Review: Juno (2007) ** 1/2

65 Responses to “Review: Juno (2007) ** 1/2”

1. sartre - Dec 5 '07, 12:16 pm

   In a word, Craig -> Brilliant! I expect Juno itself will be less than half as funny and human as your review.

2. Sick of quirk - Dec 5 '07, 2:18 pm

   Yes! Thank you! “A person is not defined by the fact they listen to Astrud Gilberto or Iggy Pop.” Why is everyone so goo-goo over this disappointing film? It perfectly exemplifies the problems with quirk laid out in this Atlantic article:
   http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200709/quirk

   Ellen Page has potential, but in this film, I didn’t believe a single word she said. Her character was arrogant, lacking in curiosity, had no gravitas, and delivered so many quips I thought I was watching a sitcom.

3. Craig Kennedy - Dec 5 '07, 2:58 pm

   I appreciate the support Sick, we’re clearly in a minority here.

   I have to say though, I’m not against quirk itself, in fact I celebrate the “embrace of the odd against the blandly mainstream” and I’m even a fan of many of the things listed in that Atlantic article. I especially like it in short, sitcom-length doses.

   But sometimes enough is enough. Sometimes you need a little more depth. I’m bored of surface snark (even if I’m guilty of it myself from time to time).

4. glimmer - Dec 5 '07, 7:12 pm

   craig i saw juno last night the crowd went crazy……seriously..and when it was over and all head out.there was a barrage of smiles and people quoting scenes….and during the movie people laughed so hard/much it sometimes obscured the following line or two……

   and please why is jennifer garner on the consideration lists for a potential best female supporting actor…??

   was her acting that great ?? well ok she didn’t suck but you know…
   was her role in the movie that important ??? did her actinng elvate things a notch ???

   craig.hmm he got the ‘ellen’ chracter despite being awkward. but remember he was jock. and i good one/ seeing he wins the race shown…

   repeat he was jock.and jocks often get the ‘hot’ girls right ??

   and didn’t the juno chracter a gag about the jocks type often really wanting girls like her and not just cheerleaders ?????(or did she say instead of cheerleaders..does it matter)

   juno seemed more a *hipster* than a social misfit.(also are most misfits so good with lines off the top of there heads(always) and could they say it with such confidence???and could they say it without at least getting a verbal smackdown.losing a few rounds..???)

   anyway juno called the jason bateman chracter a sellout for doing tv/ad work instead being in rock band.

   yet the movie sells juno out by always playing that lame/gormless acoustic/’folk’ music used on 98% of the movie’s soundtrack.

   or did they thing using rock would have been to much like all other teen movies.she juno’s taste was supposely so different.i would have been cool to hear some or have some mentioned in the film. sorry for a charcter like juno liking iggy/stooges makes her seem more hip/cooler than the kids.

   didn’t that seemed like the crap the juno character would hate?? ha ha

   weird it did seem true when she was upset with the bateman charcater and said the sonic youth cd sucks whatever. because most kids would rather listen to 77/78 punk or iggy than sonic youth.

   you know that wantt stuff that rocks/does the riff thing…

   anyway i never knew how to rock.and i can barely tie my shoe…

   and sorry craig.lars and real girl..well i consider it essential. i beyond beyond loved it uh was that too cute… ;)

   and yes bianca better get some award love. what a performance !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

   the misfit/loser hearts beats so much more in lars/real girl….

   *ryan* did it for the kids/losers and i cried alot. god/gosh.. i’m a loser…..

   lars from lars and the real girl…. ‘you’ve got something to say/i know how it is to feel that way’ :)

5. glimmer - Dec 5 '07, 7:17 pm

   craig…pay attention..’Sometimes you need a little more depth. I’m bored of surface snark ‘

   dude,you know according to the cool rules in ‘juno’ when your bored(and since your guy) the depth your supposed to get is a few inches deep…aka when your bored you wind up having sex.and hey it will be her idea too……

   see i learned so much from juno…….

6. glimmer - Dec 5 '07, 7:28 pm

   oh and the wait let me paste…the Michael Cera kid.

   well craig, he is making progress. in superbad he was teen that couldn’t get a sexual encounter…

   in juno he’s the teen that gets ellen page pregnant.see he is avoiding type casting you’re just not paying attention. ;)

7. glimmer - Dec 5 '07, 7:54 pm

   and while…no i can’t stop/won’t stop.where the losers at ??? there you go…maybe it’s time i have arrived. ha ha… :)

   anyway if it’s stretch for you that the awkward kid could get a girl like juno.

   well remember he *lost* his virginity to her.talk about pushing the eye roll/hell no meter into the red. ;)

   but remeber he’s a jock. so it’s likely he didn’t radiate the phyiscal awakward thing/slant that help awakard kids or at least guys gain their no ‘hot’ girl status…

   i really didn’t think the Michael Cera chracter was that awkward maybe just a bit shy and very overshadowed/over powered by ellen page’s/juno persona.he definitely couldn’t win an argreement against her.or get a word in edge wise.unless she wanted him too…

   and if he really was an awkward kid would the sex be as good as juno hinted it was ???????

   score another victory for the jocks……

8. sartre - Dec 5 '07, 8:05 pm

   I haven’t seen the film, glim. But you raise some interesting reactions to Craig’s review.

9. glimmer - Dec 5 '07, 8:30 pm

   thanks and hello sartre !!! :)

   i never know how i stand/my views so often don’t mesh.with ah anything.ha ah..

   i’m not trying to be dificult. just me….

   thanks for the kind words sir !!!!!! :)

10. sartre - Dec 5 '07, 9:01 pm

    Hey, your views aren’t always that different, glim. Tonight, for example, you seemed to get some vocal support for your Jennifer Garner appraisal over at AD. And even when they are different from others here, they’re always valued. It’s interesting to hear a different way of thinking about things. The regulars at LiC are all wonderful commenters, and that includes you.

11. Craig Kennedy - Dec 5 '07, 9:32 pm

    Your standing is just fine here Glimmer. I always welcome your opinions even if they don’t match mine.

    The crowd I saw Juno with loved it also. They didn’t go crazy or anything, but they laughed all the way through it and clapped at the end.

    Do I understand you correctly that you didn’t like it that much?

12. joel - Dec 5 '07, 9:41 pm

    OK, I only read part of the review because I still expect to see it myself, but well done. Breaking up is hard to do, Craig, but this is a Dear Jane letter with heart and I respect the honesty.

    Buck up, kid. There will always be other Junos in the sea.

13. Craig Kennedy - Dec 5 '07, 9:46 pm

    I’m dying for people I know to see this thing Joel so I can decide if I’m just crazy.

14. Mrs. Gee - Dec 6 '07, 6:40 pm

    Can a review win an Oscar? Can I marry a review?

    I saw a trailer for it and I couldn’t make up my mind whether I wanted to see it or not. My curiosity is peaked. I gotta see it. :)

15. Craig Kennedy - Dec 6 '07, 7:34 pm

    Survey says: Chicks dig it. I’m going to recommend you ignore my cynicism and check it out.

16. Nicholas Plowman - Dec 22 '07, 11:51 am

    Well, I for one, loved the movie. ALOT. Maybe that’s becuase I was given a hamburger phone…nope, that was bonus. I really enjoyed the comedy of it and I enjoyed Ellen Page so much (but she was better in Hard Candy, in my humble opinion). I respect your review, it was actually one of the funniest I have read in a long time!

17. Nicholas Plowman - Dec 22 '07, 11:52 am

    Oh and about that mix tape…I wouldn’t mind taking it off your hands….the soundtrack to the film was so good, for me atleast.

18. Craig Kennedy - Dec 22 '07, 11:59 am

    I’m glad you enjoyed the review AND the movie Nicholas.

    It’s fair to say most people agree with you…about the movie I mean.

    For the record, I also love Ellen Page. She was pretty amazing in Hard Candy. And I also enjoyed the soundtrack to Juno.

19. Nicholas Plowman - Dec 22 '07, 12:06 pm

    I have yet to meet a person who says they don’t like Ellen…Cool man, I really like your site hey, have no idea how I came across it, but oh my, am I glad I did.

20. joel - Dec 30 '07, 10:15 pm

    OK Craig, I have to admit that I see everything you’re saying here and I have to agree but I think my expectations were so low by the time I got in the theater that I liked it more than you, at least enough to give it 3 stars.

    I could actually buy that Juno and Bleeker would be together but you know the second this girl hits 19 and discovers the world while he’s still into Tic-Tacs and jogging that she’s gone, off fucking the young version of Jason Bateman like the rock star he wishes he was. So in that respect, I see what you were saying and I agree: Ellen Page and Michael Cera aren’t going to be together in reality. The outsider Juno and the awkward-yet-cute Bleeker at age 16…yeah, maybe.

    And speaking of Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner, wow…didn’t like them. Not their performances, but their characters as written. I just wasn’t buying THEM as individuals or a couple. Come on, any boy that uber-geek isn’t going to end up renouncing himself for her unless he’s in it for the long haul. I could see the third act twist if it was written differently, but no.

    And maybe it’s that I find Jennifer Garner so fucking irritating now (I bought into her for about 3 episodes of Alias but since then, not so much) but who does a film this small and needs a personal assistant, a private costumer, and a private makeup artist? I guess I should not have sat through the credits to see the music used because it soiled what little good will I had left for Bennifer’s more auburn half. Or maybe she’s a great actress for being such a prima donna and yet still articulating some small moments of emotional resonance? I don’t know.

    But I digress. I think. The acting was pretty good, what there was of it when characters weren’t just being too cool for words (which is in of itself acting since no one on the face of the planet is as cool as anyone in Juno 24-7). I could see the ferver for Ms Page. She’s cute as a button and she can hold her own in any scene. Cera is one more awkward loser role away from being annoying, but he gave Bleeker a warmth most actors couldn’t find room for in this role. Janney and Simmons are fairly one-note but they both do their trademark best with underwritten characters.

    I did think the soundtrack was making sweet love to a Wes Anderson soundtrack by way of John Hughes but I’m OK with that. Quirky, mix-CD-worthy soundtracks should not be relegated to one director a decade, regardless of how out-of-main-character they may be. Sure Juno hearts Iggy and the Vandals, but that doesn’t mean the soundtrack to her life can’t consist of Belle and Sebastian. OK, it is a blatant crossing of genres and whatnot, but I gave them a pass.

    And this brings me to the dialogue: at times it was so self-consciously, impossibly hip, and irreverant it nearly brought the movie to a screeching halt but for every line that was 20 years too smart, there was another that smacked of believable. So again, I gave that a pass. Not as curiously ridiculous as Napolean Dynamite nor as poetical as Mr. Anderson, but it worked. Mostly.

    And so I’ve come back to the core of it: the Story. Didn’t really like the story so much. It felt all too easy and far too simplistic, as though the reality of this situation was left behind in order to jam in more great witty dialogue and cool musical interludes from bands I’m not hip to. Seriously, I think having a child at 16 has to be a little more intense than hipper-than-all Juno makes it out to be. It was well-done for what it was but the story, its politics, and the emotional core of the movie felt trite at best. I hate to say it, but it’s true.

    Still, I kind of liked it. It was the confection I suppose, not the substance of it. Like Christmas sweets…they taste good, they may not be good for me, and I might regret them down the road, but in the meantime I ignore the impending stomach ache and smile with pleasure.

    I guess the real test will be will I bother to see Juno again? Will think much about it after February? Time will tell.

21. Craig Kennedy - Dec 30 '07, 10:24 pm

    I”m glad you liked it really and I’m not especially surprised. As I’m happy to tell anyone who will listen, I really like Ellen Page and I don’t think anyone else could’ve been Juno.

    Had the movie made me laugh more, I’d have forgiven all its other flaws. For some reason it just didn’t. Lots of smiles, that’s about it.

    I look forward to Ms. Cody’s next screenplay, Jennifer’s Body or whatever it’s called (too lazy to look it up).

22. sartre - Dec 30 '07, 10:29 pm

    I think it’s called Jennifer Connelly’s Body.

23. joel - Dec 30 '07, 10:41 pm

    I’d go see Jennifer Connelly’s Body.

    Yeah, I didn’t laugh all that many times, more smiling than anything else. I was kind of annoyed that most of the best moments and one-liners were ruined by the trailer I saw like a bazillion times before it came out but I’ve come to accept that movie trailers for comedies are typically a spoiler-fest of epic proportions.

    I can’t wait to see Ellen Page do something beyond this. I may even go look up her other films just for good measure.

24. Craig Kennedy - Dec 30 '07, 11:06 pm

    That movie was called The Hot Spot, Sartre and it got me through college.

    Check out The Tracey Fragments Joel. It was too pretentious by half probably, but interesting and she was good.

    I think you already saw Hard Candy, no? Not great but Ms. Page was good.

    Mouth to Mouth was a little weird, and again just OK, but she was great once again.

25. Alexander - Dec 31 '07, 12:34 am

    I essentially agree with both Craig and joel. I’ve come across as rather hostile towards Juno at AwardsDaily primarily because I cannot fathom how one could vote for it for Best Picture in a year *this* stellar.

    Then again, as with all things, your mileage may vary.

    I thought the film was something of a sweet confection, well coated with a lot of small touches that made it go down smoothly. The Wes Anderson comparisons are so appropriate. That guy has become as plagiarized, in certain ways, as Tarantino was about a decade ago. So many “quirky indies” every year, coming out of Cannes, some of them becoming massive hits (Little Miss Sunshine) and others not doing so well. Juno feels like the culmination of that in some ways, though it most likely isn’t, of course.

    I’m still debating the merits of the film with myself. It’s almost like the opposite of a film like The Assassination of Jesse James… or There WIll Be Blood: it’s so apparently minor, and at times even annoying in its “hipness,” that I find myself grappling with it, unwilling to succumb to it and yet not closing myself off from it, either. So, in the end, I fall somewhere between you, Craig and joel, though I’d second Craig’s star rating, I guess.

    I thought The Tracey Fragments was solid. You’re right, Craig, it was too pretentious for its own good, but Ellen Page gave a very strong performance in that.

    I profoundly disliked Hard Candy, though even I must admit to being impressed by Page there as well.

    Still have to see Mouth to Mouth.

26. joel - Dec 31 '07, 8:12 am

    When I think of the trend in quirk I don’t think of Little Miss Sunshine or Stranger than Fiction for that matter, but I can see the comparisons others have made.

    It is kind of frustrating. On one hand, I think there’s a lot of talent on display here and I’m all for trends in film if they yield entertaining results. Plus, no one has even come close yet to actually nailing Wes Anderson’s style or look and if they did, it would be so blatantly obvious as to be a turn-off. But most of these movies have been more miss than hit, films I could see once and forget about them a week later without having made much of an impression on me. Napolean Dynamite may have become a cult hit and Little Miss Sunshine really touched a nerve with people, but will anyone be watching Chumscrubber or Thumbsucker or Rocket Science in a couple years? Even next year?

    If the movies were better, I don’t think it would be so frustrating.

27. Craig Kennedy - Dec 31 '07, 8:42 am

    I’ve said this before and I’m too lazy to look and see if I’ve already said it in this thread, but I think if I stumbled upon Juno removed from all the hype, there’s a good chance I would’ve enjoyed it as a cute but forgettable movie. It certainly didn’t piss me off.

    Oh well, clearly the world doesn’t care what we think. Juno is big. It’s making a lot of money and it will get lots of nominations.

    Could be worse.

    You know, it’s too bad that Anderson gets blamed for this abundance of quirk. They’re like a menagerie of his favorite toys, but it runs deeper than that.

28. sartre - Dec 31 '07, 9:37 am

    Still haven’t seen Juno and I’m in no great rush. The trailer irritated me by the 3rd viewing and many of those who liked it more seem to do so in a qualified way. I may catch it on DVD.

    I love The Hot Spot. As a younger man I was tortured by the uncertainty of my imaginary choice between the good (Connelly) and the very bad girl (Madsen).

29. Marsh Gooch - Dec 31 '07, 2:10 pm

    I think it’s sorta like when they bring on a new character on sitcom to breathe new life into it. Oliver may have been a cute kid and looked a lot like John Denver, but he couldn’t mask the fact that The Brady Bunch had long since left the station… (mixed metphors rule).

30. Daniel - Jan 28 '08, 8:13 am

    Just read this. Awesome.

31. Mrs. Gee - Jan 28 '08, 8:32 am

    Well, I finally saw Juno yesterday and I completely understand why everyone loves it. That’s what makes it so hard to tell people I didn’t like it much.

    The quick-witted dialog got old in the first five minutes because nobody continually talks like that and if they did, I’d be forced to tell them to punch them in the chest. That dialog makes Juno ripe for an SNL parody skit.

    And what 16 year old girl who finds herself pregnant isn’t at least a LITTLE freaked out? Sure she was masking her feelings with her humor, but I didn’t see a tinge of stress.

    The most realistic bits were Jennifer Garner’s character wanting a baby so desperately that you could see the ache in her face and Jason Bateman’s character not wanting one at all.

    As for the music, as soon as the credits started rolling, I turned to my husband and said, “If I have to listen to these annoying nursery rhyme vocals one more second, somenone’s gonna die.”

    This movie missed the mark, but you can bet it’ll be a winner on Oscar night.

32. Craig Kennedy - Jan 28 '08, 8:42 am

    Thank sweet baby Jesus I’m not completely alone on this one. I knew there HAD to be someone out there.

    I guess it’s easy to be not freaked out about your pregnancy when the only side effect is a big stomach and people in class look at you funny.

33. Nicholas Plowman - Jan 28 '08, 8:51 am

    Love how people are so divided on this film!
    It is refreshing to find a film not EVERYONE likes, but I like it, and that makes it even more special for me.

34. Serena - Jan 28 '08, 8:58 am

    Since Daniel just contributed to this thread, I thought I’d better have another boo at it.

    I’ve seen Juno three times. Loved it - & I didn’t expect that it would be my cup of java. AT ALL. So it was a great unexpected pleasure. You can’t have too many of those…

    But joel (ever observant dude that he is - you should be working for the CIA, honey) pointed something out in his post that I missed. I sit through end credits most of the time so I don’t actually know how it happened. But I had NO IDEA that Garner had requested a personal assistant, a separate costumer & her own makeup artist on an INDIE. That is in extremely poor tatste & it’s absolute diva behaviour.

    I really shouldn’t expect anything less. Garner is one of the most untalented, catastrophically unattractive broads who was ever fortunate enough to land an acting gig. However undeserved. I can totally see how someone like Garner would need all that “help”. But I won’t give her points for it.

    I adored this movie in spite of her. Thank Christ she was never nominated for anything. That would have been a supreme travesty.

    joel, I understand what you’re saying about the future of Juno & Bleek’s relationship. But they’re very young. They’re not 26 or 36. THEY’RE 16. Everyone moves on at that age.

    Plus…

    I had no idea that anyone in this sweet little universe was a proponent of The Hot Spot. I own that. Don Johnson’s not much (even buck naked - he’s handsome enough, but big deal…) but the women are great.

    Jennifer Connolly is convincingly lovely & Virigina Madsen is 135 different kinds of awesome. No modern female actor is as great at the femme fatale thing as Ginny & she’s a bold blonde revelation here. I always find myself quoting her after watching it. She’s that cool & that accomplished. She should’ve taken home awards for that performance.

    Love the part when he’s with her in the car.

    He says, “Is there anything interesting to do around here? What do you do for fun?”

    So she says, “Only two things really. You got a TV?’

    He shakes his head no. So she replies, “Well…Guess you’re down to one…”

    And she got what she wanted in the end, too. Ginny’s THE BOMB…

35. Daniel - Jan 28 '08, 10:07 am

    Full disclosure: The most present flavor that makes up the bad taste in my mouth for Juno is Diablo Cody, who has been celebrated here in Minneapolis as the greatest voice of her generation. It’s clear that her characters and dialogue are either loved or loathed by any of us, but I don’t think anyone can convince me that Ms. “Cody” is a worthy Oscar winner (which she will be). Lucky for her, 2007 was crazy full of adapted screenplays, so anything new would rise to the top.

    So yes, I couldn’t handle Juno or its characters, but I think it was indirectly because I felt like I was just hearing another Diablo Cody interview for 90 minutes. Add to that the fact that I’m a contrarian anyway, and I end up not liking the movie that much. Serious backlash building up within me over the last month or so…

36. Craig Kennedy - Jan 28 '08, 10:18 am

    I’m trying really hard to stay off the backlash bandwagon. Everyone knows where I stand, and I’m fine with just about everyone I know loving this thing, yet I can’t help getting my digs in from time to time.

    I liked Cody a lot when she first started making waves. I’ve enjoyed some of the stuff I’ve read on her blog, but the more I see of her, the less I like of her. Her latest interview on Letterman she actually kind of bugged me.

37. glimmer - Jan 28 '08, 11:23 am

    serena,when more puzzlingly jennifer isn’t in the movie long enough to even begin to warrant these just for her bits.(but she was the biggest star/name going into the film…)

38. Serena - Jan 28 '08, 11:46 am

    That’s exactly it, Glimmer. Garner wanted the “star” treatment even though she was working on an indie.

    If having one minor TV show, doing a few flop films that no one saw & being married to Ben Affleck makes you a STAR, that’s a hell of a lot more ego than I’d ever want to lay claim to.

39. glimmer - Jan 28 '08, 11:56 am

    well….it did get her in the top 10 for supporting female actress. *ducking* ;)

40. Serena - Jan 28 '08, 12:30 pm

    Hah.

    She wasn’t on MY Top 10, babe…

    I don’t think she’d even make my Bottom 10…

41. joel - Jan 28 '08, 1:00 pm

    Yeah, maybe I imagined one of those credits but I was kind of startled to see it and pointed it out to my girlfriend on the way out of the theater, so I’m pretty sure Garner actually had all that help. She may have needed extra assistance wrangling her kids and what not, hence a personal assistant isn’t too shocking but separate costumes and make-up? Come on. I mean, she’s following in the foot steps of J-Blo fiasco so maybe some of that Lopez-craziness rubbed off on her. I don’t know.

    Anyway, if you skim through this you will see for yourself: Jennifer needs a lot of help to look like that.
    http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809834191/cast

    It’s weird behavior for an indie.

42. Serena - Jan 28 '08, 1:25 pm

    Yep. Right you are, joel. Follow the link…

    Anna Pala…..Makeup for J. Garner
    Maria Bradley…..Costumer for J. Garner
    Emily Millard…….Assistant to Ms. Garner

    Y’know, I never could stand this chick. I’d never EVER like her now. This is the worst kind of Hollywood wastefulness & hypocrisy, all brought on by ego & status consciousness to the nth degree.

    Obviously, there’s no money on an indie. Or relatively little as compared to some big studio feature. But Garner really wanted it both ways. She wanted to be taken seriously so she jumped at Diablo’s great script. It was important enough to her that she signed on to be a part of this project. But she didn’t want it badly enough that she was willing to give up her ultimate diva qualities.

    The whole point of being in an indie feature is to put your ego by the side of the road. You should be willing to pitch in & help. There isn’t a ton of money available - & this is the environment you claim to want to be involved with.

    It would be amusing if it weren’t so sad. If she needs all that help to look like that (give me a break…) then how bad does she really look?

    I can just imagine….

    Seems like Affleck goes for the same type consistently. Just like joel said. There we are. Another J-Lo in the making. Considering that he dated Gwynnie, that guy certainly has appalling taste in women.

43. Craig Kennedy - Jan 28 '08, 1:50 pm

    My only defense for Ms. Garner is that Juno is an indie film like my ass is an indie film.

    This wasn’t a film that came to Toronto begging for a distributor. This is studio product all the way disguised as an indie.

    I wouldn’t be shocked if the fine folks at Fox Searchlight paid everyone like it was a real indie however, in which case these could even be Garner’s own people.

44. Serena - Jan 28 '08, 2:48 pm

    “…Juno is an indie film like my ass is an indie film.” ROTFLMFAO Uh….really, Craig?

    No, I am abundantly aware of that, sweetie. Fox Searchlight is, of course, no less than a subsidiary of Fox (I guess they no longer call it Twentieth Century Fox for obvious reasons - & I have yet to hear anyone refer to it yet as Twenty First Century Fox), a multibillion dollar conglomerate.

    Same situation exists for Focus Features, Paramount Vantage, Miramax (since Disney bought them out) etc.

    If indeed those are Garner’s own people (AND SHE WAS PAYING THEIR SALARIES) that’s a whole different ball of wax. But if she brought her people on board & Fox put them on the payroll, well….

    I don’t like the broad in any case. Don’t think she has any talent whatsoever. Think she looks like the back end of a bus.

    But, yeah, those two situations are VERY different. So, seeing as I’m not sure what the circumstances were in that case, I’ll reserve comment…..

45. Craig Kennedy - Jan 28 '08, 2:52 pm

    Don’t get me wrong Serena, I’m not saying your opinion of Ms. Garner is at all misplaced…I was simply taking a thinly veiled swipe at the movie.

    See how I am?

46. Pierre de Plume - Jan 28 '08, 2:52 pm

    Thanks, Craig, for pointing that out about “these could even be Garner’s own people.”

    Serena, my gem, you know I adore you — but I think Jennifer is getting a bad wrap here. First off, the fact that she’s with Ben Affleck does nothing to improve my estimation of her. But we’re on the outside looking in, making conclusions about her motivations on the basis of scant information. For all we know, Garner is insecure, or a perfectionist about how she looks onscreen. It may have nothing to do with vanity and everything to do with “what’s up there on the screen” (to paraphrase Bette Davis). Whether it’s an indie, studio product, or the latter disguised as the former, it’s the work that counts. Even if vanity was part of her motivation, whom am I to throw stones?

    And I happen to like the work Garner did in Juno. She was believable to the core as that character, on par with Bateman and Page.

    I liked Juno — didn’t love it, but so what? Were all the situations and plot twists believable when plotted on comparison charts opposite “real life”? Who cares? Film often addresses the extraordinary, flirts with the extreme and the implausible.

    What annoyed me the most about Juno wasn’t the sometimes dorky dialogue but, rather, the insipid, giggly responses of the audience — which in my mind indicated they thought the damned movie was better than the second coming of whatzhisname (I’m so bad with names).

    Even the most exalted of films have elements that sometimes require forgiveness (or at least a blind eye) on the part of the audience member. I’d much sooner give Diablo a break — to free up my time so I could slap those idiots in the row in front of me who laughed so often I wanted to sneeze on them and say, “Sorry!” the same way Bette Davis did after she shook the living daylights out of Miriam Hopkins in “Old Acquaintance.”

47. Serena - Jan 28 '08, 2:52 pm

    And how is that…? LOL

48. Serena - Jan 28 '08, 2:54 pm

    Sorry, Pierre. My response was directed to Craig.

    I’ll have one for you in a moment…

49. Pierre de Plume - Jan 28 '08, 2:59 pm

    I look forward to checking in on this exchange later tonight. . . .

50. Serena - Jan 28 '08, 3:05 pm

    “…the second coming of whatzhisname…” Oh, Lordy, I do love that.

    Pierre, you’ve forgotten more about acting than I’ll ever know. I am very much aware that you liked Garner’s work in Juno. That is your privilege & if I’d be willing to cut anybody slack here or at AD, it would indeed be you. Your gentlemanly, elegant world view - & your priceless perspective on the art of acting - is worth its weight in gold to me.

    Doesn’t mean I can stomach the broad, but I will definitely concede to your POV.

    And I’ll also give you this: much as I loved Juno, your above post - which summed up your opinion of the film & the audience you saw it with - was just as hilarious IMO.

51. Craig Kennedy - Jan 28 '08, 3:08 pm

    “Doesn’t mean I can stomach the broad…”

    Ahahah…this is a point which can’t be argued.

52. Dorothy Porker - Jan 28 '08, 5:42 pm

    My goodness…what have I stumbled upon? This site is great and I love all the folks here…have I died? Is this my shangri-la (a Kinks reference in honor of the review…Craig, I agree so much about Wes Anderson making it work…that film moved me more than I ever expected)? Ah, I’ll be back…and often.

    I haven’t seen Juno yet but I wanted to read Craig’s thoughts about it since we’re almost always on the same page. Not sure whether to wait for it to come out on DVD or whether to watch it on the big screen. I’ll think about that tomorrow.

    Hugs all around.

53. Craig Kennedy - Jan 28 '08, 5:48 pm

    Honored that you stopped by Dorothy. This will sound crazy, but I’m going to recommend you see Juno. There are just too many people whose opinions I respect that really liked it.

    Plus, all the cool kids are talking about it and who doesn’t want to be a cool kid??

    (I love Shangri-la!…Ray Davies is the man)

54. Daniel - Jan 28 '08, 7:51 pm

    Looks like I set off a bit of a firestorm with this earlier today. Just goes to show how divisive Juno is. Thanks for the forum, Craig. I still agree with your original review…

55. sartre - Jan 28 '08, 8:12 pm

    Dorothy, I finally saw La Vie En Rose and loved her performance and the film. I’ll put some thoughts together about the experience in time and visit your site to express them.

    Glad you stumbled upon Craig’s wonderful site. It’s a classy exclusive joint. No riff raff. Very hush hush, and on the QT.

56. joel - Jan 28 '08, 8:30 pm

    I’m glad people picked up on Garnergate and while I agree with Craig that Juno is about the furthest thing from an indie since Little Miss Sunshine came around, the fact remains that it galls me that on a small production where Garner isn’t exactly competing with any A-list Maxim magazine bait that she needs all that support. If she paid for it herself or her star power is such that she can negotiate that, whatever, but it’s just shocking to me that ANYONE on Juno needed not one, but two personal appearance fluffers at their beck and call. Couldn’t share a mirror with the up-and-comer?

    Kinda puts a whole new spin on the narcissism there, Jen.

    Plus it doesn’t help that I’m really quite over Mrs Affleck and have nothing but disinterest for her continued forays into the world of acting. Apparently she gives good make-up and costume, I don’t know, but really it’s all kind of beyond me. Regardless, my original point from weeks ago seems to have spawned a life of its own (thank you, Daniel and Serena) and I shall enjoy the fact that I’ve illuminated this dark embarrassment from the production details of said Juno. I really feel like I accomplished something here.

    Thanks for taking an otherwise awful day and making it end on an entertaining note. All of you are to be commended.

57. Craig Kennedy - Jan 28 '08, 9:51 pm

    Daniel, you’re welcome to toss firebombs around here any time.

    Sartre’s that guy standing on the sidewalk in Tijuana with the Live Nude Girls sign.

    Ahahahah. It was an awesome investigative report Joel, I don’t know how I missed it in the first place. As I said to Serena, please feel free to continue loathing her. I think you’ve caught more of her output than I have particiularly a much maligned superhero movie that I overlooked.

58. Pierre de Plume - Jan 28 '08, 9:53 pm

    I dunno how much you know about acting, Serena, but you’re right about one thing — I’ve forgotten all sorts of things.

    Sometimes I’ll see an actor I don’t really care for benefit from genius casting. For example, I don’t particularly like Bruce Willis’s acting, but I thought he was great in Pulp Fiction because he was well cast and rose to the challenges of the role.

59. Serena - Jan 29 '08, 1:28 am

    You’re welcome, joel. Maybe Garner really is insecure. (As Pierre so eloquently pointed out.) I would be too if I looked like that. Thank God I don’t. LOL

    My darling, debonair Pierre (see, I made a rhyme)…Can I be pompous for a moment? LMAO

    I’m sure I don’t know as much about acting as a well seasoned vet (or someone that trained with the legendary Stella Adler. sartre said you did. Is that right? That’s HUGELY impressive). But I do know much more than the average Joe & Jane on the street.

    I’m positive you haven’t forgotten ANYTHING, my sweet. It’s just an expression. But I know you’re on to me in two seconds flat. (IF THAT, Pierre.) You’re sharp as a tack.

    You’re absolutely right about casting. (As you always are.) It probably counts for much more than anyone outside of the business knows. If actors are correctly cast it can make not only an enormous difference to their careers but to the potential success of their films.

    Actually, I’m loving this thread. Sorta taken on a life of its own. That’s the best kind. I dig sartre’s homage to LA Confidential: “Very hush hush & on the QT.”

    WELCOME, DOROTHY!!!!!

    I was wondering if you were EVER gonna show up. Make sure to visit regularly AND often. We need more girls around here (I’m sure everyone can attest to that, right?) & your fabulous taste & intelligent opinions are always welcome.

    I know. It’s not my site. It’s Craig’s. LOL But I’m sure he doesn’t mind me speaking for him when I know he would’ve said exactly the same thing.

    Even more evidence that you & I are twin sisters, D. That Kinks reference (& I do LOVE those boys) & the Scarlett O’Hara quote: “I’ll think about that tomorrow.”

    I’m so happy that you finally found us. Make sure you come back & hang out with us whenever you can. Your sparkling personality is needed here, honey.

    And I do mean that. To the maximum degree…..

60. Alexander - Jan 29 '08, 2:43 am

    I think it kind of says something that when we discuss There Will Be Blood or No Country for Old Men or even the sometimes unfairly bashed Michael Clayton (it’s not its fault it’s competing with two masterworks) and the often dismissed Atonement, we delve into the inner workings of the characters, the visions of the filmmakers and the epigrammatic messages the plots of the films convey but with Juno, we’re talking about Jennifer Garner being a diva. Which is a discussion I think is a riot to read, by the way. I’m just saying there is something to be taken from all of this. :-)

    Seriously, though, thanks for pointing that out, joel. And thanks Serena for that hilarious takedown of Garner.

    Oh, and of course, welcome Dorothy.

61. Serena - Jan 29 '08, 3:53 am

    Aw, you’re welcome, honey bear.

    Let’s just say that a real diva can spot a pretender to the throne at 20 paces. Tops.

    For real…LMAO

62. Dorothy Porker - Jan 29 '08, 7:12 am

    Thanks to everyone for the warm reception. You guys are too lovely for words.

    sartre: I’m delighted you enjoyed Ms. Cotillard’s performance! I was waiting (a bit nervously) for your reaction. I’m looking forward to reading more about your thoughts on the film and the performance.

    serena: darling, I nominate you for head of the welcoming committee. And I’m, of course, thrilled that you’re a Kinks fan — all of these coincidences are just insane. I’m devoted to Mr. Davies and the rest of the boys, what talent and originality! And GWTW is one of my favorite films (that “old war horse” as Pauline Kael called it, lol).

    Finally, I’m glad (and honored) to somewhat inflate the estrogen levels around here :-)

63. Serena - Jan 29 '08, 8:32 am

    YAY!!!!!!

    Dorothy’s a member of our own personal little LiC clique.

    All I can say is: it’s about bloody time. OH MY YES…

    Girls rule….

64. Craig Kennedy - Jan 29 '08, 9:13 am

    Sorry there was no red carpet for you Dorothy, it got Billy Bush on it and we had to have it destroyed.

65. “The Curious Case of Juno McGruff” « Fataculture - Feb 8 '08, 12:25 pm

    [...] stuck by their opinions without them being affected by the film’s attention, such as Craig at Living In Cinema and Matt at From The Front Row. Our opinions differ, I can still respect them though because they [...]

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