In a sentencePregnancy is complicated enough without having to be the funniest person in every conversation
Juno MacGuff (Elliot Page) is a teenager whose pregnancy brings questions about growing up into her daily life. She has plenty to say, but her quick replies do not settle what she wants from the people around her. Michael Cera plays Paulie Bleeker, with Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman as Vanessa and Mark Loring, and J.K. Simmons and Allison Janney as Mac and Bren MacGuff. As Juno navigates pregnancy and her relationships, the film follows how she judges other people, how they judge her, and how much any of them understands about being an adult.
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Elliot Page makes Juno funny and unexpectedly affecting, even when Diablo Cody’s dialogue seems determined to prove its cleverness. Jason Reitman gives the actors enough room to make the pregnancy comedy feel personal.
At first, Juno seems prepared to make cleverness compulsory. Diablo Cody gives its pregnant teenage heroine a ready supply of quips, and Jason Reitman makes sure we hear them. We recommend it warmly, despite some dialogue that sounds too pleased with itself, because Elliot Page lets us see how much of Juno’s confidence is put on. The film understands the awkward business of sounding grown-up before knowing quite what growing up involves.
Page plays Juno MacGuff as someone who likes being difficult to impress, and who can use a joke to keep another person at a safe distance. That makes the performance funny, but it also gives the quieter moments something to work against. We were moved when Page let the uncertainty show beneath the quick replies; suddenly we were conscious of how young Juno was. The change works because Page does not ask for our sympathy every time the confidence falters.
Michael Cera’s Paulie Bleeker gives Page a useful contrast: his hesitation makes Juno’s verbal confidence feel less like the only possible way to be young. Jennifer Garner, as Vanessa Loring, brings a seriousness that the comedy needs. Jason Bateman’s Mark Loring has an easier manner, and the difference between the two performances is worth watching. J.K. Simmons and Allison Janney, as Mac and Bren MacGuff, help keep the surrounding adults from becoming a collection of obstacles. Reitman gives these supporting performances weight without losing sight of Juno.
Cody’s weakness is her reluctance to let an ordinary sentence pass unadorned. Some exchanges sound written to be repeated afterwards, and there are moments when we become more aware of the writer enjoying a phrase than of the person speaking it. This is especially noticeable early on, before we have much reason to care about the people delivering the lines. These are irritations rather than reasons to give up on the characters, though the opening tests our patience.
Eric Steelberg’s cinematography keeps our attention on the actors, which is where this film earns it. Steve Saklad’s production design is similarly attentive to personality; the surroundings feel chosen for these people, rather than borrowed from a generic teenage comedy. Dana E. Glauberman’s editing keeps the brisk exchanges moving, then allows the more hesitant reactions to count. Mateo Messina’s music fits the film’s warmth without making the vulnerable moments feel like a demand for tears.
Where Reitman succeeds is in taking the feelings seriously without treating Juno as someone who needs to be punished. We tend to expect a teenage comedy to put all the foolishness on one side of the age divide. Cody notices how people use wit to gain an advantage in a conversation, and how quickly that advantage can disappear. The relationships become more absorbing because the film lets us change our minds about people instead of telling us whom to approve of.
For all our irritation with the more laboured lines, we liked spending time with these people. The warmth comes from allowing them to be awkward, funny and occasionally wrong, with Page keeping Juno recognisably young through it all. Give it time to get past its eagerness to impress.
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.
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.
Read the full review →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.
Read the full review →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.
Read the full review →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.
Read the full review →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.
Read the full review →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.
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