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"The new Little Miss Sunshine" has been the catchphrase to describe every quirky indie comedy that has come along since the breakout 2006 hit, but Juno is the first film which seems to warrant that tag, if its unexpected Best Picture Oscar nomination (matching Little Miss Sunshine's achievement) is anything to go by. Comedy, however, is a notoriously fickle thing to get right, and despite the fact that critics have been falling over each other in showering praise on Juno, this is an example of one that just seems to miss the spot. Sides remain emphatically un-split after the film's 96 minutes have elapsed, as it barely raises much in the way of chuckles throughout its duration. Mystifyingly, though, Juno hasn't proven to be an instance of the critics seeming to watch one film and the general audience an entirely different one, as the popular consensus has been overwhelmingly positive too. At the time of writing the film sits at number 133 on IMDB's top 250 films of all time - as if that's any reliable gauge of quality these days - and its US box office takings have steamed past $100 million and continue to be strong.
There is stuff to like here, and plenty of potential too. Ellen Page, in the title role of the uniquely-named Juno MacGuff - who left an indelible impression on those who saw her in Hard Candy, and made a thoroughly competent Kitty Pryde in X-Men: The Last Stand - delivers a performance that is the definition of "breakthrough", proven by her Best Actress nomination. In Juno the young actress is a notch below remarkable, although that is probably down to the script more than anything. Michael Cera, so good in Superbad, basically brings the same character to this film, and the role certainly benefits from a talent like him as it is fundamentally underwritten. The ever-loveable J.K. Simmons (the scene-stealing newspaper editor J. Jonah Jameson in the Spider-Man films) is a welcome presence as Juno's father, but suffers from a lack of memorable lines despite noticeable effort.
All of these actors' problems come down to one main source: the script (yet another category in which it has been Oscar nominated, and it may even be the frontrunner given its BAFTA win). Internet blogger and first-time screenwriter Diablo Cody seems too preoccupied with giving her characters witty, smart-arse dialogue at the expense of actual personality, and most of the jokes fall flat, partly due to the actors' unavoidably awkward delivery. The opening credit sequence sets off early alarm bells, drawing attention to the fact that this is a film that is trying to be quirky. Quirkiness, however, should not be something that is aimed for; it should be a by-product of originality. Jason Reitman (yup, Oscar nominated) directs competently, but his previous film, Thank You for Smoking, was considerably funnier and more inventive. Juno, his second feature, is not a complete dead loss, but it's nowhere near the comedy classic that its immense acclaim would suggest.
The summary
This Knocked Up with teenagers is a big disappointment. Little more than a 90-minute distraction, featuring an up-and-coming star.
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