Juno delivers
Juno is a phenomenon, there's no doubt about that. And it really does deserve to be, for shining the spotlight on teen pregnancy. However, I really liked- not loved- this movie. The cast is amazing, especially Jennifer Gardner, Ellen Page, and Olivia Thirlby. The movie is pretty funny, but does slow down in parts. All in all, however, it is a solid 4 star movie to watch.

sweet and hilarious
So much heart and comedy. Juno was a sweet and hilarious surprise. The writing was clever, and Ellen Page's acting was stellar. I loved the whole movie (so many great lines to memorize), and I cried at the end. I didn't realize that this would be one, but it was a feel-good tear-jerker, and those are the best kind. I will probably buy this later. See it!

Not impressed by Juno
Maybe it was all the hype, all the buildup...but when I finally sat down to watch Juno, I have to say I was decidedly unimpressed. Was I supposed to find a message in the movie? What was this message? I found the acting...OK, the storyline....eh.

Intriguing
I thought Juno was an interesting film overall. Ellen Page is absolutely magnificent in the central role and Michael Cera fit well the part he plays. Personally, I was a bit skeptical of Juno's essence as a character. She struck me as being partially a male fantasy of what a girl would be like as it's improbable that a high school kid nowadays would have anywhere near the type of musical education she possesses (or walk around with an unlit pipe in her mouth). Page's Juno is highly engaging as a personality and it's hard to take your eyes off of her though. Also, I thought Jennifer Garner and Justin Bateman put in solid backup performances. Juno is entertaining and fun even if its intricacies sometimes make it a challenge to suspend disbelief.

Napoleon Dynamite it's Not!
God help us! Has the quirky, independent film finally reached it's undoing? Has it's own conventions now made it conventional? Seems like all you have to do today is: take a pretty, precocious girl; put her in flannel and Chuck Taylors; give her a guitar so she can compose her own soundtrack; surround her with your now cliched, socially awkward/emotionally retarded boyfriend; socially awkward/emotionally stable parents; socially adept/emotionally retarded yuppies; put a living room in the front yard...oh, and don't forget the quirky, organic animation to "tie" it all together. Napoleon Dynamite what hast thou wrought?

To be fair, there are some truly sparkling moments from the actors and the plot, once it gets going. But you can't help getting the impression that the director never really trusted the true quirkiness of the script, or his cast. The whole thing comes off like the final project of a How to Make Indy Films class. Whatever grit it was supposed to have has been polished to a high buff. What we get now is film craft by Butterick.

If this is what down and dirty independence has come to, what's really depressing is wondering where do we go from here?