Juno (2007)

Faced with an unplanned pregnancy, an offbeat young woman makes an unusual decision regarding her unborn child.

Director:

Jason Reitman

Writer:

Diablo Cody

Stars:

Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner

Won 1 Oscar. Another 89 wins & 95 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ellen Page	...	Juno MacGuff
Michael Cera	...	Paulie Bleeker
Jennifer Garner	...	Vanessa Loring
Jason Bateman	...	Mark Loring
Allison Janney	...	Bren MacGuff
J.K. Simmons	...	Mac MacGuff
Olivia Thirlby	...	Leah
Eileen Pedde	...	Gerta Rauss
Rainn Wilson	...	Rollo
Daniel Clark	...	Steve Rendazo
Darla Fay	...	Bleeker's Mom (as Darla Vandenbossche)
Aman Johal	...	Vijay
Valerie Tian	...	Su-Chin
Emily Perkins	...	Punk Receptionist
Kaaren de Zilva	...	Ultrasound Technician (as Kaaren De Zilva)

Storyline

A tale told over four seasons, starting in autumn when Juno, a 16-year-old high-school junior in Minnesota, discovers she's pregnant after one event in a chair with her best friend, Bleeker. In the waiting room of an abortion clinic, the quirky and whip-sharp Juno decides to give birth and to place the child with an adoptive couple. She finds one in the PennySaver personals, contacts them, tells her dad and step-mother, and carries on with school. The chosen parents, upscale yuppies (one of whom is cool and laid back, the other meticulous and uptight), meet Juno, sign papers, and the year unfolds. Will Juno's plan work, can she improvise, and what about Bleeker?

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Plot Keywords:

pregnancy | adoption | f rated | strong female character | teenage mother | 

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Taglines:

A comedy about growing up... and the bumps along the way.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material, sexual content and language

Details

Official Sites:

Fox Searchlight [United States] Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 December 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

Junebug

Filming Locations:

British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$7,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$413,869, 9 December 2007, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$143,495,265

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$231,411,584

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fox Searchlight Pictures,Mandate Pictures,Mr. Mudd

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Jason Reitman had intended to make the scene in which Juno loads up her tray in the school lunch line as tribute to a scene in Animal House (1978), which was produced by his father Ivan Reitman. But he decided against it because this would have changed the tone of the scene.

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Goofs

When Bleeker is talking to Juno in the hallway at school while holding a box of donut holes, the box changes positions in his hands every time the angle changes. In his DVD commentary, director Jason Reitman explains that this was an intentional cheat (one that irked his script supervisor!) to keep the donut holes visible through the box in both camera angles.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Juno MacGuff: It started with a chair.

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Connections

Referenced in Private Practice: Another Second Chance (2010)

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Soundtracks

Piazza, New York Catcher
(2003)
Written by Sarah Martin, Stuart Murdoch, Richard Colburn, Mick Cooke (as Michael Cooke), Christopher Geddes, Stevie Jackson (as Stephen Jackson), and Bob Kildea
Performed by Belle & Sebastian
Courtesy of Rough Trade Records Ltd.

User Reviews

from the art house to the megaplex

The thing that separates "Juno" from so many other films about teen pregnancy is that, in this case, the 16-year-old who finds herself in that predicament refuses to become a victim of her circumstances. From the moment she confirms the unwelcome news, Juno studies her options - abortion, raising the child as a single teen parent, adoption - then takes matters into her own hands. Like the Roman goddess who is her namesake, Juno is a bright, often sharp-tongued individual who prides herself on her observant cynicism and her way with a sarcastic quip. However, she's not above appealing to the adults in her life when the problems of the world get to be too much for her (though, in some cases, the grownups are coping with more serious issues than she is). Yet, Juno makes certain that it is she and she alone who will have the final say when it comes to determining the course of her own future and that of her child.

"Juno" is that rare low-budget, independent feature that finds unexpected success in the mainstream by striking a chord of recognition in audiences across the demographic spectrum. First-time screenwriter Diablo Cody hits pay dirt with a clear-eyed, largely unsentimental script that is not afraid to go off in unexpected and interesting directions and that avoids patronizing its Middle American characters. Juno's father and stepmother manage to take the news in stride, while the yuppie couple Juno alights on to be the child's adoptive parents are given a depth and complexity far beyond what a lesser writer might have afforded them. Director Jason Reitman keeps the quirkiness to a minimum and allows the scenes to play out in a naturalistic, unhurried way. Confident in the strength and appeal of his material, he lets the gentle human comedy speak for itself.

In a star-making turn, young Ellen Page takes a daring approach to her character, often bringing Juno right to the brink of un-likability, then pulling back at just the crucial moment, making us see how utterly likable she truly is. As the child's father, Michael Cera is virtually the same lovably passive nerd we found so endearing in "Superbad," while J.K. Simmons and especially Allison Janney give rich shadings to Juno's supportive parents. Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner also make their mark as the couple who post their picture in the "baby wanted" section of the local throwaway.

"Juno" faces the downside of any independent film that unexpectedly finds itself ripped from the confines of the art houses and suddenly duking it out at the multiplexes with all those high-budget, high-octane, testosterone-laden blockbusters - namely the risk of over-inflated expectations. Thus, my advice is to look beyond all the hype and box office records and simply let "Juno" sneak up on and take a hold of you in its own quiet, inimitable fashion. I think it works best that way.