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Baby-based Juno delivers a modern classic

By Anna Roberts
June 20, 2008

Juno (15)
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, £15.99

Stars - Ellen Page, Michael Cera, J K Simmons, Allison Janney, Jennifer Garner

Juno was early 2008’s surprise hit – and it is very good.

Starring Ellen Page as the eponymous heroine, it tells the story of a teenage girl who – following a one-night stand with her geeky but sweet pal Beeker (Michael Cera) – gets knocked up.

Initially she decides to have an abortion. However, on learning her unborn baby already has fingernails, she decides this is no longer an option – the foetus is a child after all.

Unwilling to raise the tot herself, the 16-year-old opts to give her child up for adoption. Almost immediately she finds a nice and affluent couple, Vanessa (Jennifer Garner) and Mark (Jason Bateman), who are desperate for a baby.

Throughout her pregnancy Juno, forthright, bright and opinionated, is supported by her parents, the wonderful Bren (Allison Janney) and Mac (JK Simmons).

Juno starts well, ends well and is good in the middle too. In fact it is practically flawless.

Page, who is still very young, made her name starring in ‘edgy’ films like Hard Candy where she plays a teen intent on outing a suspected paedophile.

In Juno she proves she can do cute too, although that is not to say she loses any of her trademark sharpness.

Some British people – and this is one of Juno’s only criticisms – might find the occasional Americanism grating.

In Juno the sarcastic and sardonic teenagers – the film’s stars – do take centre stage.

A world away from the teens in films like High School Musical, the youngsters in Juno are far more ‘real’.

In this respect, the film is reminiscent of that other American super-hit of recent years, American Beauty.

It is difficult to say why Juno is so watchable, so funny and so enjoyable. Certainly there is no obvious plotline.

However, what the film does benefit from is a stonking script. The writers have shied away from the obvious and made a film about a quite an ordinary – but still unique – family.

Juno’s step-mum Bren is simply wonderful. Janney is a fantastic actress and is a coup for Juno’s directors to have scored her.

Meanwhile Page is very likeable and performs brilliantly. She is surely one of Hollywood’s rising stars.

A special mention must also go to Cera. He has made his name playing geeky boys and, ahh, is he not lovely in Juno?

The soundtrack which accompanies the film is also quite wonderful – you will be thinking about Juno a long time after it has finished. And that is a good thing.