Juno: The Heeb Review
by Andrew Marantz
I have to confess: when I first saw the trailer for Juno, I thought it would be a Knocked Up knock-off. Well, blame that misleading trailer, because Juno is its own movie. And, although I liked Knocked Up, Juno is far better.
Yes, both are indie comedies about headstrong heroines who have been accidentally impregnated by dorky guys. Yes, both include subplots about turbulent suburban marriages. Yes, Paul Rudd and Jason Bateman are neck-and-neck for the title of World’s Wryest Heartthrob. Yes, Michael Cera could pass for a young Seth Rogen, especially now that Cera has starred in Rogen’s semi-auto-biopic, Superbad. (If you want to futher confuse yourself, check out this clip of Cera pretending to get fired from the set of Knocked Up.)
However, differences between the movies abound. Knocked Up earned brownie points for being “heartwarming” and “family friendly,” but it did so largely by pretending abortion and adoption didn’t exist. Juno, choosing complexity over glibness, faces these options head-on. It’s hard to tell how the moral majority will react, but I think Juno‘s frankness makes it the more courageous film—and, ultimately, the one with the bigger heart.
While Knocked Up prized gags over character development, every character in Juno is complex and three-dimensional. For example, take the two controlling wives. Leslie Mann’s character in Knocked Up starts off infuriatingly bitchy and ends up merely amusingly bitchy; she changes alliances but does not change fundamentally. Contrast Jennifer Garner’s character in Juno, who starts off infuriatingly bitchy and ends up human. Garner’s character’s arc feels natural because screenwriter Diablo Cody does not resort to manipulation or (too much) sentimental triteness. She simply treats her flawed characters with respect; and, ultimately, the audience does the same. I can’t wait to see what Cody, a former stripper, will wear to the Oscars.
I have to confess: when I first saw the trailer for Juno, I thought it would be a Knocked Up knock-off. Well, blame that misleading trailer, because Juno is its own movie. And, although I liked Knocked Up, Juno is far better.
Yes, both are indie comedies about headstrong heroines who have been accidentally impregnated by dorky guys. Yes, both include subplots about turbulent suburban marriages. Yes, Paul Rudd and Jason Bateman are neck-and-neck for the title of World’s Wryest Heartthrob. Yes, Michael Cera could pass for a young Seth Rogen, especially now that Cera has starred in Rogen’s semi-auto-biopic, Superbad. (If you want to futher confuse yourself, check out this clip of Cera pretending to get fired from the set of Knocked Up.)
However, differences between the movies abound. Knocked Up earned brownie points for being “heartwarming” and “family friendly,” but it did so largely by pretending abortion and adoption didn’t exist. Juno, choosing complexity over glibness, faces these options head-on. It’s hard to tell how the moral majority will react, but I think Juno‘s frankness makes it the more courageous film—and, ultimately, the one with the bigger heart.
While Knocked Up prized gags over character development, every character in Juno is complex and three-dimensional. For example, take the two controlling wives. Leslie Mann’s character in Knocked Up starts off infuriatingly bitchy and ends up merely amusingly bitchy; she changes alliances but does not change fundamentally. Contrast Jennifer Garner’s character in Juno, who starts off infuriatingly bitchy and ends up human. Garner’s character’s arc feels natural because screenwriter Diablo Cody does not resort to manipulation or (too much) sentimental triteness. She simply treats her flawed characters with respect; and, ultimately, the audience does the same. I can’t wait to see what Cody, a former stripper, will wear to the Oscars.
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