Juno
Directed by Jason Reitman
Written by Diablo Cody
Starring Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Allison Janney, J.K. Simmons, Rainn Wilson
Rated PG-13

Juno: A Very Happy Accident

“Michael Jordan plays ball. Charles Manson kills people. I talk. Everyone has a talent.” — Nick Naylor from Thank You For Smoking

“No, I mean, like, for real. ‘Cause you’re, like, the coolest person I’ve ever met, and you don’t even have to try, you know…”— Juno MacGuff from Juno

Nepotism can only get you so far. If you want to stay in the game, you better have some talent of your own to get past the famous last name that got you into the great game. Talent is in the Coppola and Kasdan genes. Jason Reitman has gotten the directing genes from his father, Ivan Reitman — the director responsible for such iconic and subversive comedies as Meatballs, Stripes, Ghostbusters, and Dave to name a few. Jason Reitman made an excellent debut with an adaptation of Christopher Buckley’s Thank You For Smoking in 2005 featuring a career defining performance by Aaron Eckhart. With Juno, Reitman has taken Diablo Cody’s first screenplay and turned it into something memorable and magical. There is no sophomore slump with Reitman, who has given wonderful life to Cody’s inventive and fresh screenplay. Diablo Cody’s own story is the stuff that movies are made of. This year has been a terrific year for first-time screenplays being turned into excellent films. Sidney Lumet’s Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead written by Kelly Masterson is another excellent example.

Juno is a refreshing spin on the coming of age genre. If you think you have seen this same story twice this year, think again. Knocked Up and Waitress deal with unexpected pregnancies as well, but in their own ways. Both films add a lot to the comedy mix. Knocked Up is another comic trophy in the Judd Apatow’s growing canon. Waitress is an astounding and bittersweet debut from the late Adrienne Shelly. Shelly’s death is a major loss to all of us. Her debut as a director promised a great second career behind the camera.

Juno is a different take on the material. The film is one of the best films I have seen on growing up in many years. Ellen Page is pure dynamite as Juno MacGuff. Page made quite an impression as Hayley Stark in the criminally underrated film Hard Candy and was one of the few bright spots playing Kitty Pryde in X-Men: The Last Stand.

As Juno MacGuff, she is second to none. Juno is a hip, rebellious 16 year old. She does her own thing. Reitman always has her going against oncoming traffic while the walking through the high school halls or always walking into the track team runners in the neighborhood. Juno listens to rock and punk music from the seventies. She is adorable, defiant, and vulnerable all at the same time. What is amazing about Ellen Page is that we accept her unconditionally in the role. She was born to play this part. Cody’s witty and hip dialogue coming out of Page’s mouth suggests a very robust career in front of her. Juno, like Waitress and Knocked Up before it, are the closest films we have to the great comedies of the thirties and forties; Juno is even more so than the others. Page’s Juno seems to be able to go back and forth with the best of them, whether it’s Michael Cera‘s Paulie Bleeker or Jason Bateman‘s Mark Loring. Ellen Page has the gift of rapid-fire delivery. Juno could definitely give Rocket Science‘s Ginny Ryerson and Election‘s Tracy Flick a run for their money. The two of them would not know what hit them.

One day, either out of boredom or curiosity, Juno decides to have sex with her friend, Paulie Bleeker. The one-time encounter leads to her pregnancy. Bleeker is on the high school track team. She likes him, but not enough. Juno has to take matters into her own hands. She is pregnant. After several trips to the local pharmacy and several home pregnancy tests confirm her worst fears, reality sets in. She enlists the aid of her best friend, Leah (Olivia Thirlby). Abortion is considered, but after a trip to a local clinic, this is not the way to go. She and Leah decide to look in the Penny Saver for possible parents to adopt her baby, but first she must tell her father and stepmother played by veteran character actors, J. K. Simmons and Allison Janney. As Mac and Bren MacGuff, you could not ask for cooler and down to earth parents. And while Juno has a rough relationship with her stepmother, you never doubt for a minute that Bren does love her like her own daughter. The casting in the film is another reason this film works as well as it does. Both of these actors steal every scene they are in. They take the news very well. The scene where Juno delivers the big news is a great blend of comedy and drama. I am not sure all parents would react this way.

Juno finds an affluent couple who are interested in adopting the baby — the Lorings, played by Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner. Jason Bateman has been slowly finding film roles that are worthy of his talents from the inventive and clever television series Arrested Development. Mark Loring reminds me in some ways of an older version of Derek, the character Jason Bateman played on Silver Spoons so long ago. There is a great scene where Juno and Mark bond over rock music and slasher films. It is very pleasant to see characters debating who is better: Dario Argento or Herschell Gordon Lewis. But it is Jennifer Garner who shines as Vanessa. Vanessa’s main ambition in life is to be a mother. Sadly she cannot have children, but she is determined to be the greatest mother ever. Jennifer Garner goes all out to give a truly remarkable and revealing performance. Juno feels a certain kinship with both of them.

Michael Cera is no stranger to this kind of find. He cemented his reputation as the kinder half of the duo in Superbad. Like Jason Bateman, a fellow cast member from Arrested Development, Cera fits in very nicely in this film. His scenes with Juno are tender and funny. Cera is not in the film as much as one would think, but when he is there, it is powerful stuff. Their relationship takes unexpected turns. That is one of the pleasures of Cody’s script, it takes many unexpected turns. Just when you think things are going one way, the film takes a different turn and for the better. As the pregnancy goes forward, Juno’s attitude and feelings evolve. Dare I say it, she is a role model. More importantly, it is her feelings for Bleeker that take center stage. Does she really love this boy? Does he love her? At its heart, the film is a beautiful love story. The path is never dull. Juno may be the coolest heroine to grace the silver screen in a very long time. Juno is going to be a very hard act for Ellen Page to top. Still, after this film, I will never bet against her.

Hype and buzz have a way of destroying one’s expectations. At this time of year, we hear so much about films that the critics are raving about. When we finally see them, we wonder what all the fuss was about. No Country For Old Men lived up to all its hype. Thanks to an excellent cast, talented director, and clever first screenplay, Juno does indeed live up to all of the hype. Like Rocket Science and Lars And The Real Girl, Juno has captured my imagination in ways I never thought possible. Juno is a modern masterpiece.