'Juno' pregnant with smart and quick witted cast

By: Dave Goncalves

Posted: 1/11/08

Anybody watching Ellen Page's past roles can see a trend: she doesn't like picking very traditional ones. An example would be her portrayal in 2005's Hard Candy, in which she played 14-year old vigilante exposing pedophiles for who they truly are. Page was able to pound out a thrilling experience in Hard Candy, and with the same crafty mastery of acting she showed then, Page brings Juno MacGuff to life in Juno. Through the use of Page and many other talents, Diablo Cody's awkward writing is given the attitude and attention it needed under the direction of Jason Reitman.

After having an awkward sexual experience, in which alternate options were watching The Blair Witch Project, Juno MacGuff has become pregnant by her lanky friend Paulie Bleeker, portrayed by Michael Cera (of Superbad fame).

Following said pregnancy, Juno goes to try and get the "fetal intrusion" aborted, but falls upon discovery that her unborn child may already have fingernails. From here on, Juno is set on giving her unborn spawn to an adoptive family, Mark and Vanessa Loring, played by Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner, respectively.

With such a wonderful cast at its disposal, the film uses each individual talent as perfectly as possible. Opening with Juno walking toward a local convenience store while downing a gallon of Sunny Delight (sure to make any bladder burst), the wit of Diablo's writing comes out upon arrival. Casting Rain Wilson (we all know him as Dwight Schrute from The Office) as the store clerk, Juno is cast immediately into a battle of wits and comebacks against the bespectacled register god. That very battle sets the tone for the rest of the film, showing the relationship Juno has for figures of authority and the weirdness that follows her.

Following Juno's everyday discourse with parents, friends, and soon to be adoptive parents of her child, the film's structure relies heavily on the dialogue and interaction between its characters. While providing the standard idea of suburban life through the depiction of earth tone houses and awkward slightly yellow interior of the school, the way Juno sets up a portion of a living room on Paulie's lawn is definitely amongst the defining factors of the movie.

Bringing out J.K. Simmons as Mac MacGuff, Juno's father, and Allison Janney as Bren MacGuff, Juno's stepmother, the emphasis on wit continues. For those of you who remember, J.K. Simmon's has portrayed domineering, quick-witted, and stern men in Thank You for Smoking, the Spider-man trilogy, and even in episodes of Law & Order. He continues this trend providing the water to quell Juno's fiery nature when the two are together.

Outside of Juno's family, the adoptive family, and Paulie Bleeker, the remaining characters hold mundane and generic positions in their posts in life. For example, Juno's bubbly best friend fails to see the severity of any situation and at times shows very little intelligence, though as a result she manages to point out things that other characters fail to see themselves.

With the driving force of Juno being the quick-on-your-feet attitudes of the characters, the film provides a pretty good build on the relationships and awakenings of a teenage cast through an accidental pregnancy. Were it not for the cleverness of the cast, this film might have turned out as another Napoleon Dynamite knockoff. But thank goodness it didn't. Instead came out as wonderful piece of film for those who like quirky and witty flicks.