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)

"This is even better than Suspiria." Juno can’t avoid being compared to Knocked Up and Napoleon Dynamite. Which is being a little unfair to all three movies. One of them is similar in topic and the other seemingly “geek" in atmosphere, but otherwise they have practically nothing in common. Unlike in Napoleon, everybody is normal here, although a little eccentric here and there, and they deal with everyday problems. Unlike Knocked Up, this movie plays on a more serious note. Which doesn’t in the least mean that Reitman Jr. doesn’t entertain us with superbly apt humor, despite the serious topic. And it does this even without the help of a thousand and one pop-culture references. Unlike Judd Apatow. Juno is a very comely and pleasant picture which is paradoxically held back most by its most boasted asset. Ellen Page. I’m not saying she doesn’t play excellently, but sometimes she overdoes it a little. And purely personally, I was also disappointed that Paulie’s storyline was sidelined. That character is so likeable that I would most like to see this movie made through his Tic-Tac eyes. (01/22/2008)

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)

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)

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)