JUNO REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

Who would've thought that a drama about a pregnant teenager could be full of humour? Ellen Page, who plays the title character, brings comic relief but also emotional depth to her character and shows us what it's like to be a pregnant teen without making us feel sympathy for her. 

Juno is just your average teenager: she's currently in high school, isn't really that popular and has one friend, Leah (Olivia Thirlby). However, all that changes when she sleeps with Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera) and ends up pregnant. Straight away, she considers an abortion but after running into a fellow student who is outside the abortion clinc protesting, she decides to have the baby adopted instead after finding the perfect couple (Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman) in a newspaper ad. This leads to an awkward conversation with her parents, father, Mac MacGuff (J.K. Simmons) and stepmother Bren (Allison Janney). Fortunately, they're accepting of her decision and begin to support her in any way possible. This leads to a journey of character development that is rich in emotion and humour.

Ellen Page is amazing as Juno, I couldn't think of a better actress suited to the role. Like I said earlier, she brings comic relief and emotional depth to her character which is important especially for someone going through a huge milestone at such a young age. Juno deals with her pregnancy in both a mature and immature way. When she first found out she was pregnant, she immediately considers an abortion. But after she chooses not to, she meets with the hopeful parents, Vanessa and Mark Loring, who have been trying to conceive for years but have been unsuccessful. Jennifer Garner is great at showing Vanessa's determination to become a mother, it's all she's ever wanted to be and is cynical of Juno, as she's a teenager, but soon warms to her. However, Mark isn't as eager to be a parent as Vanessa is but will do anything to make his wife happy. He and Juno bond over their love of classic rock'n'roll music. Michael Cera's performance as Bleeker is one to watch too as he shows his love for Juno. He supports her through every decision she makes and, even though Juno didn't have mutual feelings for him in the beginning, she does develop a close bond with him.

I've never seen a film that portrays teenage pregnancy in such a lighthearted way. Despite this, there are a few emotional scenes. Juno is, after all, still a teenager and is going through a big change in her body that, at times, she finds hard to deal with. However, while we do feel a bit of sympathy for her, she manages to pick herself up which is why she's so likable. 

If you're looking for a film that is rich in character, emotional depth and humour, I'd definitely recommend this film.

8/10