Review #897: Juno (2007)

Title: Juno
Year: 2007
Director: Jason Reitman
Country: US
Language: English

Like the Roman goddess who is her namesake, Juno is a bright, often sharp-tongued individual who prides herself on her observant cynicism and her way with a sarcastic quip. Juno is a very different film in regards to teen pregnancy, as the main character refuses to see herself as a victim of her circumstances. While she doesn't know exactly what she wants, she knows that she is the only person who can determine her future. Which is...inspiring I guess? 

Faced with an unplanned pregnancy, an offbeat young woman (Ellen Page)  makes an unusual decision regarding her unborn child. 

Stripper turned screenwriter Diablo Cody hits an unusual beat with her debut feature. Juno contains a structure that flows naturally, working through its story to where it should obviously go, but doesn’t allow the audience to anticipate it. Though working off sentimentality, Cody avoids patronizing her characters and undermining the intelligence of the audience. She also avoids being too preachy, as many teen preganancy films often are riddled with social commentary about abortion and teen abstinence.

I do have a problem with the subject matter itself; should the troubling reality of teen pregnancy be turned into a teenage rom com? Perhaps this is a life situation that shouldn't be taken this lightly because it has ruined the lives of many people. I also wonder if the character as written is suitable for this film. Juno is a fully fleshed out human being, but every action is done with lethargy and every word of dialogue feels sarcastic and, dare I say, mean spirited. I doubt many women can actually relate to Juno. 

Jason Reitman directs this film rather well, I can't say I have a problem with any technical aspect of this picture. I do have questions of ethics, as I wrote above, and I didn't find as much depth or meaning to this film as I did with many other rom coms from the same period. I haven't had the urge to see this picture again, unlike Superbad which was released the same year. A surprise hit of 2007, it's barely mentioned a decade later.