In my honest opinion, Juno was a great movie suitable for almost any occasion. One of my favorite parts about this movie is that it gives a more realistic, down to earth version of teenage pregnancy than your usual cliché. Also, that the movie stays very ‘Switzerland’ about the whole Pro-life vs Pro-Choice debate that has swept the nation and strays from shedding judgment on any of the decisions that can be made by teen mothers out there. There are examples of almost every scenario that can be had in such a situation in this movie and almost no negative connotations to go with them. (Except for maybe Juno’s mom leaving her and her father, but even that is played fairly neutral.)
Juno doesn’t exactly fit into one particular genre, instead it’s more of a coming of age-comedy-drama, maybe even romance compilation. Nevertheless, one thing is for sure, Juno is a great movie with an excellent main character; maybe it's the name.
Credit for this particularly amazing character would have to go to both Diablo Cody; screenwriter, and Ellen Page; actor. Cody is the person who really thought this character up and gave her all of the entertaining quirky traits that Juno possesses, but it was the brilliant work of actress Ellen Page that brought Juno to life and gave her that convincing appearance of truth we call verisimilitude.
Juno MacGuff is, by definition, a round character. She tries to appear as if she has everything completely under control and as if she is indifferent towards her whole pregnancy. Even her costume leads you to believe that she doesn't put a whole lot of effort into much. But we quickly learn that this isn't the case. Juno has her break downs, blow-ups, and run-ins with strife just as any antagonist does. However, she takes these struggles and learns from them; she changes her perspectives, and more importantly she grows as a person. By the end of the movie, she reaches maturity levels way beyond those of what you thought a strong willed 16 year-old could gain in nine months.
Juno often tries to use sarcastic comments and quips to hold up her bravado, and yet the cinematography points in the other direction. An example of this is the scene where she goes to Mark and Vanessa's house to meet the prospective parents of her unborn child for the first time. Everything that comes out of her mouth here is all sass and banter, but the cameras use a series of high angle shots which makes us look down at her and forces her to appear more vulnerable than the dialogue suggests.
Another case where the cinematography accentuates Juno’s fragile state of mind is in the scene right after she first finds out that Mark and Vanessa are going to get a divorce. She pulls over on the side of the highway on her way home from there house in a moment of devastation. The camera pans into a close-up of Juno’s face while she is crying. From here, all you can see in the frame aside from Juno’s anguish is a cage of gray seats, skies, and other car interiors around her. This gives the scene a claustrophobic atmosphere, emphasizing Juno’s feeling of catastrophe falling down around her.
Works Cited:
Juno. Dir. Jason Reitman. Prod. Lianne Halfon, John Malkovich, Russell Smith, and Mason Novick. By Diablo Cody. Perf. Ellen Page and Michael Cera. Fox Searchlight Pictures, 2007.
Barsam, Richard Meran., and Dave Monahan. Looking at Movies: An Introduction to Film. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2013. Print.
N.d. Photograph. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Web. <http://www.tjjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/image/living_arts/JunoPosterSound.jpg>.
N.d. Photograph. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Web. <http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Md6KWD6-CDo/TerrIdxn5uI/AAAAAAAAAK8/7c4Q9EmlsOc/s1600/ellen+page.jpg>.
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N.d. Photograph. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Web. <http://maaretta.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/juno-bleeker-juno-2098226-1024-576.jpeg>.
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N.d. Photograph. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Web. <http://www.dailyraider.com/film/juno/13.png>.
Juno. Dir. Jason Reitman. Prod. Lianne Halfon, John Malkovich, Russell Smith, and Mason Novick. By Diablo Cody. Perf. Ellen Page and Michael Cera. Fox Searchlight Pictures, 2007.
Barsam, Richard Meran., and Dave Monahan. Looking at Movies: An Introduction to Film. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2013. Print.
N.d. Photograph. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Web. <http://www.tjjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/image/living_arts/JunoPosterSound.jpg>.
N.d. Photograph. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Web. <http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Md6KWD6-CDo/TerrIdxn5uI/AAAAAAAAAK8/7c4Q9EmlsOc/s1600/ellen+page.jpg>.
N.d. Photograph. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Web. <http://static.phx2.tvgcdn.net/MediaBin/Content/090413/News/Todays_News_Our_Take/2_tues/090414diablo-cody1.jpg>.
N.d. Photograph. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Web. <http://maaretta.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/juno-bleeker-juno-2098226-1024-576.jpeg>.
N.d. Photograph. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Web. <http://2.bp.blogspot.com/__MVoD2_FqMA/SewG5Kb7tlI/AAAAAAAABXg/3MHf6yGj0yA/s1600-h/normal_Juno-Screen-Caps-062.JPG>.
N.d. Photograph. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Web. <http://www.dailyraider.com/film/juno/13.png>.