Juno review

The movie Juno tells the story of an intelligent teenage girl who falls pregnant. The box which contains the DVD explains a lot about the film straightaway. The name of the film is written in childlike uneven 'bubble writing' and the two main characters that feature on the front show that it is a teen film. One of those characters, the young girl,who is heavily pregnant is staring directly at the camera and her body language and facial expression show that she has attitude and is quite quirky. The other character featured on the front cover is a teenage boy, who is dressed in a comical gym kit, looks confused, and without even watching any of the film, I know that it is going to be a teen comedy, with some romance.

The opening titles are in animation, and shows the main character, Juno, walking down a road. She is wearing a hooded sweatshirt, jeans and converse trainers. I think this particular costume has been chosen to represent her personality and show that she is a 'tomboy' and that she doesn't really make an effort with her appearance. In the background there is upbeat music, which gives an insight into Juno's upbeat state of mind.

In the pharmacy we immediatley understand that she is not ashamed of people knowing that she may be pregnant. She takes her third pregnancy test of the day, and is clearly in denial that she is pregnant, however when she finds out she is pregnant for definite, she doesn't seem overly bothered.

Walking home, she wears a red hoodie, and is passed by runners wearing a school kit in red and yellow, the trees she walks under are shedding their leaves, and I can tell the feeling of autumn is trying to be conveyed.

When we see Juno's bedroom, we see her immaturity by seeing dolls, rude name badges,rude pictures and a phone in the shape of a burger. This shows that she is not ready to be a mother, so we worry about the welfare of the child, however it is dealt with in such a jokey way, we know nothing too serious will happen, and that things will sort themselves out in the end.

Juno decides to go for an abortion, but when she gets to the clinic, she decides against it, and she finds a couple to give the baby to. This whole process of finding the couple in the "penny saver" magazine next to the advertised tropical birds. The couple they find seem perfect, and Juno strikes a bond with the father, Mark as they both have a passion for music.

The film goes through the motions of the couple preparing themselves and their home for the arrival of their child, and how Juno goes through the different stages of the pregnancy. We understand the juxtaposition of Juno's life at school and home with Vanessa and Mark's life. When Juno bumps into Vanessa in a shopping mall, and Juno complains that the baby is kicking, Vanessa is formal and asks whether she can touch her stomach, and Juno tells her that at her school everyone just "grabs her belly" and they even have a nickname for her.

After Juno gives birth, she narrates the scene and for the first time in the film, she shows compassion towards her child. Then when she cries when her boyfriend comes in, her emotions towards giving away a child become apparent, and we see a whole different side to the film, we don't see the usual bubbly Juno, we see a young vulnerable girl.

At the end of the film, we see Juno happy with her boyfriend. There is high key lighting, aided by the sun, and this reflects on Juno's happy state of mind.

Overall, Juno is an excellent film which, similar to other teen films shows a 'right of passage' as Juno matures throughout her pregnancy.