Juno Could Become Powerful Teen Hit

By Katey Rich

I just wrapped up my review of Juno, which will be appearing in the next issue of the magazine and on the website later this month. I struggled mightily over this one, eventually cutting 1000 words out of the draft that never went into the final version. As I explained in the review, I was trying to explain not only why the film was good, but how they pulled it off, why there's such a vast difference between the bare-bones description-- a quirky, wry comedy about teenage pregnancy-- and the actual experience of watching it.

I loved it, like virtually everyone else who has seen it so far, and I'm as excited about its prospects in the Big Awards Race as anyone else. What's really interesting, though, is how young its appeal could skew. Ellen Page is earning raves in the lead role, and is rumored to be a likely Best Actress nominee. She wouldn't be the youngest nominee in history-- that honor belongs to Keisha Castle-Hughes, of Whale Rider-- but she would be the youngest winner, coming in barely a year younger than Marlee Matlin was when she won for Children of a Lesser God in 1987.

Will Page win? Probably not-- she's facing fierce competition from Marion Cotillard, Julie Christie and fellow youngun Keira Knightley, just to name a few. But the attention she's getting for this is unique. Rarely does anyone win an Oscar for a comedic role, particularly a leading Oscar, and rarer still is it a modern-day comedy, not a period "dramedy" like Shakespeare in Love.

Most importantly, there's precious little overlap between the tastes of real teenagers-- the ones who are captured so well in Juno-- and critics and Academy members. Judd Apatow's movies have been hits with critics and audiences alike but have earned few awards (this year's Golden Globes may earn Knocked Up some serious attention, though). But teenagers really, really should flock to Juno, and if Fox Searchlight plays their marketing cards correctly (they have so far), the teenagers will come. Last year's similar hit Little Miss Sunshine (similar in wide appeal, not necessarily in tone) definitely found its younger audience, but you have to look back to Titanic for an Oscar contender with the same young audience. With fast-rising Michael Cera as an adorable puppydog male lead and a female character who is smart but not condescending, Juno is not only a movie that teenagers would like but one that they ought to see. There are bound to be alarmists who shout that it glorifies teen pregnancy, but they'll be missing the way the film celebrates family, commitment and loyalty in an entirely fresh, enjoyable way.

There's kind of a black hole of films aimed at teenagers these days, with virtually all of them aiming for young men and the studios throwing horror movie after horror movie their way. Teen girls embraced Across the Universe for its unabashed romanticism and handsome male star, and though Juno faces the hurdle of an R-rating, its charm could also spread to the sophisticated under-18 crowd. No, that's not an oxymoron. I remember driving an hour out of my way to see In The Bedroom my junior year of high school, and I know there are more like me. If Michael Cera had been around when I was 17, I probably would have driven 2 hours for Juno.