Call this one of my "late to the party" film reviews, but I finally got a chance to see Juno tonight, and it was worth the wait.
I'm a bit tired and therefore less coherent, so I'll hit a few salient points:
1. The acting was wonderful. I wish Michael Cera was at least nominated for Best Supporting Actor - his Paulie was such a sympathetic character that I couldn't help rooting for him and cheering inside when Juno confessed her love for him. And Ellen Page! She deserved every bit of her Oscar nomination. I honestly think she's poised to become quite the great actress if she plays her career right.
2. The script was mostly solid. I agree with several reviewers who were almost fed up in the first fifteen minutes by the almost-too-clever-rapid-fire dialogue, but at least it was fairly intelligent. Honestly, the sarcasm gave way to the right balance of humor and a contemplative look at the protagonist's situation.
3. Finally, I felt like Juno maintained just the right level of sweetness; not to saccharine to the point of gagging on plastic emotionality, but not so casual about its subject matter to miss the gravity.
I came in to this movie a little skeptical. The last time a Fox Searchlight film was lauded this widely (in my memory, at least) was Little Miss Sunshine, and I didn't digest that one so welld. This, though, for the reasons listed above, ended up as Five of Five. I think this is my likely my next DVD purchase.
I'm a bit tired and therefore less coherent, so I'll hit a few salient points:
1. The acting was wonderful. I wish Michael Cera was at least nominated for Best Supporting Actor - his Paulie was such a sympathetic character that I couldn't help rooting for him and cheering inside when Juno confessed her love for him. And Ellen Page! She deserved every bit of her Oscar nomination. I honestly think she's poised to become quite the great actress if she plays her career right.
2. The script was mostly solid. I agree with several reviewers who were almost fed up in the first fifteen minutes by the almost-too-clever-rapid-fire dialogue, but at least it was fairly intelligent. Honestly, the sarcasm gave way to the right balance of humor and a contemplative look at the protagonist's situation.
3. Finally, I felt like Juno maintained just the right level of sweetness; not to saccharine to the point of gagging on plastic emotionality, but not so casual about its subject matter to miss the gravity.
I came in to this movie a little skeptical. The last time a Fox Searchlight film was lauded this widely (in my memory, at least) was Little Miss Sunshine, and I didn't digest that one so welld. This, though, for the reasons listed above, ended up as Five of Five. I think this is my likely my next DVD purchase.