My first impressions of Juno having seen the trailer were to expect a fairly dull, mindless comedy and unfortunately 2 out of the 3 predictions were proved right. Juno is fairly dull, and although the unwanted pregnancy of the 16 year old protagonist was handled with a little more care than I anticipated, on the whole Juno’s reasoning over the baby was kept to a minimum. As for comedy, there simply was none.
The story revolves around Juno, in her last year of high school she finds herself pregnant and unable to take care of a baby herself, begins looking for adoptive parents before she tells her parents her plans, hoping the fact that the baby isn’t staying will ‘soften the blow’. The film divides itself into the seasons of her pregnancy, giving off a very rigid structure to the film and the impression that we can predict how the film pans out - pregnancy, meet the prospective adopters, birth of baby, Juno’s change of mind. However, in contrast to the structure, the content of the film is a little more layered and inquisitive. One example being the frequent visits of Juno to the adoptive father, initially hinting at an affair.
The film ends on a ‘nice’ note, leaving you unable to really dislike the film, yet not quite able to really like it either. There are however many annoying elements to the film that may make you begin to dislike the film as you ponder it afterwards. Juno’s character, although seemingly thoughtful at times is more scatty and irresponsible in nature. The filmmakers’ portrayal of an average 16 year old being pregnant seems so far from the truth of reality. She seems too childish for a 16 year old of today, her chavvy dialogue mis-representing the majority of the teenage population. Of course, it could be said that the situation of Juno may bring out her more childish nature with her growing insecurities. Yet I couldn’t quite believe Juno for the amount of contradictions in her portrayal, from her seemingly ‘too’ grown up relationship with her boyfriend to her ridiculous friendship with her teacher loving best mate. The film scores pitifully with 2/5.
