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Juno
By: Samantha Boss, 9.6.2009
The Movie Itself:
"Pay for that pee stick when you're done, don't think it's yours just cause you marked it with your urine." Truer words have never been spoken.
The film Juno follows a sixteen year old girl throughout the seasons and her unplanned pregnancy. After a night to remember with her friend Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera), Juno MacGuff (Ellen Page) finds herself in quite a predicament. Facing the option of having an abortion, she finds the knowledge that her baby may already have fingernails unbearable. She can't go through with it and decides to have her baby.
With her mind now set on adoption, Juno finds the perfect parents in the Penny Saver (next to the exotic birds, of course). Mark (Jason Bateman) and Vanessa Loring (Jennifer Garner), by all appearances, have the perfect life. The only thing missing is the child Vanessa so desperately desires. Having already been in a similar situation and being let down, despite Juno's eagerness and reassurances, the Lorings are still weary of the situation.
Juno learns the hard way that appearances can be deceiving, and life doesn't always turn out the way you expect it to. She finds comfort in her stepmother Bren (Allison Janney), and discovers the love she's always had for Bleeker. Along the way she also finds that someone she considers so like herself is more of an enemy than a friend, and the person whom couldn't be more opposite to be the one she has a true bond with.
Juno is not your average teen comedy. The young characters are written in a way that shows they are mature and intelligent. Dialogue may come off pretentious at times but the actors are able to pull it off in a way that seems fairly natural. I'd be remiss not to mention a glaring error in choice on the writer's part. Yes, Ellen Page is a young girl, but considering how many times she says shit or fuck throughout the film, I think it's okay to say "Thundercats-HOOOOO!," rather than the erroneous "Thundercats-GO!"
With the issue of teen pregnancy at it's height, this easily could have been a more serious, cautionary tale. Thank God they didn't go in that direction! Finally, a film that shows how glamorous it is to be an unwed mother...kidding of course. Juno did a wonderful job of showing a more realistic side, and how frustrating it can be, but without losing the humor.
As far as casting goes, the younger roles were done very well, but I really didn't agree with the adult actors. Not having seen any of her other work, I really liked Ellen Page in the role of Juno. I think she definitely brought a great spunky charm to the role, and her comedic delivery is great. Although, upon viewing the bloopers, you wonder how she ever got any role ever...but she pulled it off. Casting Michael Cera in the role of Paulie Bleeker was pretty much a no brainer. He is the go-to guy for all your bumbling nerdy character needs. Normally an amazingly funny actor, Jason Bateman left much to be desired. He's got the look of a creepy pedo down, but his acting was extremely flat. It was like he was just going through the motions waiting for his check to clear. Slow your roll Jason, you're not Brad Pitt, you still have to bring it.
It's been brought to my attention that the soundtrack appears to be a vessel for shoving the writer's own musical tastes down our throats (Editor's Note: the films and music plugged shamelessly in the film are the same way). It is heavily, if not only, comprised of modern takes on folk music. Whether that's Diablo Cody's taste or not, I think it's a decent choice for this particular film. It lends a quirky, comical background to a quirky, comical setting. You may not like the sound of the Moldy Peaches song being played half a dozen times(at least), but it does make a hell of a lot more sense than a Miley Cyrus medley.
This is a really great feel good film for all the wrong reasons. Basically, no matter what your situation is, it can't get worse than being a 16 year old pregnant girl with a creepy 40+ year old stalker.
Rating: 7/10
The Presentation:
Editor's Note: The video and audio portion of this review is done by Nate Boss. Nate has a different feeling about the film than Samantha, so please don't take his negativity towards the shitfest known as Diablo Cody's writing as Samantha's feelings. His hatred for her tripe reaches into any feelings he has about this film.
Juno hits Blu-ray with an AVC MPEG-4 encode, in 1080P (which has the dubious distinction of equalling the amount of slang jargon lines in the film). The film won't look like eye candy, no matter how stellar your display is, but it is still a solid step up from that previous format, and does a good job of presenting the material in the best it will look for some time.
The grain level is a bit of an odd duck, with some moments that obscure any and/or all detail, while others are smooth and transparent. I like grain, I do, I do, but I don't like fluctuation. Skin tones are natural, but sometimes skin and facial features look a bit smeared, like the features of a G.I. Joe slowly meeting his demise in the microwave (don't you dare say that the douche known as Zartan didn't deserve it!). Dirt pops up from time to time, never really anything worth bitching over.
Edges are the best part of this release, as they are 100% natural, you know, unlike every other word in the film. Aliasing is evident in the opening credit "animation," while reds glow at times (especially Juno's sweater), and don't replicate well in general. Dark shots bring out the noise. Blacks are strong, as a final note.
One really can't expect all THAT much from a romantic comedy type film in the audio department, it is just unheard of. Fortunately, one can keep reasonable expectations (rather than instantly lowered to the point that even garbled stereo is ok), as Fox did a great job on the Juno Blu-ray in the audio department, with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix that is as good as she's gonna get!
The self important borderline mental dialogue is clear. Due to the words, though, this isn't as good a thing as one would expect. Music plays second fiddle to the dialogue, thankfully, as Juno sports an atrocious soundtrack that makes me doubt the tastes of anyone involved in this production. Sadly, though, that means the crap dialogue is never overpowered, in one of the few films where I wouldn't mind the words being drowned out by even a yak screaming in it's death throws after being hit by a van. The yak at least would be understandable and sincere.
There's an occasional little bit of bass, which is more than nice for this genre, as any LFE presence is better than none. Rears get the bleed through on the soundtrack, and a bit of localized noise (not often), and an occasional utilization for a room filling surround. All in all, you have a track that is limited due to the film it is for, so it's hard to hate on it, but impossible to rank up there with the greats. A decent effort, for sure.
Rating: 7/10 ( 7/10- video, 7/10- audio)
The Extras:
Commentary by Director Jason Reitman and Writer Diablo Cody
Deleted Scenes (SD, 20 min)
A bevy of deleted scenes, a few of which are more extensions of scenes than deleted ones. There are some really funny gems in here, so if you've got the time give it a shot.
Gag Reel (SD, 5 min)
Surprisingly funny...sort of. To be fair, it is a rare thing to see a gag reel that actually makes you laugh even a little bit.
Gag Take (SD, 2 min)
Crew Music Video (SD)
A music video showcasing the actors and crew as their characters.
Screen Tests (SD, 22 min)
This was actually an enjoyable feature. You get to see the actors run through their lines together sans sets. Without all the other distractions such as music and background characters you can really see what each actor brings to the table.
Way Beyond "Our" Maturity Level: Juno-Leah-Bleeker (SD, 9 min)
A feature with interviews of and about the 3 young stars of the film.
Diablo Cody Is Totally Boss (SD, 8min)
This extra talks about how the writer, Diablo Cody, was discovered and the process that led to her screen play for Juno.
Jason Reitman For Shizz (SD, 8 min)
A little bit about the director.
Honest To Blog!: Creating Juno (SD, 13 min)
I really don't see any point in this. It's completely nonsensical ramblings about different scenes. This is a recommended skip!
Fox Movie Channel Presents World Premiere...Juno (SD, 5 min)
Red carpet footage and interviews.
Fox Movie Channel Presents Casting Session: Juno (SD, 8 min)
Discussions on casting selections and their weight upon the success of the film.
Digital Copy
Included on second disc.
Rating: 5/10
Overall:
An enjoyable film with a good pace, while far more interesting than your average teen comedy, and certainly more relatable. With a bevy of extras, some completely useless, although some quite enjoyable, this is certainly a film well worth it's purchase price.
Rating: 6/10
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