And now comes JUNO. Yes, you’ve heard the hype. It’s the critics’ darling, and wri
ter Diablo Cody is being hailed as the new voice of her generation (even though she writes about a different generation), so there’s every reason to go into the theatre expecting a big loud thud. But surprise surprise, it was not a major letdown. It was actually…good. Very good even. One of my top ten favorites of the year.The subject was teen pregnancy. Juno gets pregnant and (SPOILER ALERT) has a baby.
It was funny, touching, quirky – everything every indie movie says they are but aren’t. The dialogue just crackles although I have to stop short of saying Cody is this remarkable fresh new voice because Don Roos writes in the same style (see THE OPPOSITE OF SEX). But boy can she write. As good as the movie was I enjoyed reading the screenplay more.
Cody did so many things right. She created vivid unique characters, gave them major problems, took them on emotional journeys, had a strong point of view, and was smart enough to construct a simple story. It was easy to follow, tracked, and built to a satisfying conclusion. It sounds simple but so many spec screenplays are so complicated you can’t follow them without a code book.
I could see why director Jason Reitman responded to this material. Anytime you can get to page 50 without having to say, “What the hell is this movie about?” you know you’ve got a potential winner.
Cody was very lucky in that her script fell into the right hands with Reitman. The cast, tone, and look of the film was pitch perfect. God forbid if the Farrelly brothers had made this movie there’d be a fifteen minute water breaking set piece with people slipping on the embryonic fluid. But Reitman stays true to the material and doesn’t try to add his own “special touch”, which is Hollywood-speak for fucking up the picture.
Ellen Page was sensational as Juno. It was so nice not to see Mandy Moore in the role (as a major studio w
ould have insisted). And who knew? Jennifer Garner can really ACT? I think with this film she’ll now start getting the roles Julia Roberts used to get and thinks she’s still young enough to get (sorry Julia, mother and congresswoman parts await).The only thing I will say is don’t expect JUNO to be some groundbreaking movie that will change the industry and you forever. But seeing a smart original little film with a great script and performances should be enough, right?
Back when my cable system (Adelphia at the time) carried the Independent Film Channel on an affordable and non-digital tier, I caught "The Opposite of Sex."
ReplyDeleteI was so ecstatic over the thing -- story, actors, everything -- that I talked it up incessantly. Until I found that all my friends (well, many of them) were already well aware of the film's charms.
So: if you like the tone of Juno, especially, or you're just looking for something that's offbeat, intelligent and fun (with Lisa Kudrow miles from "Smelly Cat"), and don't mind a little raunch, I strongly recommend "The Opposite of Sex."
As for Juno -- hell, it's got J.K. Simmons and Allison Janney - right there, reason enough to see it. In fact, they were why I went.
Glad you enjoyed Juno, but after hearing Ellen Page do interviews, I don't think I could stand listening to that voice for two hours.
ReplyDeleteI'll pass, thank you.
I don't think I could stand listening to that voice for two hours.
ReplyDeleteYou're in luck! See it now and get 28 minutes off. It's 92 minutes. ;)
Juno was great, but the dialogue in the first 20 minutes was a bit overdone and annoying. "Honest to blog"? Yikes.
ReplyDeleteDave: "I don't think I could stand listening to that voice for two hours."
ReplyDeleteI didn't see Page's interview, but she wouldn't be the first actress who works better off a script. (take Fred Dalton Thompson, f'rinstance. Please.) Go to a matinee; walk out after 20 if she's as grating as you fear. I'll bet you stay. It's a cute, fun movie, Janney and Simmons are wonderful, Garner is OK, and Page is a kick. Our New Year's Day matinee had many 3/4 generation families in attendance, all of whom left smiling. That's an accomplishment worthy of your entertainment dollar.
The music is fun, too.
Diablo Cody (not her real name) has been blogging for years at several different locations, each place under the title "Pussy Ranch". I keep waiting for the New York Times to mention that in their print reviews.
ReplyDeleteLetterman's people are supposedly trying to get her back on. They loved her a year ago (Youtube link) when she was plugging her book "Candy Girl" about her days as a stripper.
Maybe that's what your book needed, Ken.
Now that she's writing actual movies, shouldn't she start using an actual name?
ReplyDeleteOr maybe more writers will start using cool names. You know, like rappers. You could be K-Lev.
For a journalism student like myself with fleeting thoughts of becoming a screenwriter, where would one get there hands on this screenplay? I'm dreading that the answer is a WGA 'For Your Consideration' mailer...
ReplyDeleteIf so, I'll stick with my original plan of waiting 'til February when the Borders clerk told me it'd be published.
I blogged about my mixed (but mostly positive) feelings about the movie and the deification of Diablo Cody, who did a Q&A at the screening I went to. http://ennienyc.livejournal.com/192735.html
ReplyDeleteI think I'm just jealous.
You can get the Juno screenplay online at: www.foxsearchlight.com/awards/scripts/juno.pdf
ReplyDeleteA very satisfying, quiet movie.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't tell you how to feel.
I loved it -- funny, surprising, and human. Plus I'm fond of films without villains, and came away with a new respect for Garner, as well.
ReplyDeleteIt was really similar to Knocked Up in how I laughed pretty steadily throughout each, but after leaving the theater I became less and less enthused.
ReplyDeleteJuno had a nice, subtle story, but too many of the roles were more caricature than character. In that way it felt a lot closer to Napoleon Dynamite than Little Miss Sunshine.
I heard Reitman and Diablo do a dual interview on Fresh Air.
ReplyDeleteone of the things that sticks in my head is that Diablo was on the set and was consulted by Reitman when he needed a new line or wanted to add a scene.
It sounded like the complete opposite of most other writers' experiences.
This movie can not be considered a comedy. I'm begging someone to tell me what line, or bit, or scene was funny? I missed something. I liked the movie, but how was it funny?
ReplyDeleteDave: "I don't think I could stand listening to that voice for two hours."
ReplyDeleteShe was lip-syncing the peacock, and miming Mary Boyle. (Not brilliant, but hey, it's only day 2.)
"Honest to blog" was a painful line, and sometimes the dialog got a little too cluttered, too cute for its own good, but overall the movie was great.
ReplyDeleteGarner, Bateman, Simmons, and Janney were all great.
>>This movie can not be considered a comedy.<<
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen the movie so can't comment on Juno itself but there does seem to be a section of film labelled 'comedy' possibly for lack of a better term. I remember that film 'Happiness' was billed as a comedy. Not only did I not find it funny but it didn't ever even seem to be going for funny.
Now maybe this film does and just it didn't do it for you but maybe it's one of those 'quirky' films that people seem to label comedy.
Is there another term for those arthouse-type comedies that aren't actually funny, are usually just a little ridiculous but can still be entertaining?
I think all the performances were spot on except Garner's.
ReplyDeleteFrom the brief review at my blog: "My only quibble was with Jennifer Garner, who was wooden perhaps because she was trying to play Vanessa as cold, which was a mistake because that then betrays Juno's actions at the end of the story. I'll steer clear of details, but Juno wouldn't do what she did with Vanessa as played."
Vanessa was far more mature than her husband, but responsible - that doesn't make her an ice queen, and neither does the dialogue... nor the script.
"Webs said...
ReplyDeleteI think all the performances were spot on except Garner's."
I disagree. She was fantastic. The scene in the mall where Vanessa is feeling the baby kick gives plenty of reason for Juno to do what she did at the end of the film.
tmoney: Do you really expect an answer to "how is it funny?" that will make you say, "Oh, NOW I get it!" Nothing's more subjective than comedy, right?
ReplyDeleteI'm dying to see "Juno", though I always worry about catching a film when the hype machine is in full force. Try as I might, it's hard not to go in with that "Okay, let's see all that greatness everyone's raving about" attitude. Glad to hear that didn't diminish Ken's enjoyment of it.
I concur with the love for "The Opposite of Sex." A real shame that Roos hasn't followed that up with something as impressive.
But watch that Mandy Moore dissing, Ken! While I'm sure she'd be disastrous casting for Juno, I think she's a very talented, natural actress. She almost makes the execrable "Because I Said So" watchable because she's so engaging and adept. She gets my vote for Miss Silk Purse of 2007 (see also "License to Wed," if you dare).
Your review is exactly right
ReplyDeletetmoney, every time they showed Michael Cera's legs was funny. Juno's parents' teen-crisis preferences were funny, "that aint no etch-a-sketch, home skillet." "I doubt that she gave you the stink-eye...that's just how her face looks." Orange tic-tacs... The movie full of subtle and not-so-subtle comedy.
ReplyDeleteAnd nobody mentioned the ending. I loved the ending.
you forget to mention the incredible soundtrack. The songs could not have been better matched for this movie
ReplyDeleteThe story of a former stripper who on a whim writes a screenplay and becomes Hollywood's flavor of the month sounds interesting.
ReplyDeleteThe plot of Juno? Hmm... maybe I'll wait to catch it on pay cable...
Or, not...
Maybe if I go see it Diablo Cody will reward me with a date.
I think the "ice queen" persona you refer to was spot on, as her character was terrified that they were going to be disappointed again, after the last mom got cold feet.
ReplyDeleteShe was great. Nice to see an actor so likable have such a good performance.
Saw this tonight and agree with everything Ken said. Don't quite get the problems some folks are having with Ellen Page's voice. Is the effect akin to that lady who had seizures when she heard Mary Hart?
ReplyDeleteSome lines grate, mostly early on, and a few of the songs faded out just one step ahead of getting on my nerves, but otherwise I'm impressed.
Just saw this last night too. WOW. Yes, some of the early dialogue is awkward, and the soundtrack blows chunks (I'm subjective like that), but WOW, what a movie.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the recommendation.