lecture us ignorant audience members on what is cool.

I didn't like that at the time it was happening, but felt like maybe you could consider those judgements flawed in light of how the Bateman character turned out. But I'm not sure it invalidates it anymore and it kinda bothers me.

I really liked everything else in this flick, especially the adults: Stepmom was dynamite, Bateman rocked and Garner did a great transformation from maniacal mommy wannabe. So I stand by my excellent film, BUT rating.

[Guest themetfairy]

Well, this isn't an exact analogy, but my 18-year-old daughter (not cool and certainly not pregnant) is as passionate about Broadway, showtunes and comic books as Juno was about her music. So the concept of a teenager with strong views and a strong background on a topic doesn't strike me as unbelievable.

Prom Theme in 1979 - James Taylor's The Secret of Life.

[Vic Sage]

The evolution of a sub-genre:
The Quirky / American / Coming-of-age / Indie-style / Dramedy

�Juno� represents a style of �off beat comedy� that features at least 1 teen protagonist coming of age in a dysfunctional situation, punctuated with humorously ironic observation and post-modern cinematic style and (sometimes) a cool soundtrack.

Other examples of the genre:

Harold & Maude � the granddaddy of the genre.
Dazed & Confused
Heathers
Pump up the Volume
American Beauty
Ghost World
Donnie Darko
Rushmore
Squid & the Whale
What�s eating Gilbert Grape
Welcome to the Doll�s House
Slums of Beverly Hills
Virgin Suicides
Igby Goes Down
Palindromes
Tadpole
Running With Scissors
Angus
Outside Providence
Mystic Pizza
Art School Confidential
Little Miss Sunshine
Opposite of Sex

The following titles are good movies that DO NOT FIT THE GENRE due to an irony deficiency:

Night of the Comet
Better Off Dead
One Crazy Summer
Pretty In Pink
Breakfast Club
American Pie
Valley Girl
Clueless
Ferris Beuhller
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Flamingo Kid
Cooley High
American Graffitti
Stand By Me

some UK examples:
If...
Wish You Were Here
Gregory's Girl

Edited January 30, 2008 by Guest

[nymr83]

i've only seen 4 of those movies (American Pie, Clueless, Fast Times and Ferris Buehler) I don't remember a pregnancy in any of them though my memory of Fast Times is pretty shaky.

[Guest AG/DC]

Fast Times --- big pregnancy.

[Vic Sage]

Pregnancy isn't a required element of the genre.

Just a young protagonist or two through whose eyes we get to see their angst (either due to dysfunctional family dynamic, school or peer pressures, etc), but done with ironic humor and low key, off-beat characters.

[Guest AG/DC]

There wasn't anybody hip or ironic in Fast Times, though. I thought it was the film's saving grace that nobody was superior. No real first-person stuff. No real protagonist, either. Judge Rheinhold's character comes the closest to standing out ("Hope you had a nice piss, Arnold!"), but they're a bunch of mini-protaginoists who we don't get close enough to engage with their angst.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Both Fast Times and Juno also featured teen characters who were into music, but FT didn't lecture its audience about its coolness in the irritating manner Juno did.

[Guest AG/DC]

A restatement of the same position there.

[Vic Sage]

AG/DC wrote: There wasn't anybody hip or ironic in Fast Times, though. I thought it was the film's saving grace that nobody was superior. No real first-person stuff. No real protagonist, either. Judge Rheinhold's character comes the closest to standing out ("Hope you had a nice piss, Arnold!"), but they're a bunch of mini-protaginoists who we don't get close enough to engage with their angst.

agreed about FAST TIMES' lack of irony. That's why it was on the 2nd list of titles that suffered from an "irony deficiency", thus not really fitting into the genre as i defined it.

[Guest AG/DC]

Oh, yeah, reading.

I guess I was responding to Nymr and didn't realize which list he pulled that movie off of.

[soupcan]

Damone sure thought he was hip and cool.

[Elster88]

I liked your handle AG

[metirish]

The Juno Blacklash.

How the backlash started.