Juno wears its heart on its sleeve

Ellen Page, accompanied by a stellar cast, brings quirk and sincerity to eccentric, self-conscious and charming indie flick

Haligonian Ellen Page plays a pregnant 16-year-old with a sharp wit in Juno. Her co-star Michael Cera returns to screen as the champion of the awkard pause.
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Haligonian Ellen Page plays a pregnant 16-year-old with a sharp wit in Juno. Her co-star Michael Cera returns to screen as the champion of the awkard pause.

It’s fitting that the film Juno takes its title from the name of its 16-year-old main character Juno MacGuff (Ellen Page), as the two have much in common. Both initially present themselves with a hard veneer of irony and quirkiness before allowing the sweetness that’s hidden underneath to show.

As the film begins we’re introduced to Juno, who has just found out she’s pregnant by her best friend, played by Michael Cera with his trademark endearing awkwardness.

During the first few scenes, dialogue and visual style are a bit off-putting. The teenage characters speak in their own precocious slang—the cutesy invention of first-time screenwriter Diablo Cody. Everything from the decorations of Juno’s room—complete with a hamburger-shaped phone she uses to initially arrange an abortion—to the introduction of characters through a series of close-ups on their hands suggest that director Jason Reitman is following the pattern of the typical kooky indie film.

But when Juno tells her supportive parents (J.K. Simmons and Allison Janney) she has decided to have the baby and give it to a wealthy childless couple (Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman), the film begins to suggest more substance and sincerity—much like Juno herself.

The actors give standout performances and add depth to what could be one-dimensional characters: Garner, particularly, shines as an overbearing yuppie made likeable by her genuine and moving desire to be a mother.

But Page completely steals the show as Juno. The film’s development rests heavily on the believability of her increasing maturity and the softening of her prickly exterior, which Page conveys perfectly.

Juno appears wise beyond her years but constantly reminds us she’s a teenager prone to ill-conceived choices and childish denials, particularly when it comes to her relationship with the potential adoptive parents who aren’t as perfect as she initially thought.

The romantic subplot between Page and Cera creates a humorous but touching overlay for the pregnancy storyline, particularly when the big third-act kiss occurs when Juno is nearly nine months pregnant. It’s one of many sweet moments in the film that don’t feel as saccharine or forced as they could, thanks to moving performances and genuine dialogue.

Though Juno is littered with too-cute irreverence, typified by a soundtrack featuring twee-pop with a dash of indie and classic rock (an odd choice for a film in which two characters debate the ultimate greatness of Iggy and the Stooges versus Sonic Youth), the film succeeds when it begins to wear its heart on its sleeve.

The final half-hour is effecting while managing to avoid being emotionally cloying. It’s from Juno’s frank honesty, not the eccentric ornamentations of dialogue and style, that the film draws its strength.

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Juno is playing at Empire Theatres Capitol 7, 212-223 Princess St. at 7 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. and Cineplex Odeon, 626 Gardiners Rd. at 3:35 p.m., 6:40 p.m. and 9:10 p.m.

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