Assignment 17- Katie Taylor

 1/10/21

Juno (2007)

dir. Jason Reitman

 starring Elliot Page, Michael Cera, and Jennifer Garner

 review by Katie Taylor

   

    As I sit in my room, 10 months into quarantine and over halfway done with my junior year of high school, I can't help but live vicariously through Juno, the titular character. In this beautiful, quirky coming of age film, Juno manages to capture the struggles of both pregnancy and navigating "love" and what it means to be in love. On top of all that, Juno is trapped in high school. Elliot Page brings Juno to life wonderfully, creating a cynical yet caring young girl. Michael Cera plays the love interest "Bleeker", who is both dorky yet genuine. Cera creates such a comforting character- I wish we could all have a Bleeker in our lives. Juno finds a wonderful mother for her unborn child in Jennifer Garner's character, Vanessa.

    Juno is like a warm hug. It shows both the audience and Juno what love really is, as messy as it may be. Through the unrelenting support from Juno's father and stepmother, the goofy affection from Bleeker, and Vanessa's love for the unborn child, there is somewhat of a tight-knit community surrounding Juno during her pregnancy. It shows that even in the face of adversity, there are people that will love you regardless.

    As if this movie couldn't get any better, Juno is tied together with a beautiful soundtrack, including artists such as The Moldy Peaches, Kimya Dawson, Cat Power, and The Velvet Underground. This lighthearted indie folk soundtrack creates the perfect lighthearted atmosphere for Juno's shift from teenage years to adulthood. 

    And of course, the "cool indie music guy" turned out to be the worst character (as it usually is in real life as well).

In conclusion, I cried.