Review of Juno (2007) by Caroline F — 14 Oct 2012

Seconded only by the very recent, Perks of being a Wallflower, Juno is the most innovative coming of age film to date; in my opinion anyway. With its fresh, not so stereotypical, take on teenage pregnancy, Juno invites even the most prudish of people to laugh along with the young, naive characters. Juno is our eccentric, opinionated and charismatic young mum to be, tamed only by her 'kind of' boyfriend Paulie Bleeker (Bleek). When Juno finds out she is pregnant her first thought is to have an abortion. However, she quickly dismisses this idea after visiting the clinic and bumping into a school friend who happens to be protesting against abortion. Juno then embarks on a mission, with best friend Leah, to find adoptive parents for the baby.

What I love most about this film is its balance in character personalities, which I feel adds to the comic genius of the film. The first comparison made is between Juno, the 'wild child', and her best friend Leah, your typical pretty and popular high school girl. The unlikely but comical pair play the ultimate 'dynamic duo' with their adolescent views on the world providing numerous hilarious anecdotes during the film. Even Juno herself makes the differentiation between herself and her friend; describing herself as the 'freaky girl' and Leah as the 'perfect cheerleader'. Another comparison that can be made is between Juno's family and the adoptive parents she eventually decides upon. Whilst neither family can be considered 'normal' they appear almost exact opposites of each other. Juno's ever so dysfunctional but still loving Father and Stepmother, not to mention younger oddball sister vs. the prim, proper and pristine Mark and Vanessa Loring; a middle aged married couple. One of my favourite scenes in the film is the meeting of the two families in which Juno and her Father sit on one sofa directly opposite to the Lorings on another. The clever positioning of the characters in the scene acts as the perfect metaphor for just how different the two families are.

My only reservations towards the film are, firstly, that the intense, vibrant and colourful appearance of the sets means the film loses its sense of realism. There is also a certain degree of dismissal towards what are, in fact, very real and challenging issues that many women experience. You could almost say the film is quite disrespectful; glossing over the incredibly sensitive issues of both abortion and the life changing decision to give a child up for adoption. Juno was also accused by some of 'glamorizing' teenage pregnancy and convincing young girls that it was ok to have underage sex.

In conclusion, although Juno may have an ultimately too optimistic and upbeat take on teenage pregnancy and somewhat ignores its physical and emotional trials, the film is very enjoyable and pleasurable to watch. Besides, in some respects, what's wrong with a cheerful approach to an otherwise gloomy occurrence? It makes the film a lot easier to consume before reaching a tear jerking final scene, which I think says all it needs to about the emotional repercussions Juno has experienced during her ordeal.