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At one point I declined an opportunity to view "Juno" in theaters. My very good friend Jeremy had asked me to go with him to see the film, but I just couldn´t muster the desire to pay ten dollars to watch a movie about a pregnant teenage girl with my oversized former rugby playing friend. There just seemed to be something far less than masculine about a hockey goalie and a rugby player eschewing "Cloverfield" in favor of "Juno." The choice came down to the big and noisy monster movie with explosions and decapitated historical landmarks or a small budget film about a cute little girl that gets knocked up and then must come to terms with her becoming ´sexually active.´ The monster movie became the film of choice and after watching ´Juno,´ I believe I chose poorly.
It is true that "Juno" is a comedy about a teenage girl who becomes pregnant after her first sexual encounter. The movie makes light of pregnancy tests, vaginas and child birth. While these aren´t topics that us ´manly´ men typically indulge in for humor, "Juno" is a very funny picture. I was a little concerned during the first five minutes of the film when Juno (Ellen Page) engages in conversation with clerk Rollo (Rainn Wilson) as she debates the validity of a pregnancy test and tries to deny her situation by believing the ´plus sign´ looks more like a division sign. The dialogue between Juno and Rollo included such horrific words as ´home skillet´ and pee-stick.´ Rollo referred to Juno as "Fertile Myrtle" and made a bad reference to the iconic Etch-a-Sketch. Thankfully, after that initial scene, "Juno" became a witty and intelligent comedy.
Ellen Page leads a solid and recognizable cast that brings laughs and believability to the many dysfunctional characters that inhabit the frames of the film. Page is a relatively young twenty one years of age and her diminutive size and baby faced appearance allows her to easily look the part of a sixteen year old girl. Her performance as a witty, but smart-assed teenager is very reminiscent of people I remember from my high school days and Page allows the character of Juno to act juvenile, yet mature enough to not turn away older audiences looking for a good laugh. The performance is honest enough to allow the audience to understand the frustrations caused by Juno to her parents Mac (J.K. Simmons) and Bren MacGuff (Allison Janney). She brings about a young naïve outlook of the world and her situation that allows both the film and the principle character to succeed.
My favorite character in the film was that of Mac MacGuff and I can hardly imagine anybody but J.K. Simmons in the role after watching the film. Simmons has previously been incredible as J. Jonah Jameson in the "Spider-Man" films. The actor has always been an underappreciated character actor, but J.K. Simmons has found a niche in roles where he can be gruff and grizzled. The role of Mac provides Simmons to convey a lot more heart in his role than what he was able to do in the "Spider-Man" films, but there is a similarity between the two performances. In "Juno," I just loved the fatherly demeanor and confident sarcasm delivered by Simmons. Some of the films more memorable and comedic moments where delivered by Simmons. The lines "Next time I see that Bleeker kid I´m going to punch him in the wiener" and "Liberty Bell, if you put one more Baco on that potato I´m going to kick your little monkey butt" left me in stitches.
Other starring and supporting characters include Michael Cera as Juno´s friend and the father of her child, Paulie Bleeker. Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner portray the adoptive parents of Juno´s baby, Mark and Vanessa Loring. Allison Janney is the Juno´s step-mother Bren. Olivia Thirlby is the popular cheerleading best-friend, Leah. Both Thirlby and Cera performed well as characters a couple of years younger than the actors themselves. For the longest time Hollywood tried to pass actors pushing thirty (or beyond) as teenagers and those performances never approached believability. In "Juno," at least the young actors all look as if they could be high school students. Michael Cera in particularly does quite well and I have to agree with Simmons´ character in that Cera doesn´t look like he "has it in him" to impregnate the title character.
Bateman and Garner portray a married couple that looks to be as happy as can be on the surface, but hide deep rooted problems in their marriage beneath the surface. Bateman has not been seen in many major productions aside from "Arrested Development," but that television series seems to have given the handsome actor a much deserved boost in his career. He is very good as the unhappy husband with a love of rock music and cheesy horror films. Garner is without a doubt the biggest name attached to "Juno," but this is mostly from her marriage to actor Ben Affleck. In this film, Garner gave me an odd "Stepford Wives" vibe and although her performance ultimately works, I was least impressed with her performance in the film when compared to the lesser known actors.
"Juno" is a good time and chocked full of laughs. I wasn´t sure I´d particularly enjoy a film about a pregnant sixteen year old that sets out to put her child up for adoption and make smart-aleck comments about anything that doesn´t please her. I knew "Juno" wasn´t just another raunchy teen comedy filled with breasts and vulgarity, but my incorrect initial impression was that the movie was something that teen girls would enjoy greatly, but grown men would have little to either relate or enjoy about "Juno." The film is funny and it is witty. It is easy to see why the film earned writer Diablo Cody the 2007 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. It is far less juvenile than either "Waitress" or "Knocked Up,"
Video:
"Juno" may be delightfully entertaining and a pleasure to watch, but it is far from striking on Blu-ray. The 1.85:1 AVC transfer is mastered at 28 MBPS, but the level of detail and ample film grain keeps "Juno" from looking better than the sharpest DVDs, let alone a 1080p transfer. While there are a few very detailed moments in "Juno," the transfer couldn´t compete with "Alien vs. Predator: Requiem;" the film I watched just prior to "Juno." The grain itself was troubling and while I lend its presence to the low-budget underpinnings of the film, it is a bit heavy at times. The film does pack some very bright colors and the film´s familiar red and yellow running outfits showcase how nicely the film´s colors are presented. Flesh tones are natural. The print is clean and there are no ugly flaws with the digital transfer. I´m sure the Blu-ray release of "Juno" is a tad cleaner than the DVD release, but its grain and less-than-average detail doesn´t allow the little film to impress much.
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