Unexpected pregnancy never felt so good

By Erin Brodbeck
Collegian Editor
January 23, 2008

Being a teenager in the 21st century isn’t the most carefree ride a girl can have. Dealing with high school, parents, peers and keeping up with MySpace is taxing on the young ladies of today. Throw in an unexpected pregnancy after having sex in a chair with your best friend, and you have every 16-year-old’s worst nightmare. Juno McGruff seems to deal with this bump in the road pretty well, keeping her sarcastic, witty head from exploding while carrying the baby she plans to give to a yuppie couple for adoption. The result of this culmination of events is Juno, the charming surprise hit that wrapped up 2007.

The first few scenes of Juno are characteristic of the typical teen comidram or dramady or whatever word you prefer. But as the story unfolds and we learn more about the complex characters presented to us, Juno becomes a classic story of growing up, and less of a flimsy profile of a gal who makes a bad decision one day after school.

Without a doubt, the casting of Ellen Page in the role of sassy smart aleck Juno was what made this movie so enjoyable. Page does an excellent job playing a girl who knows both everything and nothing, who spouts off pop culture references while talking on her hamburger-shaped telephone.

She finds out she’s pregnant after taking a test at a convenience store, and doesn’t think twice about sharing the results with the cashier (a fun cameo by The Office’s Rainn Wilson). A pro-life classmate picketing outside the abortion clinic convinces Juno to go through with having the baby, and her friend Leah helps her find the perfect couple to adopt her baby in the Penny Saver.

While these types of actions may seem like odd behavior for a pregnant teen, it seems that Diablo Cody, who wrote the script, wanted Juno to represent her generation. Juno is a teen who is exposed to a world she really isn’t mature enough to deal with, so she acts as if she understands and is capable of dealing with what is going on around her.

Juno’s naiveté is revealed in her interactions with the Lorings, a wealthy young couple who want to adopt her baby. She stops by frequently to hang out with Mark (Jason Bateman), the reluctant husband who just wants to be a rock star and watch horror movies.

A common criticism of the film has been the incompatibility of Mark and Vanessa Loring. We’re never really filled in on why they were attracted to each other in the first place, but Vanessa (a surprisingly touching Jennifer Garner) forces Mark to keep all of his guitars and records in the basement, making you wonder why she would ever even go to dinner with him. Regardless of the likelihood that Mark and Vanessa would ever marry, Bateman and Garner are convincing in their respective roles.

Juno also learns a lesson or two from her dad and stepmother, played by J.K. Simmons and Allison Janney. They are somewhat suspiciously OK with Juno’s pregnancy, with a minor freak-out and scolding from Juno’s dad followed by amiable support.

After meeting the Lorings, Juno quips to Vanessa, “If I could just have the thing and give it to you now, I totally would. But I’m guessing it looks probably like a sea monkey right now and we should let it get a little cuter.” It’s hard to believe that Juno’s pregnancy would go as smoothly as it did—she made carrying a baby look pretty easy, cracking jokes along the way and referring to herself as the “Cautionary Whale” to her classmates.

It’s most enjoyable to see Juno interact with her peers. Michael Cera is adorably awkward as usual in the role of Paulie Bleeker, Juno’s best friend and baby daddy, and Olivia Thirlby is fun to watch as Juno’s sidekick Leah.

Perhaps the best word to sum up Juno would be “cute,” a description normally used to describe movies that are good, but not great. However, Juno is pretty great—cute, sweet and light in the most intelligent and well-executed way.

brodbecke1@lasalle.edu