"Juno" Review

All the hype about the indie movie Juno, not to mention its Oscar nomination for Best Picture, was the reason Cubberley Auditorium was completely packed, both floors, on Sunday night at Flix. Perhaps some attendees were going to see this cultish movie a second time, but I assume many went because they didn’t know about it when it was in theaters and have been influenced by all the appraisals and recognitions. I am part of the latter. Watching the Oscars a while back, I was curious what this movie about teen pregnancy, oddly mixed in with thrillers like No Country for Old Men and others, was all about.

The second it started, the indie music started playing, so characteristic of these kinds of films, and I knew what movie it was going to be immediately—like Garden State, where the soundtrack makes the movie in my opinion. It gave the movie a sweet and lighthearted feel, while also separating those who don’t listen to indie, giving it a cult-like quality. The soundtrack included songs from bands like “Belle and Sebastian” and “The Moldy Peaches,” the latter characterized by simple, homemade sounds with unmusically-trained teenagers who sing innocent lyrics void of any music albeit a loose acoustic guitar. I feel like this gave Juno its flavor and accentuated the bizarre teenage story and almost innocent situation.

Along with the soundtrack came the cinematography—close-ups, quick cuts, and odd angles all gave this movie a quirky feel, and again, an indie quality. I also saw the cinematography as a representation of Juno and her situation. Juno continually is shown from different angles; sometimes looking upward, as a mature and responsible individual; other times downwards as an innocent and naïve child. This type of description perfectly characterizes “June bug,” an intelligent high school junior, but one who has “gotten herself” in a difficult situation. Juno’s character continually struggles between her mature mind and her teenage emotions. The cinematography in Juno delineates these characteristics in the girl herself.

One thing that bothered me about the movie was while the actress Ellen Page was extremely lauded for her portrayal of Juno, I feel like her character (and maybe this is due to the script and not her acting), was somewhat unrealistic. Her remarks seemed awfully witty and snappy for a sixteen year-old, and her cynical, blasé view on the whole situation seemed unlike that of a teenage girl. However, maybe this is one of the points the movie is trying to make. It makes the teenage girl seem intelligent and oddly mature despite many movies these days, like Mean Girls, that portray teenage girls as overly emotional, ditsy, or dumb. Even still, I enjoyed Paulie Bleeker’s character, played by Michael Cera, more as I saw it as more realistic and comical. His ultimate innocence and child-like focus upon running and tic-tacs depict the true level at which Juno is at emotionally, and create a believable (and conveniently non factor) accomplice in the creation of her child.

Overall, what I think this movie is trading on is the uniqueness and quirkiness, something that was produced by the soundtrack, cinematography, and script, but was also brought forth with the plot. It showed a quirky girl, a quirky guy, and their quirky relationship, as Juno says in the end, “We’re unlike other couples—we reproduce and then fall in love”—quite a quirky couple indeed. Overall, while I was annoyed with some characteristics of Juno that I thought were unrealistic, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and thought it was successful in its unique appeal and goodhearted feel.