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 enlarge | Director: Jason Reitman
Actors: Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Allison Janney
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Category: DVD
List Price: $29.98
Buy Used: $4.78
You Save: $25.20 (84%)
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Rating:  330 reviews
Sales Rank: 133
Format: Color, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), French (Original Language), Spanish (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Dubbed), Spanish (Dubbed)
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 96 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: FOXD2250687D
UPC: 024543506874
EAN: 0024543506874
ASIN: B000YABYLA
Theatrical Release Date: December 14, 2207 (In 72707 Days)
Release Date: April 15, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
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Showing reviews 321-325 of 330
 Amazing Film! December 27, 2007
klh (SLC, UT USA)
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
This movie is full of wit, charm, and humor, all nicely balanced with moments of vulnerability. It is without a doubt one of the best films of the year.
Witty script...and a PHENOMENAL performance from Ellen Page December 26, 2007
RMurray847 (Albuquerque, NM United States)
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
I'm hoping JUNO helps make Ellen Page the star that HARD CANDY should have made her. She was completely unknown to me when I went to see that harrowing piece, and her performance was Oscar caliber. I've been eagerly awaiting more work from her, but other than a tiny part in X-MEN: LAST STAND, I've had a pretty long wait.
But she totally steals JUNO...which is saying a lot, because almost everyone is pretty terrific in this highly entertaining film. But Ellen Page is some sort of unique energy source. She seems to do so little, but the tiniest facial tic or change in tone conveys so much. She's clearly a super-intelligent actress and her characters are also intelligent (probably almost to the point of stretching credulity...but who cares, it's so much fun), and they are funny and in JUNO, sensitive.
Juno is a sixteen year old who has just discovered she's pregnant, after one encounter with her longtime friend Bleeker (they are mostly just friends...not really girlfriend/boyfriend). June at first considers abortion as her only option, but she quickly decides she'd rather carry the child and pass it on to a loving but needy couple for adoption. She does this knowing full well that she'll be an object of much discussion at school, AND she'll have to tell her father (JK Simmons) and her step-mother (Allison Janney). And she'll have to tell the baby's father (Michael Cera from SUPERBAD and ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT).
She finds her immediate family to be shocked but supportive, and her dad comes with her to meet the couple Juno has selected (from the "Penny Saver" no less!). These childless yuppies are played by Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman, and at first we think Garner is a bit of a control freak, and Bateman is the "cool" one...but this movie plays with our expectations of this couple right from the start. I won't say much more, because much of the richness of the film comes in the changes Juno sparks in this couple.
Juno is a whip-smart almost loner, who we find early on, is probably secretly pining for the love of goofy Bleeker. And Bleeker certainly loves his old friend...yet these two have never faced these feelings...because they are both so confounded by them. Juno is accustomed to having her act very much under control, and I believe she has a hard time admitting she has feelings that make her vulnerable to another person. And Bleeker (played sublimely by Michael Cera...who is now officially in danger of being typecast for the rest of his life) is just too shy, goofy and flummoxed to believe his feelings would ever be returned.
There isn't a lot of plot to the film. It follows Juno through her voyage of discovery, at the child growing inside her, at her own feelings towards the boy who may become the man in her life and at what she discovers about the family she wants to give her child to. What makes JUNO so much fun is the crackling dialogue (from current hot screenwriter Diablo Cody) and the equally snappy performances.
(I appreciated too that Juno made the choice not to have an abortion. Not only would there have been no film if she had...but it was refreshing to see a major film character make the choice she did. Not because she was against abortion, but because she was able to make a reasoned decision that was not only great for her child, but great for another couple and quite enriching for her. It also serves as a reminder that there are other choices besides abortion or deciding to raise a child yourself. I don't feel the film was trying to make a statement...except to say "whatever you decide, think it through a little bit.")
The dialogue is the kind that no one would ever speak in real life, yet it hews close enough to realistic that it becomes its own style of "hyper-realism." Ellen Page has the aura of someone who might actually speak in this very cynical yet open and intelligent manner, and thus she pulls it off. Therefore, everyone else (none of whom are quite so snappy as Juno) seems positively normal by comparison. Thus, the dialogue works!
The performances are very good as well. As I said, Cera is wonderful at the type of part he plays...I hope he gets to stretch soon as an actor...but for now, seeing him work is a delight. Janney is very good as the stepmother, who both loves and is exasperated by Juno. Garner is touching in her smallish but important role, and Bateman brings interesting shadings to what could have been a one-dimensional role. He underplays, and this is in keeping with the style of the film. It's no wonder that his character and Juno's hit it off so well.
But to me, other than Ellen Page, the MVP of the film is the always fantastic JK Simmons. Can someone please sometime give this actor an award!! From the over-the-top newspaper editor in the SPIDERMAN films, to the hilarious thief with irritable bowel syndrome in THE LADY KILLERS, to competent Dr. Skoda in "Law and Order" to the chilling white supremacist in "Oz"...this guy may be the best character actor around. He plays Juno's dad so well, and their scenes together have a true warmth that spreads to the whole film. He's a blue-collar guy...no doubt perplexed by Juno's immense vocabulary and her way of speaking...yet we can also see in his manner that he's a big inspiration to how Juno turned out the way she did. It's a well-written part, and he knocks it out of the park.
The movie is not perfect. Again, the wonderful screenplay is a bit mannered. It struck me that way a Woody Allen or Neil Simon script might strike an audience...these characters are too witty to be believed. So while I thoroughly enjoyed the script and while it was well-executed...it still did not 100% elude the "hey, no one in real life would think to say that" syndrome from time to time. It would say it was more like 95% of the time.
Jason Reitman (who also directed the excellent THANK YOU FOR SMOKING) keeps the film moving nicely...but he's not a super-inventive director. He finds good scripts and a good cast (90% of the battle) but there's nothing inspiring about what he brings to the film as a crafter of beautiful imagery or masterful framing. He lets his actors do great work, and that's most important. Some day, I hope he tries his hand at something that doesn't really on Aaron Eckhart's or Ellen Page's masterful delivery.
But this is certainly a film high on my list for 2007. I truly love Ellen Page, and I predict some more great things for her. Her performance alone makes the film worth seeing...but thank goodness there are so many other great things as well.
Phenomenal December 26, 2007
D. Carlson (Michigan)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I expected JUNO to be an exceptional movie--with reviews like 4 Stars **** by the USA Today, an "A" by Entertainment Weekly, an "A+" by the Detroit News... and it was exceptional, and then some! Ellen Page, so amazing recently in HARD CANDY, is beyond amazing in this. She plays Juno, a 16-year-old free spirit, who gets pregnant by her pal, Bleeker (Michael Cera)..and hilarity, among many other emotions, ensues. Give Page the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Musical/Comedy, and give her an Oscar nomination!! An extremely funny movie, but, it also has it's share of drama, and parts that tug at your heart...for many reasons why people love movies to begin with. It has something for everyone-- therefore, not limiting the audience that the movie is trying to appeal to. My friend and I saw it (a couple of 'young dudes') and we absolutely loved it. Stellar performances by Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Allison Janney, etc! You can certainly see why it got all the nominations...Best Picture, [again] Best Actress by Ellen Page, Screenplay by Diablo Cody, etc. An outstanding ensemble, and a very enjoyable soundtrack. Go see JUNO...you'll love it!!
Wow! Shockingly relevant & funny, definately deserves a nomination December 25, 2007
Mad Max (Seattle, WA USA)
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
I was stunned at this movie - what a terrific blend of comedy and drama. I left the theater reminded of 2006's Little Miss Sunshine, which also deserved attention from the Academy & other film festivals. But Juno was actually even better.
The plot is simple (teenage pregnancy/coming of age), but the film is filled with nuance, unconventional humor, and some very thoughtful and touching moments. All of the acting was superb, without exception, but especially Ellen Page. I left the theater wanting to see it again.
There were several things that made it exceptionally funny or thoughtful. I liked for example, the metaphor of the boys track team, and how they kept running in circles (a theme which runs throughout the movie, no pun intended). I also liked that in the end, the most creepy, most dysfunctional & maladjusted characters were the mid-upper class white suburbanites, and in the end, it was the urban working class family that pulled together to work out the dilemma.
Perhaps my favorite part of the movie was that Juno's parents, as dysfunctional as they were, still did not react to Juno's pregnancy with hyper-anxiety, by blowing up, etc. Their response was imperfect, but at least it was compassionate, and was supportive of her daughter and her decision. In the end, it was Juno's body, Juno's decision...and even though she was only 16, she showed tremendous strength and resolve (moreso than the adults in the story). Juno was immature, naive, made many mistakes...but she was true to herself and her own self-discovery and her own process. Certainly an endearing character (and actress), and certainly a good role model for most of us, young and old.
This was truly an original story - free of the typical cliches & jokes, and not one stitch of toilet humor. There's a lot more I could say about this movie, but the bottom line: I'd like to see more movies like this, and I'm so glad this one made it into the mainstream. Two thumbs way up. A full 5 stars.
"Normalcy isn't really our style." December 24, 2007
E. Bukowsky (NY United States)
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
Ellen Page is the sixteen-year-old title character in "Juno." Although she has unprotected sex with her boyfriend, Paulie Bleeker, she is incredulous when her home pregnancy test comes out positive three straight times. Although her parents are understandably dismayed when Juno tells them the startling news, they are more supportive than furious. Allison Janney is Bren, Juno's kind and witty stepmother, who is squarely on her stepdaughter's side no matter what. The ever-reliable character actor, J. K. Simmons, is solid as Juno's nurturing dad. He fondly calls Juno "Junebug," gives her sage advice, and makes sure that she always remembers how much he cares for her.
"Juno" is tailor-made for teenage girls; they will love the film's edgy score and will identify with this child/woman who has no idea who she is or what she wants out of life. The performances are uniformly excellent. Ellen Page is perfect as a young lady with a big mouth and an aggressive personality who needs to grow up in a hurry. Michael Cera is adorable as Juno's geeky boyfriend, Paulie. Although he is academically accomplished, Paulie is ordinary looking and unsophisticated. However, he is also sweet, unassuming, and extremely attached to Juno. Jennifer Garner is poignant as Vanessa Loring, a childless woman who has everything money can buy, but fervently desires the one thing money can't buy--her own baby. Jason Bateman plays Mark Loring, Vanessa's good looking but immature husband.
Diablo Cody's script is reminiscent of a Gilmore Girls episode; everyone seems to have a quip suitable for every occasion. Although the screenplay is at times too self-consciously cute, it is also original, amusing, and ultimately touching. Juno is a nice kid who wants to do the right thing; it is refreshing to see a teenager who is so adored by her parents that she finds herself able to love others freely and altruistically. Since the viewer cannot guess how the film will end, there is an element of suspense as well. All in all, "Juno" is an entertaining, funny, and bittersweet coming of age story about what happens when babies have babies.
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