- Ty Burr, Boston Globe
"The most pleasant surprise of the year."
-Boo Allen, Denton Record Chronicle
"Juno is a coming-
-David Denby, The New Yorker
-Roger Ebert, The Chicago Sun Times
The above are just a sampling of the numerous gushing reviews that "Juno" has received since it began screening a few weeks ago. With such a seemingly unanimous outpouring of critical love, it's almost as if the critics themselves believed one of their lot were responsible for the witty young Canadian's pregnancy (Even, especially?...female critics). Or perhaps it's some sort of weird identification with JK Simmons or Alison Janney as her supportive father and stepmother, respectively.
The truth is, "Juno" is far from a perfect movie. It is not, as Ebert says, "just about the best movie the year." Not even close. Taking obvious hints from such previously beloved, idiosyncratic movies like "Napoleon Dynamite" and "Little Miss Sunshine," and with a narrative-arc suspiciously similar to that of this year's earlier hit comedy "Knocked Up," "Juno" breaks absolutely no new ground.
Sure, sure, newcomer Diablo Cody should be commended for a bangup job on her first successful screenplay, which relies largely on clever wordplay between all characters. And her portrait of a pregnant teen is somewhat refreshing because the titular Juno is so defiantly, uncompromisingly unique and strong-willed, and so will be a role-model to many young female viewers, unexpectedly pregnant or otherwise. It is definitely very cool and more than slightly ironic to see a young woman in film portrayed as more than an object of the male gaze , as multi-dimensionally as her.
But let me be honest, I wasn't blown away by the movie- not in the way the reviews lead me to believe I would. The obvious influences of those other witty, endearing movies were too pronounced for me to ignore- and personally, I'm not a big fan of understated expression and quirkiness. Wes Andersen has begun to grate on me, which is why I have yet to see "Darjeeling Limited." I walked out of "Little Miss Sunshine" halfway through, much to the utter surprise and condemnation of most that I know.
I think it all comes back to the fact that I am averse to saccharine examinations of interpersonal relationships, especially of the familial variety. I walked out of "LMS" midwat because I felt like I was watching the film adaptation of a Hallmark card. Not one of those sappy, over-sentimental ones with pastel colors and pictures of flowers and ornate cursive lettering- no, the cinematic equivalent of those would be more along the lines of something like "The Notebook," or, more appropriately "Evening." I am talking about one of the more crudely drawn, brightly colored, subversively cheerful Hallmark cards that have some sort of weird, borderline profane message on the front but make up for it with an innocuous declaration of affection/celebration on the inside. "Juno," is definitely like that.
Not that I mind these cards at all really. To the contrary, I find even the most eye-roll inducing, cheesy ones to be much more palatable than the melodramatic ones. But I just don't want to see either when I go to the movies. If I am watching a movie primarily about families, friendships, separated lovers, or some combination thereof, it better involve some pretty fucked up, immoral interpersonal conflict. It better involve some grave injustice, some deliberate cruelty, some explosive rage, some crushing despair, overpowering emotions of any kind, really, I just want to feel some PASSION. I am a romantic at heart, which is why I loved "Closer," and am a devout "Nip/Tuck" viewer. And that's the root of my problems with something as reserved as "Juno."
But if that, and the allusions to past films were all that I found to be "wrong," with Juno, I wouldn't be devaluing it so much. No, I think the major thing that prevented me from enjoying it as much as so many others have so far is that though the film had it's hilarious moments, it was much more dramatic than it was humorous. I'm not against the "bait-and switch," advertising that is running for "Juno," presenting it as a "screwball comedy" because, as I just said, it does have it's moments of comedic gold. But it's worth mentioning that the movie is a "dramedy," in the utmost sense of the word, with the drama coming first, not chronologically of course, but being the key ingredient in the film. The most astute critics have been those that have compared it to "Knocked Up," and not just because both movies deal with the effect an unexpected pregnancy has on people. Rather, it's because both movies have essentially the same plot, and more frustratingly, the same ending. "Juno," complicates and alters the plot, of course, her being a suburban teenager uncomfortably close to the age of consent- and these complications are very welcome, as it brings about the necessity of Jason Bateman's and Jennifer Garner's characters. But seriously, go see the movie- and tell me it's not the same dynamic between Michael Cera and Ellen Page as it was between Seth Rogen and Katherine Heigel. Except not as funny or entertaining.
Jason Reitman's directing is just kind of blah to me in this movie. I really liked "Thank You for Smoking," because it was so politically incorrect and edgy. "Juno" flirts with edginess, but if you think she's going to be anything like Aaron Eckhart's slick cigarette-spokesperson, you are in for some serious disappointment. She's clever alright, almost too-clever sometimes, and I suppose that's part of her appeal, but I felt the urge to tell her to shut-her-trap sometimes, and that's never a good thing.
I must say that I wasn't entirely disappointed with "Juno." It still was a good movie in it's own right, and will probably win some awards here and there. Diablo Cody's screenplay should probably get a nod for being the best, but I can't really support that because it is so close to that of "Knocked Up," despite some inventive altercations. It was Michael Cera that really saved the movie for me though. His character, whom I expected was going to be totally unsympathetic and callous, is actually really hilarious and identifiable. His subtlety commands every scene he's in. I hope his career continues to be full of such wonderfully drawn roles.
In Sum: Fine, worth seeing, but not as good as you're expecting. "Thank You For Smoking," is much more enjoyable.
2 comments:
Excepting the nonstop wit, Juno is wholly believable. Real life offers countless people capable of avoiding emotional explosion in dealing with conflict. We call them well adjusted people. They are much harder to present convincingly and/or entertainingly in film or literature than conflict-prone, on-edge, sociopathic, promiscuous, backstabbing leads. As a movie that presents realistically the subtle entertainment, joy, love, stability of everyday life, even in the context of a disaster like teen-pregnancy, Juno is an absolute triumph. This movie does what it does about as well as No Country For Old Men does what it does, but the latter is a far more important film, and leads the race for 2007's best film. There Will Be Blood is the next challenger.
You're absolutely right about it being more difficult to create fictional characters and situations that are realistic than ones that are wildly exaggerated and over-the-top. I shouldn't fault "Juno," for doing the former so well. If anything, that was the film's essence and saving grace. But you're also right about the nonstop wit...that kind of blew some of the element of reality for me, although definitely not to the extent that "Nip/Tuck," does with its batshit plot developments. I guess that my main issue with the film was more in the fact that it veered so often into the dramatic. I just thought there was so much potential for comedy that was squandered to tug at the heartstrings. Although now that I think of it, "Juno," reminds me quite a bit of something Salinger might have written. And that makes me like it more.
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