Review: Juno
“That ain’t no etch-a-sketch. That’s one doodle that can’t be un-did, homeskillet.”
Yes! Finally a movie I can recommend to my friends without any disclaimers!
I feel as if the season has been filled with trailers portraying either too much of the production’s plot or a mix of footage that isn’t the finished film at all. What has happened to the glory days of trailers? That’s another story.
Juno. Good. Simple. Fun. It’s a great story that anyone from film students to grandparents can appreciate, with a cinematic script, a great cast, and a feel of unassuming pride.
Juno has that look which too easily calls to mind it’s predecessor, “Napoleon Blow-Me-Up-With-Dynamite.” Browns, blues and oranges fill the pallet starting with the trailer itself, but once the film gets moving, it becomes evident that this is another film altogether…a good film.
Funny from the beginning, and with a pace that Ridley Scott could learn from, Juno deliverers story and laughs, well outside the few spoiled in its trailer.
Ellen Page, Juno, carries the seasoned cast well and hits all her marks. Until I looked her up on IMDB, I honestly thought I could recall seeing her in three or four previous projects, but I was dismally let down to find out I recognized her from the bastard film X3. She’s come far and performs admirably in her sophomore year of film*. She and Jason Bateman share instant chemistry, and sometimes upstages senior actress Jennifer Garner who either thinks mothers are boring, or dials in her performance on this flick.
All in all, this is a great flick and I’d recommend it to anyone. With a great balance of wit and pace, I found this to be the diamond in the rough this season.
P.S.
This is Jason Reitman’s second big film, and all the problems I had (shots, lights, etc.) are mostly due to his style. Other than that he’s good in my book.
P.S.S.
Other than destroying one of my favorite books on film, .
*Sorry about how unclear that statement was in the original draft. Thanks to Ex-cowboy for calling me on it.
Let us know what you really think!
Been looking forward to this one (since I posted the trailer), glad to hear it’s good. Too bad it doesn’t come out for two weeks though.
By the way, what exactly is a “cinematic script”?
*soph·o·more - (sŏf’ə-môr’, sŏf’môr’) - Being the second in a series: a singer’s sophomore album.
Which IMDB site were you looking at?? I counted 10 films that Ellen Page was in before Juno (X-Men: The Last Stand was #8). Although it was only the second film you’ve seen her in… It wasn’t really HER “sophomore excursion” was it?
Also, Why do I need to know that Ellen Page had “instant chemistry” with Jason Bateman (Garner’s HUSBAND in the movie)? What happened to Michael Cera?
“Napoleon Blow-Me-Up-With-Dynamite.”?? Brilliant! Can you make balloon animals too?
I thought when I saw the review up, Juno had been released in L.A/NY. I plan to catch a Boston screening either this week or next. I didn’t particularly care for Candy but Ellen Page did a wonderful job in that. I also like Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman quite a bit.