JPRaup

It's not really indie rock, more so folk (if you are referring to Kimya Dawson)

chanster

I saw it on Christmas Eve..like many others, I thought it was a pretty good movie..but

1.) I thought most of the dialog was way too overwritten

2.) There seemed to be a lot of little Rushmore quirks to the film that I didn't like that much - Rushmore did it 10 years ago and much better...

Overall it was a nice little movie, but IMHO a bit overrated.

riotinmyskull

saw a free screening of this the other day and i loved it. it's a feel good movie. the only stuff i didn't like is that it tried to hard to be quirky and hip but not annoyingly like napoleon dynamite. it was kinda like wes anderson-lite if that makes sense.

illennium

A word about the dialog and the film's overall "quirkiness," which I believe are being largely misrepresented in this thread. I am the world's biggest critic of Napoleon Dynamite, which I think is an absolutely awful movie, and similar films which eschew sincerity, and in which irony stands in for meaning, so I approached Juno with caution. And, at first, I had the same reaction as many of the posters in this thread. But as the film progresses, it becomes apparent that, as with the characters in Ghost World, the way Juno speaks and acts is largely a veneer for the vulnerability and insecurity that lies beneath the surface, and that comes out when she is tested, and as she matures ("I don't really know what kind of girl I am" is a beautiful line and rings true). And few of the other characters talk like she does (Bleeker does say "wizard," but he is just trying to be like Juno). If anything, the film reveals the superficiality and childishness of such behavior; it does not romanticize it.

Additionally, those familiar with the origins of the New York City-based anti-folk scene, of which Kimya Dawson and Adam Green (together, formerly The Moldy Peaches) are veterans, will know that that scene is based on the democratization of music and itself eschews pretension. That some hipsters listen to it should not matter. Anyone who is in the NYC area on a Monday night should stop by the Sidewalk Cafe on 6th Street and Avenue A, the birthplace of anti-folk and still home to a weekly anti-folk open-mic where I've seen the Moldy Peaches perform numerous times. Anyone with an instrument, a joke, or a talent of any kind (or no talent at all) can come onstage for 8 minutes and do their thing. Where is the pretension or hipness in that?

Supermallet

I agree with this. Although it's not nearly as biting or insightful as it is in Ghost World.

Drop

illennium, that's all very understandable, but I feel there's a way she could've retained that and not made some of the dialogue so grating. Just change a few words here and there. That explanation doesn't really fit Juno's friend though, whose dialogue was more grating during that telephone conversation.

The Bus

So, I guess you're not a David Mamet fan either? Or for that matter, Shakespeare?

Yakuza Bengoshi

illennium, those are some great insights, and I'm on board with what you're saying right down the line.

Brent L

Ugh, this is the one flick I want to see more than any other, and it's still not opening anywhere near me this week.

Daytripper

You're kidding....right?

Daytripper

Quote:
Originally Posted by illennium
A word about the dialog and the film's overall "quirkiness," which I believe are being largely misrepresented in this thread. I am the world's biggest critic of Napoleon Dynamite, which I think is an absolutely awful movie, and similar films which eschew sincerity, and in which irony stands in for meaning, so I approached Juno with caution. And, at first, I had the same reaction as many of the posters in this thread. But as the film progresses, it becomes apparent that, as with the characters in Ghost World, the way Juno speaks and acts is largely a veneer for the vulnerability and insecurity that lies beneath the surface, and that comes out when she is tested, and as she matures ("I don't really know what kind of girl I am" is a beautiful line and rings true). And few of the other characters talk like she does (Bleeker does say "wizard," but he is just trying to be like Juno). If anything, the film reveals the superficiality and childishness of such behavior; it does not romanticize it.



And I agree with both of you. I'm glad Juno wasn't a wise ass the entire movie. Given the subject matter. Ellen Page was great. But in her serious scenes, she really shined IMO. I can't wait to see the movie again to see what I missed the first time around. With my audience laughing throughout.

Breton

I can't stand the commercial or the trailer. They lost me at, "That's one doodle that can't be undid, home skillet." I don't think people talk like that, and if they do, I hope never to meet them.

starseed1981

Saw it last weekend. I too hated Napolean Dynamite & Ghost World...but really liked this for some reason. That Dwight Schrute cameo was worth the price of admission alone.

mmconhea

I just saw it and thought it was good. Lots of great momemts. Jennifer Garner has to be the ugliest 'woman' I have seen on screen in years. She looks like a human skull with a over-botoxed upper lip.

Finisher

The hipster dialogue was off-putting at first. But after about 20 minutes, Ellen Page's innate charm won me over. This little movie has a lot of heart.

Sparrow

This seems to be my kind of movie, through and through. It's on my Top 5 list of 5 movies to see this weekend and thanks for the insight illennium.

I never allow for another's opinion to sway me one way or the other on any film....it's a very personal experience for me. I'll report back on my thoughts after the weekend, but I'm fairly enthused about getting the chance to see it.

riley_dude

Saw it on Christmas. Loved it. Great dialogue and the cast is really good. The characters don't always do the predictable things movie characters do which is refreshing.

PopcornTreeCt

Saw this today. What a great little film. The thing I liked most about the film was that every character was likeable. You expected Jennifer Garner to be the villain and Bateman to be the cool husband but it changed unexpectedly. Easily makes my top 5 of the year.

Another thing I was thinking of, the scene where Juno first meets Bateman and Garner and she asks Bateman if he's ready to be a dad. The way he says it is perfect. He says all the right things but you could see a very subtle hint that he doesn't mean what he says. I thought that was great dialogue that he totally nailed.

DullandWitless

I can say Jason Reitman is a favorite of mine after directing this and Thank You For Smoking. I am so glad he isn't following the footsteps of his father.

movieking

Saw it today, and really liked it, but the thing that I kept coming back to is that Juno just didn't come off as a girl that would be stupid enough to have sex without contraception. I know it is not a big deal, but that was irksome, as well as no one calling her on how stupid it was.

PopcornTreeCt

I'm pretty sure she was called stupid by her father numerous times, it just wasn't ever spelled out that she was dumb for not using a condom.

BJacks

You really thought that was subtle? I thought he made it pretty obvious from the beginning that it was his wife that wanted the baby and that he was just along for the ride.

Applejack

mikelowry

Couldn't find time to watch this in theaters so I'm definitely gonna grab the DVD release.

JasonTerminator

Um, it just got a wide release last Friday, and made it to #5 in the box office this weekend.

You prolly have a couple more weeks to see this movie, and boy is it worth it.