Monday, February 11

Favorite Recent Movie: JUNO!



I love quirky movies. Movies that make you laugh, wonder what in the heck the writer/director/producer/actor/dog was thinking, and keep your interest even after the credits roll. I was lucky enough to steal away with a good friend of mine a few weeks ago, right when "Juno" was released in theaters. It had received great reviews but no one I knew had seen it. I was very pleasanly surprised, and since then, I've been recommending it to all my friends.


Why did I like this movie? First off, I adored the character Juno MacGuff, played perfectly by Ellen Page. Despite her age (16, junior in high school) and her perdicament (pregnant), she radiates confidence. She never sugar-coats anything, whether she's speaking to a popular kid in her school, an adult she's just met, or her father when she's announcing her pregnancy. She's cute, sassy, smart, matter-of-fact, and has an offbeat sense of humor. She talks on a hamburger phone, plasters her bedroom walls with posters, pours her Slurpee in her step-mom's vase, and has an (odd, IMHO) infatuation with guys in nylon running shorts and cult horror flicks. I fell instantly in love with Juno from the opening scene, where she's downing a bottle of Sunny D en route to the neighborhood drug store to do yet another pregnancy test.


The two quotes (I'm doing this from memory, so please don't quote my quotes, haha!) I loved most are: "He's good in chair." (The baby was made in a chair, not in a bed.) and "I don't know what kind of girl I am." (After her dad said, "I thought you were the kind of girl who knew when to say when.")


There are so many funny bits, some very sad/touching parts, and there's even some romance sprinkled in. It deals with a very touchy subject, teenage pregnancy, in a very unique way. From the writing and photography to the casting and sound track, the movie is done very well. I will definitely buy it when it comes out in DVD. Apparently, I'm not alone in thinking it's a swell flick. It's up for 4 Oscars, as well as winning and being nominated for many other accomplished awards. I give "Juno" a "Heck, Yeah!" (That's as good as it gets, folks.)

13 comments:

DeenaML said...

This movie was adorable! I found myself wishing I had Juno's confidence and calm now -- let alone at 16! :)

bevrosenbaum said...

Loved, loved, loved Juno too! (And as a Canadian, am especially proud of Ellen Page and Michael Cera!)
Bev

Kelly (Lynn) Parra said...

I so want to see it!

Wendy Toliver said...

Deena ML: Me too! Can you imagine?!

Bev: I have a feeling we'll be seeing a lot more of Page and Cera!

Kelly: Go see it! Or get the DVD when it's out. It's not necessarily one you have to see on the big screen to fully appreciate.

Thanks for commenting! :)

Alyson Noel said...

Right there with ya- I adore this movie!
Did you see Ellen Page in HARD CANDY? She's definitely one to watch!

Erica Orloff said...

This is one of my all-time favorite movies. What was stunning to me was how I could be weeping one minute and crying the next. Definitely an almost hidden power and deepness to it. And perfectly cast--from her father to the stepmother role.

I also, as a writer, liked the depth of secondaries--even in brief moments. Like you could have EASILY thought you had the stepmom pegged. Until the scene in the ultrasound session. And then it was like, "WOW . . . there's more to this woman than meets the eye."

E

Deb said...

I loved this movie as well. It was so great. It's been a long time since a movie has captured my attention like this one did. IMHO, this movie has some of the best one-line comebacks ever :D If you haven't seen it put it at the top of your to do list.

Melissa Walker said...

ok, i loved JUNO, except for the first 20 minutes. i really felt like it didn't hit its stride until after she left the drugstore (before that--eek!--forced dialogue).

but really i'm just being contrary: the movie is stellar.

Sara Hantz said...

I'm hanging out to see Juno...... I loved the excerpts!!!

Wendy Toliver said...

Alyson-- I haven't seen Hard Candy. I will try and check it out ASAP!

Erica--Yes, that scene in the ultrasound room really rocked.

Deb-- Definitely hard to pick a favorite quote; there were so many good ones!

Melissa-- I was so into the music at the beginning, the forced dialogue escaped my attention. But I plan on seeing it many more times and I'm sure you're right. I also thought the scene with Justin Bateman and Ellen Page dancing at his house was a bit scary. I was thinking, "Don't go there!"

But like you, I loved it all in all, and Sara, I really think you'll love it too!

Em said...

The dialogue was so unbelievable. I mean, can that many people always have hilarious, snarky comments? :) It just made me wish I was that cool. This movie was awesome.

Pat R said...

i assumed Juno was directed by the same guy that directed Knocked Up because it's about an unexpected pregnancy, and Michael Cera stars as Juno's boyfriend (he was one of the goofy kids from Superbad, a close relative of Knocked Up), but it turns out this is not the case

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