Upon reading Peter Rainer’s critique of Juno directed by Jason Reitman, I became a little angered. Although Mr. Rainer (who writes for the Christian Science Monitor) accounted for the valueless quality of Ellen Page’s (Juno) acting in the film, he thought it didn’t score very high on the “greatness scale.”
I do not agree with Mr. Rainer what-so-ever, I thought the film Juno was remarkable. Not only did it provide great laughs, but it also embodied Juno’s sense of struggle which lead to tears toward the closing of the film. Ellen Page was absolutely amazing; her quick, sarcastic humor carried the show. Mr. Rainer argues that, “as talented as she is, Cody relies too heavily on Juno’s wisecracking.” I never felt that the Juno’s jokes were overpowering the film in anyway – if anything it allowed the viewer to look through an optimistic lens during the long teen pregnancy.
Ellen Page is not the only strong actor in the cast - Michael Cera who plays Paulie Bleeker (Juno’s best friend and the father of her baby) is exceptionally excellent. Bleeker is a scrawny, nerdy, track runner who sticks beside Juno the entire way, hoping eventually she will feel the love he feels for her. Along with Michael Cera, Juno’s father (J.K. Simmons) and stepmother (Allison Janney) provide many fits of laughter throughout the film. When Juno informs her family that she will be having a baby their response is far from predictable, “I was hoping she was expelled or into hard drugs – anything but this.” Rainer feels that the parents are too understanding, giving the movie a lack of reality:
Again, I disagree. Any person who is visibly pregnant in high school will experience humiliation – and during the film it is extremely apparent that Juno is made fun on multiple occasions for eating too much food, not being able to go to prom etc. Although I do agree that her parents’ reaction to the news is somewhat underestimated, they are kind parents who choose to support their child throughout the entire pregnancy, giving her the advice life’s goal is to find someone who loves you for who you are – nothing more.
“’Juno’ the second feature directed by Jason Reitman, is far from great but it has qualities of feeling that lift it far above the ordinary. The screenplay by 29-year-old Diablo Cody, is her first to be produce, and it has the tang of a lived in experience.”
I do not agree with Mr. Rainer what-so-ever, I thought the film Juno was remarkable. Not only did it provide great laughs, but it also embodied Juno’s sense of struggle which lead to tears toward the closing of the film. Ellen Page was absolutely amazing; her quick, sarcastic humor carried the show. Mr. Rainer argues that, “as talented as she is, Cody relies too heavily on Juno’s wisecracking.” I never felt that the Juno’s jokes were overpowering the film in anyway – if anything it allowed the viewer to look through an optimistic lens during the long teen pregnancy.
Ellen Page is not the only strong actor in the cast - Michael Cera who plays Paulie Bleeker (Juno’s best friend and the father of her baby) is exceptionally excellent. Bleeker is a scrawny, nerdy, track runner who sticks beside Juno the entire way, hoping eventually she will feel the love he feels for her. Along with Michael Cera, Juno’s father (J.K. Simmons) and stepmother (Allison Janney) provide many fits of laughter throughout the film. When Juno informs her family that she will be having a baby their response is far from predictable, “I was hoping she was expelled or into hard drugs – anything but this.” Rainer feels that the parents are too understanding, giving the movie a lack of reality:
“Another flaw is that the entire enterprise is engineered a bit too transparently to be heart warming. There is nothing terribly painful or humiliating about Juno’s high school experience as a visibly pregnant teenager; her parents are unwaveringly sympathetic; Paulie is OK with whatever Juno wants to do about the baby, and so on. It all culminates in a moral lesson from Dad: ‘In my opinion, the best thing you can do is to fine a person who loves you for exactly what you are.’”
Again, I disagree. Any person who is visibly pregnant in high school will experience humiliation – and during the film it is extremely apparent that Juno is made fun on multiple occasions for eating too much food, not being able to go to prom etc. Although I do agree that her parents’ reaction to the news is somewhat underestimated, they are kind parents who choose to support their child throughout the entire pregnancy, giving her the advice life’s goal is to find someone who loves you for who you are – nothing more.
1 comment:
Carah,
Very nice job. I liked your take on Juno's parents and the humiliation aspect of Juno's pregnancy. It sounds like overall you agree with the critic -- he gave it an A- and it seems like you'd give it an A.
Post a Comment