Juno is a 2007 coming-of-age romantic comedy written by Diablo Cody and directed by Jason Reitman. The movie is about a precocious teenaged girl, named Juno MacGuff, who chooses a housewife and a failed rockstar, out of a PennySaver, to parent her unborn child. Eventually, the prospective father starts to view Juno differently, which puts his marriage and the adoption at risk. Juno also starts to question her relationship with the biological father, Paulie Bleeker, and she changes her attitude towards love in general. 

Juno has come to be known as one of the best coming-of-age movies ever made, winning an Oscar for Best Screenplay, overall receiving over 100 award nominations and 90 total wins. It’s an extraordinary movie, from the screenplay, to the acting, to the music, to the directing. 

Juno stars Elliot Page, in the title role, and Michael Cera as Paulie, which is an amazing casting match. Cera is very awkward and Page has spunk. This combination works out in its own funky way, and we get to enjoy their interactions throughout the entire movie. There is a particular scene on the school track, where Juno makes a confession to Bleeker, and it’s the most awkward, but also the sweetest, interaction in the movie. 

The screenplay by Diablo Cody is also incredible. She does a great job using our emotions to get attached to her characters. Plus some of Cody’s lines stick to you, like when Juno is questioning her future and says, “I just need to know it’s possible that two people can stay happy together forever.” 

It’s not just the words that do all the work, but it’s the acting, too. Every single person in the cast does an amazing job with their characters. Page and Cera are especially great, and as the movie progresses, we get to see the progression of their relationship.

Music always adds a special touch to any movie. Sometimes these musical choices are a distraction, but for Juno the music choices are absolutely stunning. From the start, you can tell that this movie has a very indie vibe, so it was an obvious decision to include indie and alternative music on the soundtrack. 

At the end of the movie, Juno and Bleeker sing the song “Anyone Else but You” by The Moldy Peaches. This closing scene really ties everything together, because these two friends-in-love get back into music, which is how they met in the first place.

Although this movie is nothing short of amazing, Elliot Page had a hard time during the filming of the movie. Before Page transitioned, he had always been most comfortable when wearing suits to red carpets and premieres. But in an interview with Esquire, he stated, “I said I wanted to wear a suit and Fox Searchlight was basically like, ‘No, you need to wear a dress.’ And they took me in a big rush to one of those fancy stores on Bloor Street [in Toronto]. They had me wear a dress, and… and that was that.” This was so disrespectful to Page in every way possible. 

Additionally, Page has stated that he wasn’t doing well during the filming of Juno, as he was struggling with very bad anxiety, and many other issues at the time. And unfortunately, he didn’t know how to ask for help to manage these challenges. 

Even though this movie is absolutely stunning from every aspect, we never know what is happening behind the scenes of our favorite films. We need to take care of actors like they are real people. 

But please go watch Juno, and do your own research about it. You might find even more to love about this film classic!