JUNO
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JUNO (USA)
SHOWING MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2008
Rated PG, 92 minutes
Director: Jason Reitman, Actors: Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jason Bateman, Jennifer Garner
Juno MacGuff (the fantastic up-and-comer Ellen Page, HARD CANDY, THE TRACEY FRAGMENTS) is the sixteen-year-old heroine of the remarkable, lauded new film by Jason Reitman (director of 2005's sensational THANK YOU FOR SMOKING), which screened as a Special Presentation at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival®. Juno is the sort of kid most adults would deem too smart for her own good. For all her brashness and bravado, however, Juno must grapple with questions not easily solved at any age.
The film opens as Juno discovers that her sole venture into the minefield of adolescent sex – accompanied by her good friend, the Tic Tac-addicted Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera, Arrested Development, SUPERBAD) – has left her pregnant. Paulie responds to the news with a stoic passivity that makes Juno crazy, but to be fair, his biggest worry up to this point was getting to track practice on time.
Juno‘s best friend, Leah (Olivia Thirlby), convinces Juno to tell her parents. Dad (veteran television actor J.K. Simmons) – gruff, practical and loving in his own hard-slap-on-the-back kind of way – and stepmom, Bren (Allison Janney, OVER THE HEDGE, HAIR-SPRAY), take the news in the best possible manner, especially when Juno proposes that she have the baby and place it with another family through a private adoption. Meanwhile, by means of an ad in the local Penny Saver, Juno meets Vanessa (Jennifer Garner, CATCH AND RELEASE, THE KINGDOM) and Mark (Jason Bateman, Arrested Development, THE KINGDOM), well-to-do but childless hopefuls who seem to fit the bill. Bonding with Mark through music, Juno unwittingly steps into the emotional battleground of the couple‘s relationship, and events take a completely unexpected turn.
The fearless, brilliantly talented Page infuses Juno with such intelligence, energy and feeling that we love her even when she‘s being a jerk. Indeed each and every member of the cast shines, as they bring their multi-dimensional characters to the screen. This depth – together with the crackling, witty script and Reitman‘s stylish direction – makes for a rich, moving, laughter-and tear-filled experience.
Official website: www.foxsearchlight.com/juno/
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REEL REVIEW
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SHOW INFO
SHOW TIME
7:00 pm
GRAND REO THEATRE
Vanderhoof
Tickets available
at the door.
Please bring a donation
for the food bank.
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Simply put, Juno is a must see movie. Below are some comments from the movie experts...
By Kirk Honeycutt -- Bottom Line: A funny and savvy comedy about a teenage girl looking for her place in the world.
By Toronto International Film Festival -- "Juno" defies expectations at every turn, giving the slip to anything saccharine or trite or didactic, looking to its characters for insight and complexity, reveling in dialogue that is artificial yet witty and articulate and, most crucially, taking a presumably stale storyline and making it into a buoyant comedy. The film, the second directed by Jason Reitman and first written by professional stripper-turned-writer Diablo Cody, detonates wisecracks every step of the way, yet never completely disguises the fact that this is a comedy from a couple of moralists determined to portray the great human values in love and friendship.
By Roger Ebert -- Jason Reitman's "Juno" is just about the best movie of the year. It is very smart, very funny and very touching; it begins with the pacing of a screwball comedy and ends as a portrait of characters we have come to love. StranBge, how during Juno's hip dialogue and cocky bravado, we begin to understand the young woman inside, and we want to hug her.
Has there been a better performance this year than Ellen Page's creation of Juno? I don't think so. If most actors agree that comedy is harder than drama, then harder still is comedy depending on a quick mind, utter self-confidence, and an ability to stop just short of going too far. Page's presence and timing are extraordinary. I have seen her in only two films, she is only 20, and I think she will be one of the great actors of her time.