Most critics respond warmly to Juno, with praise centred on Diablo Cody’s sharp dialogue and Page’s lead performance, which balances the teenager’s composure with vulnerability. The reviews repeatedly find emotional depth beneath the quips, crediting the cast with making the relationships persuasive and the handling of teen pregnancy funny without becoming cruel or preachy. For many, the film’s strength is how readily its characters become more affecting as their circumstances grow complicated.
The reservations cluster around the same qualities others enjoy: the elaborate dialogue, calculated quirkiness and occasional preciousness. The spread is wide but largely positive, with even sceptical reviews praising Page. Time Out finds the treatment of social issues contrived and self-conscious, while Digital Spy sees the quirks and contrivances as substantial weaknesses despite the lead performance. More favourable reviews acknowledge those affectations but find enough sincerity and tenderness to forgive them.
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Slant Magazine
2 December 2007 · ★★★½/4
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The review calls the film a welcome alternative to typical teen comedies, praising its earned poignancy, subversion of expectations around family and adulthood, and Page's spiky yet heartfelt performance.
The critic praises the film's irresistible charm, wit, and smart dialogue, highlighting Ellen Page's lovely performance as the hyper-articulate teen protagonist. The review singles out the script's shrewd treatment of status and power dynamics for particular praise.
The review celebrates Diablo Cody’s distinctive, hyper-quotable voice and Ellen Page’s standout, career-making performance as the whip-smart teen, noting the film’s emotional texture and heartfelt core beneath its cynical surface.
The review finds the film an appealing mix of irreverence and genuine emotion, crediting the script's colorful dialogue and strong performances for its appeal despite occasional preciousness.
The critic notes the film's calculated quirkiness but praises its underlying sincerity, strong writing, and Page's nuanced lead performance that balances snark with vulnerability.
The critic finds the film a sharp-edged yet warm-hearted coming-of-age story that is smarter than it first appears, praising its perfectly judged structure, emotional depth beneath the quips, and strong performances that avoid cruelty.
Juno's quirky protagonist and sharp, memorable dialogue make it appealing to younger audiences, with strong ensemble work and direction that keeps the tone light and funny. The script's witty observations and Page's performance stand out as highlights.
The critic calls it a small, quirky teenage comedy that charmed the world and earned Oscar nominations, praising Ellen Page's perfect physical and emotional fit for the role. It singles out the film's serious, acutely observed study of relationships and the witty script for praise.
The review describes Juno as a modern nativity story with energetic comic elements from the start, noting the strong performances especially from Ellen Page and Jennifer Garner. It singles out the shift to moody fragility and the cast's excellence for praise, while critiquing its quirky affectations and sentimental ending.
The film attempts to inject wit into the teen coming-of-age comedy but feels contrived and self-conscious in its handling of social issues. Performances, especially from Ellen Page and supporting cast, provide some compensation despite conventional direction.
The movie is hilarious and sweet-tempered, perceptive and surprisingly grounded, deepening into something poignant and unexpected through its central relationships. It stands out for treating teen pregnancy without the usual humiliation or moralizing.
The film is very smart, very funny and very touching, beginning with the pacing of a screwball comedy and ending as a portrait of characters the audience comes to love. Ellen Page delivers an extraordinary performance as the title character.
9 September 2007 · festival review · Kirk Honeycutt
The critic praises the witty, original dialogue and complex characters that avoid sentimentality or preachiness. Ellen Page's lead performance is highlighted as a breakout.
The film avoids hand-wringing melodrama and instead offers a sardonic, funny take on teen pregnancy that evolves into surprising emotional depth. Ellen Page gives a poised, talented performance that helps the movie outgrow its mannerisms.
The critic praises the film's quirky yet believable characters, excellent cast especially Ellen Page, Diablo Cody's funny script, and Jason Reitman's direction that keeps the humanity intact. It calls it a refreshing, genuinely funny comedy that handles serious issues without being flippant.
The critic hails Juno as the best film of the Toronto festival and the year so far, praising its mass appeal, snappy dialogue, soundtrack, set design and Ellen Page’s versatile lead performance. Jason Reitman is noted as a director to watch.
The critic finds the initial indie affectations off-putting but quickly warms to the film, calling it a cracking little story driven by a spicy screenplay and strong performances. Diablo Cody’s script and the cast, led by Elliot Page, earn particular praise for their charm, intelligence and avoidance of clichés.
Praises the originality, deadpan eloquence, snarky-smart script by Diablo Cody, and Ellen Page's performance balancing composure and vulnerability. Notes it can feel self-consciously cutesy but Reitman's timing keeps it on track; compares favorably to other pregnancy comedies.
The review finds it underwhelming and failing to live up to hype due to self-conscious quirks and contrived elements, but singles out Ellen Page's marvellous, multi-dimensional performance as the main strength, along with some witty dialogue and non-intrusive direction.
The critic describes the film as snarky, quirky and sharp-tongued with a lovable heart that ultimately wins out over its occasional overwritten dialogue and preciousness. Ellen Page’s charming performance and the tender moments are singled out as highlights.
Ordered by the weight we give each publication, then by score. Scores are normalised to 100; * means inferred from an unrated review. Summaries are ours, not quotations; follow the links for the reviews themselves. How we rate
