Juno - Critical Analysis

Juno (Jason Reitman, 2007) was a blockbuster hit when it was released in fall of 2007 in theaters. The film stands out from the rest with its directive style that it partakes as a fresh comedy yet not a laugh out loud comedy but with a mellow vide. In the film the main character makes a choice between pro-life or pro choice deciding whether to keep the baby or not. Juno is a comedy that consists of a single protagonist that is stunned by an unwanted pregnancy which leads her to make spontaneously and unthought-of decisions which clearly show that teen pregnancy can be difficult on an individual and the importance of family and the neglect of abortion is blindsided by society’s view and reaction.

The film begins with a flashback of Juno (Ellen Page) and her friend Paulie Bleaker (Michael Cera) naked and about to have sex. It becomes obvious that they had sex because a few days after Juno decides to take a pregnancy and is shocked to her surprise that it came out positive. However Juno is lucky to have parents that she does who deal with her sudden pregnancy with open hands. Her father Mac MacGuff (J.K. Simmons) and her step mother Brenda MacGuff (Allison Janney) comfort her and show her support just as much as her best friend, Leah (Olivia Thirlby) who helps her find adoptive parents for the newborn which Juno decides is the best choice for the baby because she won’t be able to live with herself if she gets an abortion. Juno comes in contact with Mark (Jason Bateman) and Vanessa (Jennifer Garner) an upper- middle class suburban couple who wanted to adopt a baby because they are unable to conceive a child of their own. At first glance they seem as the idle parents but later Juno finds out that they might not be some perfect. As Juno gets closer to her due date she is faced with a series of adult issues, she relies on her family and friends for support and learns a lot about herself throughout her pregnancy.

The role of families in the movie is an ideal and noticeable because it goes with many common stereotypes that are clearly vivid. There are 2 families in the movie and they are Juno’s family and Mark and Vanessa Loring as another. Juno is a soft hearted sweet American girl with a family that seems like that would always be there for her. Mac MacGuff, Juno’s father is an ambiguous character that speaks what’s on his mind. On the other hand her mother, Brenda MacGuff Juno’s stepmother is someone who is really close with Juno and share a special bond. The MacGuff family is portrayed as a middle class family that is very close with one another. We first see the Loring’s in the newspaper pictured in black and white which gives a first impression