2007/PG-13/Drama
The biggest complaint I've heard about this film is that it is going to encourage teenage girls to get pregnant. When there was a rash of pregnancies in Gloucester MA, the media and others questioned whether movies like Juno (or Knocked Up) were partially to blame for the outbreak of teen moms.
Ridiculous.
If this movie were a catalyst for more teen moms it is solely that those teens chose to keep their babies, rather than abort them. There is no way that a young teen is going to watch this film and think, "What a great idea!" At one point Juno mentions she's being referred to as the "cautionary whale." Too true.
The first beneficial thing about this film is that it debunks a few common myths regarding teen pregnancies: 1) You can't get pregnant your first time. 2) All parents are gonna freak out and disown their kids. 3) Abortion is the only option.
Here's what I liked about this movie: Juno's parents weren't "stupid adults." If you watch movies for teens the adults are always dumb (usually with one sage exception, most often the adult the teens should least be spending time with). They are either irresponsible, oblivious, over bearing, selfish, addicted to something, etc. (Notable exceptions: Pretty in Pink, Freaky Friday, Juno) Juno's parents are Christians (a fact that has to be inferred, which is more rewarding than when it's spoon-fed to you). They are supportive without condoning Juno's actions. They love her without condition. Mark and Vanessa [the couple who wants to adopt Juno's child (I didn't make that up, that is their names)] are well thought out characters and not simply vehicles for the plot. I could completely understand their origins, present situation, and future. In Mark we find the adult who is irresponsible, selfish, and dumb. In a typical teen flick, he's the "hero-adult." Not so in Juno. I also enjoyed that pregnancy wasn't glorified or down played. She dealt with the shock, the decisions, the hormones, the ridicule, the uncomfortability, the pain of giving up the baby, the strain on relationships. There was little to nothing that made her situation look desirable. Possibly the best part of the movie is that she decided not to abort the baby in the abortion clinic. She showed that it is never too late to choose life. It even gives a bit of insight as to what might lead someone to do what she did (have sex with someone she wasn't romantically involved with). Repeatedly, Juno says, "I don't know who I am." It's a major subplot that mysteriously dances just under the surface of the movie. Juno doesn't know who she is, or what she wants. The confusion that comes with adolescence is magnificently represented. Juno does things that confuse even the viewer as she continues to confuse herself.
Only three things stand out to me as taking away from this movie (It started out as one thing, but with each revision, I found another). First, while Ellen Page (Juno) did a great job as a 20 year old playing a 16 year old, and while her grasp of the slang and vernacular was exquisite, so was her articulation, and that was a problem for me. Her pattern of speech was too precise. A 16 year-old tossing around phrases such as "I'm forshizz up the spout," and "Banana! Shut your freakin' gob," with expert pronunciation was a little jarring. Second, I didn't really like the way Juno's relationship with "the dad" ended. It made sense in the big picture, but there needed to be an epilogue or something to let us know how it all turned out. The final thing that I didn't really like was the PG-13 rating was probably pushing the envelope.
All in all, Juno is a cautionary tale. It is doesn't come off as a movie about abortion or pregnancy or even teen pregnancy. It is a well crafted film that tells the story of a confused teenaged girl who makes a mistake and chooses to do the right thing. Even when her perfect vision of the end result disintegrates, she still finds a way to work through it. The film deals with the pain, ridicule, emotion, confusion and ramifications of a teen pregnancy.
3 out of 5.
4 comments:
Nice review!
Can you clarify which "the dad" you were referring to? I'm assuming with Michael Cera (Bleeker) - but I suppose you could also be referring to her real dad, or the Jason Bateman (sorta wannabe dad) character.
And then I was curious what you thought about the divorce that Mark & Vanessa decided on. I've heard others complain (and therefore it affected my own view of it) about how quickly they break up. It's a pity that they didn't have a better grasp on each other's differing passion levels about having a family. Mark seemed so selfish at the end. How could Vanessa not have seen that coming years before?
Finally, one more 'teen' movie with good parents is 13 Going on 30 - also with Jen Garner. Her folks in that are just regular, good everyday parents.
Hey Dawn.
Yup, "the dad" that I refer to when I say I don't like how the relationship with him ended is Bleeker.
True, Mark and Vanessa break up rather rapidly. However, I felt like the warning signs were present and the stress of the situation would definately have caused Mark to feel like he needed to skee-daddle. Due to Mark's immaturity and Vanessa's ignoring the obvious signs of his displeasure, I didn't have any issue with it.
In regards to Vanessa's apparent oblivion to Mark's passion regarding kids: I don't think it was ignorance as much as it was hope. At one point she even says, "A woman becomes a mother when she becomes pregnant, a man becomes a father when he sees his baby." I think she was hoping that they could stick it out until the baby arrived and then he'd be fine. Rather than blissful ignorance I think it was painful optimism. Don't forget, Vanessa could be categorized as "selfish" as well for pushing for the increase of their family before her spouse felt he was ready.
(I don't remember the 13 going on 30 parents... at all!)
Thanks for your thoughts!
Excellent point about the selfishness angle. As a woman (and one who loves motherhood & family), I perceived him as selfish (which is somewhat embellished with a viewing of the deleted scenes on the dvd - scenes that make him look even more like a weasel). Men may view his character with a tad more sympathy. But the more I think about it, the more I feel those two were opposites in almost every way. I can see how she'd be attracted to him (musical, playful, fun), but she must have been such a downer to him. Anyway.
I feel the ending with Bleeker & Juno is perfect. I love how they're just friends who make a mistake and then realize their love as the pregnancy goes on. I found the ending sweet (he goes to the hospital on instinct to be with her; she tells him she loves him on the track), and the final scene where they sing together is a fitting epilogue, in my book.
As a youth minister, I saw the ending very differently. Often, having a physical relationship tricks your mind into believing that you love someone. And you end up with them even if you shouldn't be.
I'm not saying that Juno and Bleeker didn't belong together, I just felt like the assumption that they would stay together was a disservice to the rest of the movie. That's why I didn't like the ending, or wanted an epilogue.
Post a Comment