Review of Juno (2007) by Chris W — 09 Jul 2013

There were many great films that came out around 2007 and 2008, and this one proved to be in the top tier.

After a fling with her longtime pal leaves her pregnant, snarky, witty, and smart 16 year-old Juno MacGuff decides to do the right thing and give her baby up for adoption to a seemingly perfect yuppie couple unable to have kids of their own.

It's a coming-of-age romantic comedy, that might be the best entry in either of those two categories I've seen. This is a very sharply written, finely observed film that is irresistibly heartwarming, charming, and moving. Though Juno is more of a stylized ideal than anything else, she represents the kind of teenage girl we need to see more of in real life. She's a good belng of being smart, yet far from perfect.

This was the "indie darling" of its year, but I don't see that as a bad thing. This movie is a great example of why I love indies from time to time. There's excellent writing (and thankfully the 'teen speak' isn't overdone), lots of heart, depth, and humor, and some great performances to boot.

I mean, you get top notch work from EVERYONE here, but especially Page, Garner, Thirlby, and Janney.

I know I'm praising this film a lot, and, while it is justified, part of why I love this film is that I have a personal and emotional connection to it. A little pain is involved, but despite some bitter-sweetness, this film is tied to an important part of my life, and I would be a worse off person without this film.

I highly recommend this, because, even though my connection to it can't be shared by everyone, this film is still brilliant without having such a deep meaning for me.