Juno (2007)

What's all this then? A RE-view? Sign me up!

To tell the truth, I didn't think I'd ever watch this movie again, at least not for years, not in the least because I wasn't sure I had anything left to say about it. Sars gave me to the hook up re: the problem with Mark and Vanessa in the midst of talking about another movie, and Dana Stevens smartly took apart how we can love and hate the movie at once (hint: it has to do with surviving the 20 minute mark). Enough ink was spilled, but, then again, I think we can all agree that we'd watch just about anything on the plane, right? That's how I came to watch Shakespeare in Love again and The Legend of Bagger Vance . . . twice. It was just as boring the second time.

I was struck by just how underwritten Juno is the second time around. I like Cody and I like Page, and I think that together they have created a character that will rightfully go down in movie history. Let there be no doubt: I like Juno. I do wonder how long Page is going to play things with that monotone before we suspect she's a one trick pony, and I also wonder why Juno gets away with absolutely everything. The script is so proud of its protagonist that it seems fundamentally unwilling to find fault with her. Brenda gets the brunt of her bratty behaviour, although it's unclear why, given that she treats/refers to Juno as her own and has been part of her life for longer than her actually mother with whom Juno has no relationship. Basically, I think Allison Janney, J.K. Simmons, and Philip Seymour Hoffman should get together and form a club devoted to how kick ass they all are.

And why does Brenda have dogs at the end? I get that its supposed to be representative of a change in Juno, but unless that change involves no longer having an allergy, it's a nonsense symbol. Was the allergy never that severe to begin with? Is Juno on allergy meds now? I know it seems like a silly sticking point, but JVO makes a big deal about Brenda being obsessed with dogs, and, in their big fight, it's brought up.

Okay, Sars talked about it, but I feel like we've got to address the Mark and Vanessa problem. It's unclear how or why they got together in the first place or why they stay together. Where/when did Mark even meet Vanessa? Touring in Japan? After he sold out and started writing jingles? After Juno, the adoptive parents are the most important characters in the film, yet very little is invested into making them into real characters much less real people. There's no reason to make it so clear that Mark doesn't want a child. If it weren't so obvious from the word go, it would make for a better climax.

I skipped over Olivia Thirlby in my initial review, which was silly of me. As Leah, Juno's female best friend, Thirlby is the unsung hero of this entire production. Sure, she and Rainn Wilson are in serious competition for having to utter the film's most absurd line*, but she's supportive of Juno from start to finish (offering to make the call to Women Now for her, being there during the delivery) for no reason other than their friendship. She even plops herself down in the movie's most absurd set piece.** Thirlby is a brave, funny soul, and I wish I could see a movie with her and Janney together as mother and daughter.

I realize all this bashing sounds bad, but it comes from a good place. I can see all these things and still mostly like the movie, but I recognize that if Cody had only filled everything out just a little more, I could drop all the kinda/maybe/sortas and just out and out like it. Too bad. B

*I will not repeat these lines. Maybe they will go away and die from lack of repetition.

**It moves quickly beyond ironic to eye-rollingly ridiculous for Juno to sit in a display case while complaining that people are staring at her. Why is that display case even open? It's the kind of thing that sounds clever but should have been nixed before the film started rolling. Eating in the cafeteria is stressful enough.