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Visitors Review

Karina Longworth 2012-05-20 22:02:53

Its high-concept slanguage sometimes feels over-written, its visual style can get a bit too twee, and there are two or three bridge scenes in the third act that feel like imports from a much stupider movie.

zoe_stinson 2012-05-20 00:51:00

Juno is a story line that is realistic and awesome!

Juno is a well written story but i do have a few criticism. I wouldn'tchange it but i think being a pregnant teenager is harder then justthat. It was hard for but i think it would be even harder. But i loveJuno's father's reaction when he finds out who the father of her babyis. I Own the movie and i watch it almost every night. Everything waseasy for it seemed like, except for the day that mark had told her hewas breaking up with Vanessa and she was mad at Pauly Bleaker, and itwouldn't really be like that. But there is lots of teenagers gettingpregnant and this might boost there self esteem. I don't thinkteenagers should get pregnant but i don't think they should feel badabout them selves either. This is an awesome movie over all though.

2012-05-13 14:15:02

Being a sassy pregnant teenager is soooo cool!

i entered the theater hoping it was not a typical hollywood movie... well it still was.* warning: movie spoiler ahead * so it turned out that the girl Juno wanted the guy just because she wanted somebody so that the love can last *forever*. how it is possible that juno likes him is mysterious... he made her pregnant, and then knowing that, he still asked another girl to go to the prom... how cool is this guy? towards the end of the movie, all of a sudden, this guy paulie was the fastest in a racing competition... that's very unbelieveable... the movie depicted him as running and practicing all the time, and he hardly has ANY sun tan at all. that's very unbelieveable. he doesn't look like he had the confidence of a sport person either... he at most looked like he was pretty good at some video games played by movement of the fingers. near the end of the movie, juno asked her dad, is there love that can last forever, and her dad said yes, the person who love you just the way you are, for who you are. and then juno decided that she really loved paulie. this is very typical of hollywood movie: has a talk with someone, and all of a sudden, she found "epiphany" and her whole life changed. she decided the paulie is the guy she loved and the movie end like a "they will live happily ever after." well... this is no snow-white story and life is not as simple as that. on IMDB, the younger the viewers, the higher rating they gave the movie. maybe it is more like a fairy tale.

2012-05-13 03:35:30

It's hard NOT to love this film

This simple "romantic comedy" is so wrought with life, love and sensitivity, it's no wonder Diablo Cody won the Oscar for her brilliant script. Ellen Page is perfect, as a youth who has seen enough to know how to handle things. Allison Janney is excellent, as is everyone else. Previous reviewers can wring out all kinds of angst about the situations involved, but I think Jason Reitman's presentation is the best teen film in years. There's a minimum of gross-out humor, as in most teen films, but almost everything that comes out of Ms. Page's mouth is worth listening to...thanks to Ms. Cody. There's absolutey no meanness, or ugliness or mean-spirit to take away from the love that abounds. I enjoy this film a lot. If you don't, lighten up...

Andrew Marshall 2012-05-13 04:56:21

Dealing with stuff way past her maturity

This is a hugely enjoyable film. Juno is a high school kid who has todeal with an unplanned pregnancy. She does this in a very matter offact way and after toying with the idea of abortion decides to findfoster parents. The remainder of the film takes us through to the birthof the child.The real pleasure in the film is the acting and the interplay betweenthe characters. The supporting cast including father (J.K. Simmons),step mother (Allison Janney), best friend (Olivia Thirlby), boyfriend(Michael Cera), and potential foster parents (Jason Bateman andJennifer Garner) all put in fine performances. Ellen Page willobviously take most of the plaudits for the lead role and deservedlyso, as she makes Juno into both a very strong and sympatheticcharacter.In many ways Juno reminds me of Leon. It is a testament to Ellen Pagethat her performance certainly stands comparison with Natalie Portmanalthough I suppose Portman was at then other side of the teenage yearswhen she filmed Leon. Juno is also considerably more upbeat and whilstan unplanned pregnancy normally leads to much angst in movies it issimply something else to deal with for Juno. My only slight reservationis that it may run the risk of glamorising teenage pregnancy.

2012-05-12 11:52:45

The best movie I've seen in a long time

"Juno" is about many things: love, need, integrity, commitment, family,parenthood, sex, oh and a tiny 16 year old girl who finds herselfpregnant in small town America.If Ken Loach had made this kind of movie, I'd have been slitting mywrists by the 22nd minute, consumed with angst and the inevitablebleakness of the human condition.But this is written by a woman who christened herself Diablo Cody andwho manages her image like a Letterman monologue (she worked asstripper in preference to her job at an ad agency and has two wonderfulquotes about writing and writers: Stripping toughened my hide, butexposing myself as a writer has been a lot more brutal.I have never been an ambitious person, and my participation in thisindustry is a fluke, but only male writers can afford to be coy andself-deprecating.) so it is hip without being glib and optimisticwithout being candy-coated.Just reading the script for this movie would have lightened my heartand stretched my smile but the movie adds indie music, cool animation,perfect timing, and an ensemble cast that take no prisoners. And then there's Ellen Page. I'm more than a little in love with EllenPage. She knows how to sell an emotion with small changes to her facialexpression but she never seems to let technique get in the way ofemotional honesty. Page is small, with a large head and a wide mouthand eyes that take in the whole world. She looks 16 (she was 20 whenthe movie was made) and, although she is brave and independent andalmost compulsively witty, she carries across thatonly-partly-formed-and-still-very-vulnerable state that makes being ateenager so emotion soaked. I first saw her last year in "Hard Candy" where she plays a 14 year oldwho thinks she encountered a internet predator and sets out to dealwith him. I switched the movie off, not because it was bad but becauseit was so raw I couldn't cope with it.I hope the movies does well at the Oscars. I wish Cody Diablo well withher up and coming "United States of Tara" series and I am absolutelycertain that I will see every film that Elen Page takes part in.

neomatrix24 2012-05-10 02:13:17

A movie for the common folk with brains!

I was laughing constantly. I didn't get every slang term. I mean I'malmost elderly at the ripe old age of 32, but the ones I did get wereawesome. This movie is packed with memorable quotes and hilarity, butstill has a meaningful storyline. I'd recommend it to lots of people,and I would see it again! What a cast this movie has! I love all ofthese actors. They're some of the best. It's nice to see a couple ofthe Arrested Development cast members in the same movie even if theydidn't get to play off of each other. That's actually what brought mein to see it, but I was so glad it did. This is the best movie I'veseen in years, and I rarely like a comedy or feel that they're worthyof mentioning. This movie is the exception to that.

tsayeed 2012-05-09 18:51:07

What a wonderful movie!

I have been blessed to watch almost any movie I want at the TorontoFilm Festival this year.. and so far this is the best out of all ofthem! And this I am comparing with Rendition, The Brave One and MichaelClayton.. You can imagine how good it was. Everyone in the audience waslaughing their *ss out. It was hysterical and at the same time thedirector was able to put the points across. The movie is filled withslinks but its the new kind of slang.. LOL.. You have to see tounderstand what I mean. It would be the next hype at high schools..The subject of the movie has been portrayed so well that it isunbelievable. The screenplay was superb and Diablo is the next lady towatch out for. Also to watch out for Ellen Page.. Oh my go, what asuperb acting! She's another lady to watch out for in the next fewyears. No one could have taken the role as Ellen did. Hands down, noone other than Ellen could have done it.I hope the comments I made stays in the top.. because this movie willcertainly rock the theaters.. and peeps will come here to see thereview.. And this is exactly how it is.. This movie will make you laughall the way.. You'll be so absorbed with everyone's acting.. And you'llbe so happy after the movie! Go watch it as soon as it comes out..There is absolutely no way you will be disappointed.. It's justimpossible.. The movie is too hilarious to make any one laugh.. Now goout and try to find the movie! You'll love it!!!!

Carrie Rickey 2012-05-05 10:05:42

What kind of movie is Juno? The rarity that plucks your heartstrings while tickling them.

ted00043 2012-05-04 20:01:50

Where am I supposed to laugh? Maybe it's not my humour.

This isn't my humour actually.Now - I have no idea why this movie won best original screenplay whenthere is little to care about with the characters.The plot is that somebody of whom you can only understand 45% of thetime is pregnant. She decides to get an abortion - yet she doesn't forlittle or no reason other than it is a full-length film. Why did Junoleave the Abortion clinic? She then decides to give the baby toadoptive parents Mark and Vanessa.When she tells her parents there is a bad reaction (obvious) and thenthe father (JK Simmons who seems to me like he's trying but is workingwith awful material) decides to come with her when she meets Mark andVanessa. Soon afterwards she gets an ultra-sound and gives the photosto Mark and they quickly like each other.Then little things interesting happen afterwards - oh then it isrevealed Mark is leaving Vanessa because he is not ready to be a fatherand Juno doesn't want that to happen, and it is such a big deal for herthat she cries about it. Behold the only action I understood in themovie!, Juno was upset because of the thought of another foster hometrying to get the baby but Mark was being such an @sshole and we areneither told nor shown why this is the case. Its also weird that Markwould rather tell Juno than Vanessa first. Read the sentence "Again! weare..." once more so I don't sound like a broken record.Then Juno finds out her boyfriend Bleeker (did they say his first namemore than once?) is going to the prom with someone he said earlier hehates. notice how often I say "Again! we are neither told nor shown whythis is the case". Soon again nothing happens aside from Juno andBleeker getting back together (it happens at the pace you are readingit too) until the pregnancy which then the baby's born and Vanessaadopts it - then Bleeker guesses it then the important parts of themovie are over.For a movie about Pregnancy (from what I have heard) this goes almostcompletely unexplored - it is almost portrayed as woman gives birth andthat's it - they don't mention miscarriages nor do they even talk aboutthe probability of Juno dying giving birth. The characters are annoyingand 1-Dimensional at best. The only thing I liked is how it avoided thecliché that when somebody dances with a woman that isn't his(girlfriend/wife) the other person walks in on them. The narration isalso pointless in the movie - maybe Diablo Cody didn't realise shewasn't writing a novel and was actually writing a 96 minute film.This movie is not worth the time of people like me

doug1717 2012-05-03 07:34:00

Ellen Page took a page from "Trailer Park Boys"

Don't get me wrong, I hated the film. But Ellen Page was good. She tookher entire performance and attitude from Mike Clattenberg's "TheTrailer Park Boys", a Showcase series from Nova Scotia Canada. On thisshow, she was just a kid who played "Trina", the daughter of Jim Leahy.She slowly begins to adopt the ways, mannerisms and language of Ricky,a reprobate semi literate drug dealer and marijuana grower. She copiedand played Ricki as Juno in the film. Other than that, the film sucked.It was dull and slow paced. The film had some nice moments when theylet the viewer discover what was happening by providing mere snippetsof what was really going on. Clever, but not enough to sustain thefilm. Juno's lover was played weakly by the same semi retarded kid from"Superbad". Just a dull film about a smart ass kid who got knocked upbecause she was bored and wanted "just to see". Pure crap.

texrangers31 2012-05-02 13:52:02

This movie is numero JUNO

As far as independent films go, this is one of the best I've seen. Oneof the greatest things about this movie is how closely it depictsreality. All of the characters are just so real. Juno herself has sucha likable personality and the audience falls in love with her almostinstantly. Michael Cera's character doesn't have enough screen time asI anticipated but his role suits him perfectly. I wouldn't classifythis movie as a comedy, but it is the type of movie that will make yousmile at parts, and you will leave with a smile on your face. I saw 5movies over my Christmas break, and I would say that Juno is the bestmovie that I saw. I would have to say that JUNO is the surprise of theyear!

Ty Burr 2012-05-02 09:37:17

That smart, hip, human comedy you've been waiting for all year? The one with dialogue like a sugar rush and performances like grace notes? It's called Juno and it just arrived in theaters. Go forth and multiplex.

James Kendrick 2012-05-02 04:37:10

Juno is the best kind of comedy: one that makes you laugh, but not at the expense of your emotions.

cherryprincess182-1 2012-05-01 06:03:39

Juno was a great movie!

junoverse id= 3322when i first saw Juno i was so excited to see it. and the second time isaw it, it just seemed even better! Ellen page did a great job playingJuno. if Juno went to my school i could see us being bff's homeskilletsto the end! lol and Micheal Cera was great! i loved Paulie Bleeker.total cheese ball! so cutei think everyone did an amazing job on this film. it was nice to seeJuno's parents supports her decision and not flip the soundtrack was also great. the moldy peaches and kimya Dawson rock.the music really went together nicely with the movie.:)

BluesAttic 2012-04-30 20:27:20

Quirky

The movie is quirky..... Maybe ya don't wanna see it on the big screen,but in a quirky styled offbeat stage rambling... it's funny.Somebody wrote in the previous complaint review of the actress as beinga 16 year old nothing reading from a script.... and I saw a 21 year oldCanadian actress who had already won awards starting back in 2004 fromthe TV series (ongoing) Regenesis. And her acting was clever accordingto the script.Locally ... I couldn't believe, however,... when they had a full size poster of the DVD release of this movieportrayed in YOUR local bible belt bigoted idiot ignorant arrogantjudgmental know it all territory (which I reside in) .... it was aWal-Mart.Thank God we still have freedom of speech and stuff.Again, the movie was quirky ; ... but sorta lame. .... (action-wise,nothing got blown up, or that Alias chick didn't do any kungfoo)

marius_lucan 2012-04-28 10:45:16

Stupid end

The movie was great and very good made, the actors are playing terriblegood but the end is really stupid. They are giving their baby to astranger.. i really think this is a sick end even if we are living in apostmodern 2008, world and everything. The end has disappointed me andmy wife and we place the DVD in the garbage. I believe 8,2 is too highgrade for such a stupid end. I suppose to fill 10 line so here therest:In a street of Venice, the merchant Antonio laments that he is sadbut knows not why. His friends, Solanio and Salerio try to cheer himup, to no avail. More friends, Lorenzo and Gratiano also try and fail.Antonio's friend, Bassanio, informs him that he intends to seek thewealthy Portia's hand in marriage, yet needs financial backing.Antonio, though reluctant, offers Bassanio 3,000 ducats (money) to helphim. At Belmont, Portia's house, she laments to her servant, Nerissa,that she fears a suitor she dislikes will pursue her hand in marriage.Per her late father's will, the suitor must choose the correct of threechests (gold, silver, and lead), and then, if correct, he may marryPortia. She likes none of her six suitors, but wishes Bassanio wouldcome and choose the correct chest. Back in Venice, after much begging,Bassanio convinces the merchant Shylock the Jew to lend him 3000ducats, with Antonio putting up his property as the bond. AlthoughShylock hates Antonio, he lends the money anyway, hoping Antonio willdefault on the loan. Antonio, though, has confidence one of his oceanvessels will come to port one month before the three month deadline.

2012-04-27 18:30:40

Best one-liners in a long time!

I was not expecting that much from this movie, and was really surprised! This movie was hysterical! I have not laughed so much through a movie ever. This movie is in a catagory all by itself! Above the rest!

walnutmikado20 2012-04-25 03:31:04

Should be seen in English, if possible

I saw Juno exactly one month ago, in German, on a flight to London.Perhaps lines such as 'That ain't no Etch-A-Sketch. This is one doodlethat can't be un-did, Homeskillet,' simply cannot be translated aufDeutsch and receive the same meaning; may be the reason I did not enjoythe film as much as I should. (In fact, I believe the Germantranslation was something along the lines of: 'This isn't an easilyerasable chalkboard').The acting was not mediocre, on the contrary, it was quite good. EllenPage's performance certainly surprised me - I was expecting a clone ofthe one of the High School Musical girls. But considering the buzz andnumber of great reviews I had heard from my friends (there was even anEbert and Roeper segment for around twenty minutes before the initialfilm was showing describing the brilliance and joy that would bebrought into our lives after watching this cinematic masterpiece), Iwill admit to being rather disappointed as to what I saw. To me, Junowas simply a film about a teenage girl becoming pregnant. OK. Now what?I would probably forget it once off the plane.In all fairness, I did enjoy the film. Probably since I didn't watch itin the original English, it took away from much of the humour when intranslation, thus noticeably decreasing the enjoyment factor.Basically, it was nice, but nothing special. I'd definitely recommendseeing the film in English, to truly appreciate it. And besides, it'sdone well with my age group (13-16 year olds; I am 14), but even mymother enjoyed the film! Of course, she watched it in English,so...there you go.

Turfseer 2012-04-24 11:48:32

For lovers of Oprah

Those who love Oprah will probably love this movie along withaficionados of daytime soap operas. The strategy of such movies is togive the characters a few quirks but make sure they all have hearts ofgold. Juno is full of witty quips (improbable for most 16 year olds)and her boyfriend Bleeker loves tic-tacs (that's about all we found outabout him throughout the entire movie). Juno's parents blandly accept her pregnancy and they have nothing muchto do except wheel her into the maternity ward when she's about to givebirth (funny how the father disappears for most of the movie--he'snothing more than a kind-hearted cheerleader for his daughter when wedo get to see him). The screenwriter, Diablo Cody, takes a stab at creating an antagonistin the character of Mark Loring, who decides to divorce his wife andfoil Juno's plans of having the couple adopt her baby. But even thoughhe decides to leave, he's also still a good guy--albeit a person whosimply needs to "find himself". Ultimately "Juno" doesn't have enough conflict to keep one's attentionfor a full hour and a half. Cody falls back on predictable, saccharinemoments to fill the void. Did I forget to mention Jennifer Garner? Her'Vanessa' is probably the dullest of all the characters in the movie. Many on this board who gave the film a low rating fault it fortrivializing teen pregnancy. That might be true but the worse failingis the lack of character development coupled with a predictable andsentimental denouement.