Unemotional Teenage Pregnancy in "Juno"

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Skinny, blonde and beautiful. Perfect? This is the message the media gives out. You open up a magazine and see images of perfect, airbrushed, stick thin women. In television adverts the women are bright smiled, big haired and flawless. So are these women idols for young girls? Are they the stereotype? Even the majority of teen flicks use the modelesque young actresses. Is this right?

However, 2007s Juno was a different story. Quirky, witty, Juno (Ellen Page) was a not so stereotypical American, 16 year old girl. Brunette ratty hair, grey eyes and poor, scruffy dress sense pretty much sums her up. She isn’t popular. She isn’t promiscuous. She isn’t your average girl. She is not a stereotype. This doesn’t sound like your average film. You’re probably wondering where the story is!

Well, it started with a chair. Juno was ‘bored’ and so, instead of taking a trip to the mall, she decided to lose her virginity with her best friend Bleeker (Michael Cera). Then, finds that there’s a ‘little sea monkey’ inside her - and no, this wasn’t a ‘food Juno pregnancy’. But what to do? After all, this was one ‘doodle that can’t be undid’. So, she decided to nip it in the bud and went to the clinic for a ‘hasty abortion’ only to find out that her baby has fingernails, change her mind and make her way home. She tells her father and step-mother, then finds an adoption ad in the penny saver and decides to give her baby up to rich couple Mark (Jason Batemen) and Vanessa (Jennifer Garner). So, on the story goes; a heart warming tale of love, divorce, friendship and trust.

Teenage pregnancy. It’s a big matter to be addressing. Was it right to use humour in this film? Were her parents’ reactions really suitable and realistic? And were the right e...

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...y interesting way. Bleeker kept saying ‘do what you think is right’ when Juno talked about the baby. But it was his problem too. Why didn’t he get more involved? Why should the girl have to deal with it alone just because she has ‘the evidence’ under her sweater? This was tackled well though because it made me angry about the ways things are on this issue.

I was slightly disappointed that there was no twist in the film. I was either expecting Juno and Mark to get together, or Juno and Bleeker to run off with the baby! Although it was a happy ending, and the film probably gave optimism to any pregnant teen watching, it seemed a bit like the easy option and stopped any chance of there being an interesting sequel. In all, I thoroughly enjoyed watching Juno. The soundtrack was amazing and the humour was witty and hilarious. It’s definitely a must see feel good film.

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