First Hit: An excellent, wonderfully funny, poignant well acted film.
Ellen Page (Juno) continues to amaze me with her acting.
Earlier this year I had the pleasure of watching this young lady in a very powerful and impactful 2005 released film called Hard Candy.
The characters she plays in these two films are very different and in Hard Candy she brought the kind of intensity and directness that Reese Witherspoon brought to Freeway.
In this film she plays a thoughtful, eclectic, smart, and self directed high school student.
Juno gets pregnant by a young man who adores her. Paulie Bleeker (played by Michael Cera) is a kind, sweet, and sensitive young man who thinks the sun rises and sets in Juno. In her caring for Bleeker, Juno decides to make love with him in a specific chair.
This initial interaction sets up the premise for the film, a pregnant Juno. After some funny scenes in a local drugstore where Juno discovers her pregnant status, she decides to tell her Dad and Step-mother. In the dialog with her parents you "get" that this is going to be a thoughtful yet funny film.
Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman play the couple who put in an ad in a Pennysaver to adopt a child. They have been through this scenario before and it has failed so Jennifer is sceptically hopeful and Jason appears to be somewhat reluctant.
During Juno's interview with this couple with her dad at her side the stage for this film is fully set. The lessons the characters learn as we travel through this wonderfully directed and poignant film are: The adoptive couple learn they have different wants and needs, Juno learns more about being an adult, commitment, and how to make choices, Paulie learns to stay within his truth and trust, and Juno’s parents see that they have brought up a wonderful daughter.
Overall: This was a very entertaining and thoughtful film and I highly recommend it. There will be awards for this film.