message in the movies By Rev. Bruce Batchelor Glader

            
Juno  Rated PG-13
Directed by Jason Reitman.
Starring Ellen Page, Michael Cera.

Photos © Fox Searchlight
Who would have thought that dealing with pregnancy outside of marriage would be such a productive source for comedy material?  Earlier in 2007 we had Knocked Up, in which a one-night stand ended with conception.  In Juno, the 16-year old title character (Page) initiates sex with her innocent and somewhat-clueless boyfriend (Cera).  Juno MacGuff is self-reliant enough to purchase the self-test pregnancy kit and inform her boyfriend, father and stepmother with the news.  She also considers (only briefly) the option of abortion before deciding to find a childless couple who will give her child a good home. This hardly seems to be the stuff of high comedy, but the clever script by Diablo Cody surrounds our heroine with a number of compassionate, good-hearted characters (as well as one conflicted and potentially dangerous relationship, to keep things real).  Juno is smart, hip and clever, but still a child; the film subtly reveals the ways in which her over-active intelligence tries to circumvent the emotional turmoil inside.  It’s not a perfect film.  There are a couple of discussions about punk rock and B movies that are specific and also misinformed, which I think are meant to show Juno’s innocence in an ironic fashion;  they just don’t work.  And the original childlike songs on the soundtrack by Kimya Dawson may be the most irritating of recent years.  But Reitman’s direction is assured and all the performances are top-notch, especially Ellen Page’s star turn as Juno.  It’s not really a teen comedy, but a comedy about youth for middle-aged adults, which explains the remarkably high acclaim it has received from baby boomer film critics.  Still, it is refreshing to find an inherently moral film about the messiness of relationships and the consequences of sexual activity. Juno’s PG-13 rating allows the film to be a potential discussion starter between parents and youth, but see the film first before you pack the youth group into the minivan.

Pitchfork Rating: Four halos.  (A hip comedy about dealing with the consequences of pregnancy, as well as the importance of responsibility.)  Two Pitchforks. (A casual attitude about premarital sex, some creatively crude language, occasional swearing.)

 

                       
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