Update:
This is the first time I have ever done this and I hope I am able to do it. I want to apologize for blasting this film. After another viewing, I started to fall in love with this little charmer. Now after several more viewings, I am totally in love with this movie from its folksy little songs that at first seem silly but are oh so perfectly fitting to brilliant performances to a story that at first seems mundane but becoming a lot deeper than you realize. Juno you are a wonderful film, sorry it took me so long to come around.
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For starters I didn't hate Juno. I thought Ellen Page was charming (though I agree with so many others in that her character could be annoying and pretentious). I also liked the rest of the cast. However, The story line of teen pregnancy is an old one. We've all seen countless movies on the subject matter so if you are going to make a film on this subject, you need to bring something new to the table which this film clearly didn't do.
If this was just some throwaway indie film, I would have walked away from this thinking, okay, it was cute but when you hear buzz about how great this is and then HBO gives it 3.5 stars (which is the same rating they give The Color Purple), there are expectations that this film is special; it isn't. Could it have been more than it was? I don't think so. If you are reading this review and want to watch this film go into it not expecting anything great. Maybe if my expectations weren't so high, I would have given it another star, who knows?
This is the first time I have ever done this and I hope I am able to do it. I want to apologize for blasting this film. After another viewing, I started to fall in love with this little charmer. Now after several more viewings, I am totally in love with this movie from its folksy little songs that at first seem silly but are oh so perfectly fitting to brilliant performances to a story that at first seems mundane but becoming a lot deeper than you realize. Juno you are a wonderful film, sorry it took me so long to come around.
**************************************************************
For starters I didn't hate Juno. I thought Ellen Page was charming (though I agree with so many others in that her character could be annoying and pretentious). I also liked the rest of the cast. However, The story line of teen pregnancy is an old one. We've all seen countless movies on the subject matter so if you are going to make a film on this subject, you need to bring something new to the table which this film clearly didn't do.
If this was just some throwaway indie film, I would have walked away from this thinking, okay, it was cute but when you hear buzz about how great this is and then HBO gives it 3.5 stars (which is the same rating they give The Color Purple), there are expectations that this film is special; it isn't. Could it have been more than it was? I don't think so. If you are reading this review and want to watch this film go into it not expecting anything great. Maybe if my expectations weren't so high, I would have given it another star, who knows?