Juno

one of those beautiful films about life with interesting characters on all fronts, with whom you can quite successfully identify. Excellently selected actors who deliver authentic performances, don't overact, don't rush unnecessarily and together create a functioning group that you simply enjoy watching. There have been quite a few similar films lately. (03/18/2014)

A clear victory of form over content. Thanks to Jason Reitman's fine direction, a nice atmosphere and a perfect Ellen Page in the lead role, there's really no need to dwell on what Juno is actually about, but more importantly how well it is made. Besides, who can penetrate today the soul of an adolescent without turning it into vulgar and uninteresting schlock?... As a comedy it may not be very funny, as a drama it’s not very appealing, but as a mix of both it is a very remarkable and easygoing film whose name in the Oscar winners' column is not a disgrace. (06/21/2012)

The strong drama of the substance blends surprisingly well with Reitman's cheeky comedy, which I enjoyed in his short films and also partly in his previous cigarette satire. Yet I still can't shake the impression that the feature-length runtime forces it into an incomprehensible brevity that fails to answer many questions. It’s too bad that Cera's loser is still as unsympathetic as he was in Superbad because Page’s obnoxious brat has grown into a lovable brat and a real actress. 3 ½. (and the big question mark over so many Oscar nominations). (01/24/2008)

I don't think I've seen a better comedy about an (un)wanted pregnancy yet. Diablo Cody wrote a clever screenplay that simply had no flaws, and Ellen Page admirably portrayed the slightly eccentric protagonist, with it being worth noting that all involved supported her excellently. The overall positive atmosphere of the film was also contributed to by a fine soundtrack, which I would gladly listen to again. (85%) (07/28/2021)

Juno is actually such a sweet little kitten. She scratches and bites like a small predator and as such brings me great joy. I sympathize with her, root for her, and I can't understand how Paulie can be such a fool, just standing there and being afraid to thoroughly explore what happiness can bring him. But as soon as the kitten calms down, curling up into a small ball, everything settles down and everything goes downhill very quickly. And no matter how much Ellen Page tries otherwise, she doesn't have much to play in a serious, tearful situation. The nostalgia of adolescence and the bittersweetness are perfect. However, the purely serious position and surprisingly lukewarm ending take away the positive impressions. (06/01/2008)