Movie Review: 'Juno'

By Blair Buckler
Guest Columnist

The story of Juno MacGuff (Ellen Page) follows a “confidently frank” 16-year-old girl on an emotional nine-month adventure into adulthood. Juno is a quick-witted and distinctively unique individual who walks to her own tune and lives by her own rules.

Her life takes a major turn when she decides to have intercourse with her unassuming friend Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera). Soon after, she decides to take three pregnancy tests to confirm her suspicions that she is in fact pregnant with Bleeker’s baby.

Juno initially considers abortion, but after a visit to the abortion center she has a change of heart and decides to make an adoption plan. She and her best friend, Leah (Olivia Thirlby), set out to find the perfect adoptive parents and discover a couple, Mark & Vanessa, who are seeking to adopt a child.

Juno informs her father and stepmother of the news. Although they are initially wary of her pregnancy, they rally the support behind their daughter. Juno and her father go to meet the couple they found in the Pennysaver ad at their upscale suburban house. Juno immediately strikes up a friendship with the potential adoptive father, Mark, an out-of-work composer who, like Juno, loves rock music and horror films.

Vanessa, the potential adoptive mom, on the other hand, is very wary of Juno at first because a previous birthmom “got cold feet.” As her body is physically changing, Juno goes through a mental change as she struggles with her true feelings for Bleeker, who is clearly in love with her.

As Juno approaches her due date, there is an interesting and unexpected plot twist involving the potential adoptive parents. This causes Juno to reflect on her feelings for Bleeker and the decision she is about to make. I don’t want to spoil the ending so you will just have to see the movie to find out what happens.

Overall, I feel like this movie portrays adoption in a very honest and positive light. Some of the storyline is a bit obscure but I understand it helps to movie tell a story and flow better. Juno opts for a “closed” adoption but still meets the adoptive parents. The only real way it is closed is her choosing not to see her baby after the birth.

As most of us know, closed adoptions do not usually occur this way. The only other part I felt was kind of “off” was the relationship she builds with Mark, the potential adoptive father. She pays him frequent visits, which does not seem very realistic to me.

What is genuine is the array of emotions Juno goes through along her pregnancy journey. Being that she is in high school, she continues to attend even though she is stared at and surely talked about by fellow classmates. She also struggles with her relationship with the birthfather who she initially pushes away before she can decide if she is truly in love with him or not. She also experiences very genuine and real grief at the loss and relinquishment of her baby, which I found very relatable.

This was an incredibly well done movie about adoption. I am always wary of the way adoptions are portrayed by the media, but this movie was something I could honestly relate to. It was witty, smart, and has a heartwarming lesson and storyline.

Regardless of your adoption story, I feel it is something that birthparents can relate to on many different levels and in many different ways. Juno is out on DVD April 15 and has won numerous awards including an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.

Juno: Rated PG-13
92 minutes

This article was originally published in BirthMom Buds Bulletin, April 2008
Reprinted with permission from the author

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Comments

[petunia]

I saw this at the movies with my friend. I am an adoptee and an adopted mom and she is a bithmom. We had all three prospectives watching this and we liked different parts and hated different parts of the movie. It was very emotional for my friend because she ignored her pregnancy most of the time but knew she wanted a better life for the baby that she could not provide.... so many similarities. I wanted to hate the movie but I couldn't. She is quirky , and like you said, it makes for good film with some interest in the character. But it was very emotional for me when she finally cried....she had been trying so hard to maintain an "it doesn't bother me" attitude (which was her life even outside of pregnancy). She finally cracked and realized what was happening. That, somehow was important to me. I liked the end, it was all about love and not that they had to be perfect.

[soozeequeue]

This was the movie playing on the airplane when I just returned from Cuba with my two (adopted, with open adoptions) sons, 7 and 11. The 7 year old wasn't interested but the 11 year old wanted to see it, and I wasn't sure he was old enough. So we compromised, and I retained the right to yank out his earphones if I didn't think the subject matter was appropriate!

So, I squirmed a little through the abortion section, because that's a discussion we haven't had yet, and on a couple of occasions there were conversations and episodes that took place that I felt merited the yanking of the earphones. But by and large I was glad we watched this "together", I thought the adoption parts were handled both realistically and tastefully, and some good conversation was generated. Although my son was quick to point out the movie didn't cover anything he didn't already know...

Aside from appreciating how realistic a treatment of teen pregnancy the movie portrayed, I thought overall this was a terrific movie, sensitive and sad and funny. And Ellen Page is poised to become a great Canadian talent - I'm so proud of her!!

The ending when Juno cried - I agree, I wanted her to do that, I wanted my son to see how hard a sacrifice that was for her, and how much both adoptive and birth moms love, love, love their kids.

[patrick]

i assumed Juno was directed by the same guy that directed Knocked Up, because it's about unexpected pregnancy and Michael Cera stars as Juno's boyfriend (he was in Superbad, a close relative of Knocked Up).