Juno
Another comedy about an unwanted pregnancy hits the big screen this week. But where the former (Knocked Up) was raunchy, Juno is a movie with a heart, laughs galore and a main actress that steals all the scenes she is in. And therewith the entire movie.
Whenever Hollywood is announcing the contenders for last year's Best Picture, one is tempted to contemplate what actually makes a 'Best Picture'. Sometimes it seems to be an award for over-indulgent 'epic-ness' (Titanic), sometimes an award for more than one movie at once (e.g. Return of the King), and sometimes it is awarded just because everybody loves the director who's never won an Oscar (e.g. last year's The Departed).
This year's shortlist features - next to the obligatory British costume drama (Atonement) - a comedy about teenage pregnancy. Juno.
The story is reasonably straightforward: The title character, mid-western American teenager Juno MacGuff (Ellen Page), has unprotected intercourse with her geeky boyfriend and gets pregnant.
After a visit to a clinic for a 'hasty abortion' she decides to carry the baby and give it up for adoption. From the classifieds in the PennySaver she chooses a child-seeking couple (Jennifer Garner & Jason Bateman), who on the surface seem to have it all (apart from offspring). The movie follows Juno through her pregnancy, dealing with the environment at high school, her parents, and the selected parents-to-be, then finally to giving birth and returning to normal.
As can be guessed from the plot summary, this movie does not employ convoluted storytelling. While the way from conception to adoption is far from smooth, the movie mainly builds the characters and makes the audience love them (well, all bar one maybe).
Ellen Page as the main character - nominated herself for a Best Actress Oscar - is perfect as the quick-witted, slightly quirky teenager who has to go through becoming an outcast at school to find what really matters to her. Her nerdy boyfriend, usually wearing unflattering running gear, provides the right amount of dorkiness to his likeable character. And Juno's parents (including Alison Janney from The West Wing) are the lucky ones with some of the best lines of the poignant script.
In the world of the rich and childless, Jennifer Garner surprises in the role of a superficial, would-be mother who depends on a teenager to get what she cannot have. But by the end of movie, her seemingly shallow character hardly leaves anyone untouched.
With a great, off-beat indie soundtrack, an amazing lead actress and a well-written script (apparently written by a former stripper), it is miles away from the likes of Titanic - and probably cost the same as five minutes of the latter.
But if being a Best Picture is measured by a hilariously funny film with genuine emotion and a heart in all the right places, then the Oscar odds are on Juno.
This year's shortlist features - next to the obligatory British costume drama (Atonement) - a comedy about teenage pregnancy. Juno.
The story is reasonably straightforward: The title character, mid-western American teenager Juno MacGuff (Ellen Page), has unprotected intercourse with her geeky boyfriend and gets pregnant.
After a visit to a clinic for a 'hasty abortion' she decides to carry the baby and give it up for adoption. From the classifieds in the PennySaver she chooses a child-seeking couple (Jennifer Garner & Jason Bateman), who on the surface seem to have it all (apart from offspring). The movie follows Juno through her pregnancy, dealing with the environment at high school, her parents, and the selected parents-to-be, then finally to giving birth and returning to normal.
As can be guessed from the plot summary, this movie does not employ convoluted storytelling. While the way from conception to adoption is far from smooth, the movie mainly builds the characters and makes the audience love them (well, all bar one maybe).
Ellen Page as the main character - nominated herself for a Best Actress Oscar - is perfect as the quick-witted, slightly quirky teenager who has to go through becoming an outcast at school to find what really matters to her. Her nerdy boyfriend, usually wearing unflattering running gear, provides the right amount of dorkiness to his likeable character. And Juno's parents (including Alison Janney from The West Wing) are the lucky ones with some of the best lines of the poignant script.
In the world of the rich and childless, Jennifer Garner surprises in the role of a superficial, would-be mother who depends on a teenager to get what she cannot have. But by the end of movie, her seemingly shallow character hardly leaves anyone untouched.
With a great, off-beat indie soundtrack, an amazing lead actress and a well-written script (apparently written by a former stripper), it is miles away from the likes of Titanic - and probably cost the same as five minutes of the latter.
But if being a Best Picture is measured by a hilariously funny film with genuine emotion and a heart in all the right places, then the Oscar odds are on Juno.
Here Is The Writer : Billy No Box
Billy No Box has worked in the city for six years, and currently works in Derivatives for a North American bank. He enjoys playing golf, reading books by Umberto Eco, singing "Copacabana" in the shower and at karaoke bars, and occasionally updating his blog about London and everything else.
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