Review of Juno (2007) by Simeon T — 19 Aug 2014

Since it can easily be seen as kicking off a certain kind of really annoying style associated with pretentious, self-consciously styled hipsterdom, Juno hasn't aged well. Some of the quirks didn't work and still don't, but this is somewhat unfair because Juno is different in a number of ways from other examples of Indie quirk.

The main reason is Ellen Page. She is singular, an actress of starting confidence and truthfulness, which is the needed balance for the screenplay's quirks. It is likely the film would have been an utter failure if anyone else played the title character (I can only imagine if it was made today it would star Zooey Deschanel, a polka dot dress and puppies).

if it is a hipster film, it is also to its benefit that Diablo Cody is a Gen-Xer with the sensibility one would expect. What makes this a quality film is that underneath the snap and the quirk is a real sincerity, an emotional core.

So even if this is a hipster movie, that it has sincerity at its heart rather than ironic posturing/snark (the most obnoxious hipster trait) separates it from hipster "culture". That, and that many/most hipsters hate it.

It was intended as a communique to the mainstream.