In sum, a very cute movie with a great soundtrack. Though, in my humble opinion, not the stellar award winner for which it's been receiving so much buzz.
Ellen Page plays the glib sixteen-year-old who launches the film by getting pregnant. It's just the set up for a quirky presentation that from a light-hearted perspective takes on the much heavier subject of teenage pregnancy.
If you're a Janeane Garofalo fan, you'll no doubt love this film. (Could it be that "Juno" is shorthand for "Janeane Junior?") It's a snark fest of teenage sarcasm. Which is cute, always mildly amusing, but inescapably, short on fulfillment. While serious emotions are undeniably underlying, they seldom surface (if at all) with any cinematic impact until the film's climax. It's a smashing scene -- I just would have loved more of that earlier on.
Michael Cera (as Bleaker) absolutely nails every scene he's in. His vulnerability and sincerity spill out all over the screen. This interaction with Juno sums my feeling about his character.
Juno: "You are so cool without even trying."
Bleaker: "Actually, I'm trying really hard."
That said, Ellen Page delivers the following line with the kind of emotional depth I so wanted this film more often to employ: "Maybe I don't know what kind of girl I am." (And the songs, some by Kimya Dawson, help in this regard as well.)
A pleasant film, I'm glad to see this topic broached on the big screen.
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