Taking A Risk! (Juno (DVD))

Member Name: AmyAmy

Product:	Juno (DVD)
Date:	15/02/08 (127 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: comic, surprising, unique,

Disadvantages: language, music,

Have you ever been in to see a film in the cinema you know very little about? After seeing one trailer for Juno, I instantly decided it was one I quite fancied, though I'm not sure why as I did not really pay attention to the short preview, and I was in no way familiar with the plot! It only occurred to me when I actually asked my friend to go and see it with me, and I could not answer her when she asked what it was about! Nevertheless, we took the chance and went to see it all the same.



===Plot Outline===
Juno MacGuff is a sixteen-year-old girl who fell pregnant after having sex with her friend Bleeker. After not being able to go through with an abortion, Juno decides to put the baby up for adoption, and with the help of best friend Leah, they find the 'perfect couple' in a newspaper advertisement. Juno and her family visit Vanessa and Mark, and agree on a closed adoption.
After agreeing to keep them up-to-date with how the unborn baby is getting on, Juno decides to visit Mark and Vanessa to pass on the information in person. She is faced with a mixture of emotions and friendships, a build-up of problems with every visit. Can she handle everything at such a young age, and will she go through with it in the end?



===Main Cast===
Juno MacGuff :: Ellen Page
Paulie Bleeker :: Michael Cera
Vanessa Loring :: Jennifer Garner
Mark Loring :: Jason Bateman
Bren MacGuff :: Allison Janney
Mac MacGuff :: J.K. Simmons
Leah :: Olivia Thirlby



===Basic Facts===
Director; Jason Reitman
Writer; Diablo Cody
Genre; comedy, drama
Runtime; 96 minutes
Certificate; 12A (UK)




===What Did I Think?===
As I did not have any expectations for this film, I was quite relaxed about whatever opinions I encountered. Fortunately, I have a large amount of praise for this film, compared to its negatives! The first thing I found interesting was the beginning; as the opening credits went up, it turned into more of a sketch, with Juno walking along, causing us to wonder where she is off to. I thought this was a nice effect.

The length of the film was quite nice too; sometimes I seem to spend an awful long time wondering when a film is going to conclude itself, but this did not happen, and I was quite disappointed when it finally did finish! The plot itself was quite unique; there isn't many films I know of where there's a teenage pregnancy, without all the negatives being outlined (perhaps this could be a bad thing?). It's certainly a unique film in that sense!

I'm not sure about the casting. There were no major stars, for me, in the line-up for this film; something I'd usually consider when viewing a film. Jennifer Garner is quite a grand actress, and I cannot deny Ellen Page's fantastic talent, carrying out the whole film the way she did, but her voice does irritate me slightly!

Something both my friend and I agreed on with this film was the negative points we conjured up; the music and soundtracks were, dare I say it, pathetic! They were far too cheesy, with horrendous lyrics. I have no idea what possessed them to lean in that direction!


Weighing everything out though, it was an excellent film, and I could certainly recommend it! Though, certificated 12A, I would suggest it should have been a 15, purely based on the strong and vulgar language. Now, I'm not saying it's language I do not use myself, that would be creating a halo around my neck, but I'm sure any twelve-year-old who turned round to their parents and produced the words that slid out of Juno's mouth, they'd likely find themselves to be in 'deep water'! As the film is quite unique and different, I cannot really compare it to others of the same nature, but if the plot summary appeals to you, them I'd suggest you too do as I did, and take the risk of seeing it!


*****
I am thrilled I went to see this, despite having a very fine knowledge on it at the time, and feel comfortable to take such risks again if need be. Juno is a fantastic, individual film with many surprises and a lot of unexpected emotion and maturity!


© Amy 2008

Summary: In general, a fantastic film with a few flaws!