A wisecrack on life

Admit it or not, it is now a fact that sunny, feel-good movies do not impress the voters at the annual Academy Awards anymore. That means no more family musicals like The Sound of Music or breathtaking romances a la Titanic.

But fear not, all you blithe of hearts, because Juno was also in the running this year for Oscar Best Picture. A smart, heartwarming comedy of simple filmmaking delights, Juno flows like running water and crackles like pop corn. Then, just when you have settled into enjoying its easy banter, it goes about springing one surprise after another to open the hearts of some of the most endearing characters ever written.

Juno is the second film directed by Jason Reitman, son of Ivan of Ghostbusters fame. He made a well-received debut with Thank You for Smoking and has now proven that that success was no fluke. Juno is not only better, it is one of the best films of recent times.

The picture tells the story of 16-year-old Juno MacDuff who is cool and intelligent, but not smart enough to protect herself from unwanted pregnancy. She is now pregnant by her close friend, Paulie. They are just that, friends, nothing more. Truth to tell, Juno merely enlisted Paulie into joining her when she decided it was time for her to have sex.

Still characteristically unfazed, Juno now sets about tackling her problem with the same calculated approach she gave to experimenting in sex with Paulie. She considers abortion but backs out because of the antiseptic, impersonal atmosphere in the clinic.

She goes to her next option, an open adoption and scans a Penny Saver in search of the right parents-to-be. Lucky for her she finds what seems to be the perfect couple, Mark, a frustrated rocker-turned-jingle writer and his wife, the domineering, baby hungry Vanessa.

Of course, although this is a comedy, Mark and Vanessa are not really going to give Juno the easy way out of her predicament. In fact their arrival into the picture is what unlocks the depths of emotions we discover our heroine to be, in fact, hiding. And hormonal or not, her feelings across the next nine months affect everybody into also revealing themselves.

There is nothing funny about the topics of teen pregnancy and adoption. These are, in fact, what tear-jerkers are made of. But Reitman who can wave satire in your face and make you think that this is what life is supposed to be, has taken these and twisted them to his wry ends. The elements for melodrama are all there. But clever Reitman keeps the action interesting and lively with a well-placed song or a wisecrack.

There is no problem with the soundtrack. The songs are great and were put to effective use. Not so with the one-liners. The screenplay by Diablo Cody, though excellent, has too many of these. Too hip at times, most of them might be lost on local viewers. Saving the day in this regard is Reitman’s cast. The actors sail through the dialogue with aplomb and ably lead the audience into accepting these as what should come naturally from the characters.

The players provide the finishing touches to this marvelous piece of work and the performances show up familiar faces in new engaging lights. Did you know that Jennifer Garner could be brilliant, that Jason Bateman has a weird side, that Michael Cera  could be a lovable, geeky leading man or that Allison Janney and J.K. Simmons would from now on embody the coolest parents a teen-ager ever had. Then there is of course Ellen Page, who plays Juno. What an actress! Glowing with charm and intelligence, she carries Juno off with flying colors.

The performances together with Cody’s take on the narrative and Reitman’s sure-footed approach to the material add up to filmmaking greatness. Juno is a reminder of what movies were originally supposed to be, before somebody thought of substituting the dazzle of special effects for thinking entertainment.

Juno has raised the bar for contemporary comedies and proven once more that touching the heart is all that really counts.