| | | |A Comedy About Growing Up...and the Bumps Along the Way.
Features: DVD, Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 1.85:1, English, Spanish, Subtitled, Sensormatic
Juno MacGuff (Ellen Page) is a cool, confident teenager who takes a nine-month detour into adulthood when she's faced with an unplanned pregnancy - and sets out to find the perfect parents for her baby.With the help of her charmingly unassuming boyfriend (Michael Cera), supportive dad (J.K. Simmons), and no-nonsense stepmom (Allison Janney), Juno sets her sights on an affluent couple (Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman) longing to adopt their first child.
"...respects the idiosyncrasies of its characters rather than exaggerating them or holding them up for ridicule." A.O. Scott, The New York Times
"With its original performances that can't be reduced to simplistic labels, Juno is charming, honest and terrifically acted." Claudia Puig, USA Today
"...a coming-of-age movie made with idiosyncratic charm and not a single false note." David Denby, The New Yorker
"A confluence of perfection in every aspect of the film." David Wiegand, San Francisco Chronicle
"Not only gives us a superb new cast of believable characters, it transcends its own genre." Desson Thomson, The Washington Post
"A blithe charmer balanced somewhere between a life-should-be-so-neat fairy tale and a life's-a-real-bitch tragicomedy..." Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly
"A witty little comic gem with a heart and a soul." Sean Axmaker, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Editor's Note
The word "quirky" has become the quick and easy way to describe films such as LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE and LARS AND THE REAL GIRL that straddle the lines between indie and studio films and comedy and drama. While JUNO fits into that same category, this distinctive dramedy is in a class all its own. Ellen Page (X-MEN: THE LAST STAND) stars as Juno, a witty teenage girl whose boredom doesn't lead her to the mall. Instead, she makes a one-time trip into the arms of her best friend Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera). When Juno discovers that she's pregnant, she's forced to grow up fast as she tries to find adoptive parents for her quickly growing child. JUNO might have a lot of strengths--Page's award-worthy performance, a pitch-perfect soundtrack, excellent direction from Jason Reitman--but it's the screenwriting debut of writer Cody Diablo that makes this such a winning film. Famous for her blog and her book CANDY GIRL: A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF AN UNLIKELY STRIPPER, Diablo has a unique voice and an incredible ear for dialogue. But even the nearly perfect script wouldn't sound so good if it weren't for the talents of these actors, particularly Page. She won raves for her first major role in HARD CANDY, but this performance proves it wasn't a fluke. The rest of the cast, especially J.K. Simmons as Juno's dad, is just as worthy of attention. JUNO continues Cera's cinematic ascent after his success with the hit comedy SUPERBAD, and his ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT costar Jason Bateman uses his dry delivery to great effect as a potential parent for Juno's baby. Songs from Kimya Dawson perfectly capture the film's tone with the music's sweet, smart, and funny sounds.
| Features | Audio Commentary By Director Jason Reitman & Writer Diablo Cody | | Audio: English, French, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound | | Deleted Scenes With Optional Audio Commentary By Director Jason Reitman & Writer Diablo Cody | | Dubbed: French, Spanish | | Featurettes: Cast & Crew Jam & Inside Look - What Happens In Vegas | | Gag Reel | | Gag Take | | Interactive Menus | | Scene Selection | | Screen Tests | | Subtitles: English, Spanish |
| Entertainment Reviews
 | Juno - DVD Review By: Chris Cabin - filmcritic.com DVD Reviews Published on: 4/4/2008 4:32 PM | |
The fact that Juno goes for adoption rather than the other "a" has caused a few critics to cast the film as a conservatives-go-hip ploy. That doesn't fly for me: Almost every character exudes notably blue-state warmth, and though the American family is seen as a dilapidated structure, it's whole-heartedly embraced for its flaws without a hint of chastisement. But sometimes these films don't have to be about the "right" and "wrong" attitudes towards dubious issues nor even about what agenda the helmer may or may not be after. Sometimes they are simply about finding the right cheese for your macaroni....read the full review |
| Technical Info
|
Release Information
| | Studio: Foxvideo |
| Release Date: 4/15/2008 |
| Running Time: 92 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2007 | | Catalog ID: 2250687 | | UPC: 00024543506874 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Widescreen 1.85:1 |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Winner (2008) | | | British Academy Awards, Diablo Cody, Best Screenplay - Original | |
Nominee (2008) | | | British Academy Awards, Ellen Page, Best Leading Actress | | | Golden Globe, Ellen Page, Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy | | | Golden Globe, Diablo Cody, Best Screenplay - Motion Picture | | | Golden Globe, Juno, Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy | |
Winner (2008) | | | Independent Spirit, Lianne Halfon, Best Feature | | | Independent Spirit, Ellen Page, Best Female Lead | | | Independent Spirit, Diablo Cody, Best First Screenplay | | | Oscar, Diablo Cody, Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen | |
Nominee (2008) | | | Oscar, Jason Reitman, Best Achievement in Directing | | | Oscar, Lianne Halfon, et. al., Best Motion Picture of the Year | | | Oscar, Ellen Page, Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role |
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| | Professional Reviews | Box Office
"[There's] room for the deeper emotional lives of all these characters to emerge. They do so beautifully, achingly, artfully." 12/01/2007 p.57-58New York Times
"[The film] takes on surprising delicacy and emotional depth. The snappy one-liners are a brilliant distraction, Ms. Cody's way of clearing your throat for the lump you're likely to find there in the movie's last scenes." 12/05/2007 USA Today
4 stars out of 4 -- "JUNO, a likably cynical comedy, is actually about hope....A film bristling with vitality and heart....JUNO is charming, honest and terrifically acted." 12/05/2007 Rolling Stone
3.5 stars out of 4 -- "The devil in Cody's script lets in wit, anger, distress and the pain of romantic longing. JUNO is more than a few smiles -- it makes you laugh deeply. It's one from the bruised heart." 12/13/2007 p.142 Entertainment Weekly
"Jennifer Garner has never been lovelier or more affecting....Delightful and good-hearted..." -- Grade: A- 12/21/2007 p.59-60 Los Angeles Times
"JUNO is hilarious an sweet-tempered, perceptive and surprisingly grounded. It's also a gust of fresh air..." 12/05/2007 Rolling Stone
Ranked #10 in Rolling Stone's "10 Best Movies Of 2007" -- " 12/27/2007 p.121 Sight and Sound
"Diablo Cody's screenplay is rich in one-liners, irony and quizzical understatement. The central performance, from Ellen Page, is beautifully judged." 02/01/2008 p.69 Uncut
4 stars out of 5 -- "[T]his is Page's triumph, spitting out smart-ass lines like she thought MEAN GIRLS was soft and GHOST WORLD held too optimistic a worldview....It's whip-smart, cool, and very, very funny." 03/01/2008 p.120 Empire
4 stars out of 5 -- "[A] perfectly judged three-act structure that follows the emotional highs and lows of Juno's winter-to-summer pregnancy, the film saves its aces for last." 03/01/2008 p.52 ReelViews 9 of 10
If one was to categorize Juno, it would fall into the hybrid coming-of-age/teen romantic comedy category. But, as movies like Superbad have shown, such labels aren't necessarily negatives. Juno, directed by Jason Reitman (Thank You for Smoking) is smart, witty, and engaging - three ingredients that, when applied to any film, comprise a recipe for success. Juno has a great heroine and is blessed by a screenplay that doesn't try to do too much and finds the perfect ending. It's a little odd that this is the third comedy this year to focus on pregnancy. I enjoyed both Knocked Up and Waitress, but Juno gets my vote for the best of the three...Juno isn't one of those "laugh riots" that will have audience members rolling in the aisles, getting fake popcorn butter and spilled soda all over their clothing. Instead, it's funny in a sassy way - the kind of humor that causes a lot of smiles and chuckles to go along with the occasional stomach-jiggling laugh. The script is polished to near perfection...Juno is the kind of the film where a viewer almost needs to look for a reason to dislike it for it not to work. It's charming without being saccharine. It's funny without being rude or dishonest. It's smart without being smart-assed. And it's got enough heart to keep the comedic elements in check. - James Berardinelli
Chicago Sun-Times 10 of 10
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. Strange, 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...The film has no wrong scenes and no extra scenes, and flows like running water. There are two repeating motifs: the enchanting songs, so simple and true, by Kimya Dawson. And the seasonal appearances of Paulie's high school cross-country team, running past us with dogged consistency, Paulie often bringing up the rear, until his last run ends with Paulie, sweaty in running shorts, racing to Juno's room after her delivery. - Roger Ebert
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