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"JUNO" (2007) (Ellen Page, Michael Cera) (PG-13) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Mild Moderate Moderate Minor None Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Moderate None None Mild Heavy Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Heavy *None Heavy Heavy *Moderate QUICK TAKE: Dramedy: A quirky 16-year-old must contend with discovering she's pregnant, followed by her decision to have and put the baby up for adoption. PLOT: Juno MacGuff (ELLEN PAGE) is a quirky 16-year-old who's discovered that she's pregnant via her one sexual encounter with her friend and classmate Paulie Bleeker (MICHAEL CERA). After telling her best friend, Leah (OLIVIA THIRLBY), of the unexpected news, she plans to have an abortion, but then changes her mind for good about that. Instead, she not only informs her dad, Mac (J.K. SIMMONS), and stepmom, Bren (ALLISON JANNEY), of her condition, but also that she intends to give up the child for adoption. She thinks she's found the perfect couple -- via their classified ad -- in Vanessa (JENNIFER GARNER) and Mark Loring (JASON BATEMAN), an upscale, childless couple. With Paulie okay with whatever decision she makes, and her not wanting them to be anything more than friends, Juno then proceeds with the pregnancy. As the months pass, she and Mark bond over music and similar mindsets, all as Vanessa prepares herself for the day when she'll finally become a new mom. From that point on, Juno must contend not only with the changes to her body and others' reactions to her pregnancy, but also unexpected developments in her plan, all as everyone around her tries to support her and her decision for herself and her unborn child. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? Teens might be drawn to the teen characters in it, while fans of anyone in the cast might also be interested. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13 For mature thematic material, sexual content and language. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: ELLEN PAGE plays a sassy and smart-mouthed 16-year-old who finds herself pregnant by Paulie from their one sexual encounter. She decides to give the baby up for adoption after brief thoughts of having an abortion. She uses some profanity. MICHAEL CERA plays her somewhat nerdy friend who wants to be more than that, and thus eagerly participates in them having sex. He still wants to be her boyfriend after that, but doesn't say much about her either having an abortion or giving up the baby for adoption. JENNIFER GARNER plays a married woman who's agreed to adopt Juno's baby and is quite excited about that. She must contend with unexpected bad news late in the film. JASON BATEMAN plays her composer husband who's less enthusiastic but still supportive of their decision. But that changes, especially after he seems to enjoy spending time with Juno (although nothing happens between them). J.K. SIMMONS plays Juno's remarried dad who works as an HVAC tech and tries to be as supportive as possible for his pregnant teenage daughter. He uses some profanity. ALLISON JANNEY plays his second wife who's also surprised at the news, but matter-of-factly steps up to help her stepdaughter. She uses some profanity. OLIVIA THIRLBY plays Juno's best friend, a somewhat wild teen who's also supportive and uses profanity. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this dramedy that's rated PG-13. Profanity consists of at least 1 "f" word (and another variation of the same), while other expletives and colorful phrases are uttered. Sexually related dialogue is present, as are brief flashback views of a teen sexual encounter (no nudity) that lead to the 16-year-old getting pregnant. A flashback or imagined view briefly shows a teacher demonstrating the use of a condom on a banana. Violence includes a brief, bloody bit from a horror film seen on TV (where a pole goes down through a woman), while various bits of behavior (mainly the hip dialogue) might be enticing for some kids to imitate. Varying degrees of bad attitudes are present, as are thematic elements including teen sexual activity and pregnancy and the talk of contemplating abortion. Various bits of crude humor occur, as do tense family moments (most notably a husband telling his wife he's leaving her), while alcohol consumption is brief, but various drinking and drug-related comments are made. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE A miscellaneous girl and her lab partner (and possible boyfriend/lover) argue, with her commenting on what's presumably some sort of booze. Juno says she'll sell another student her Adderall (not really being serious) but the girl turns down that offer. Juno is anxious as she tells her dad and stepmom that she's pregnant. After Juno exits the room, Mac asks Bren if she saw that coming. Bren says she did, but hoped the bad news was going to be Juno being expelled or into hard drugs, with Mac agreeing and adding or DWI (played for comedy). When Vanessa asks if she can get anyone something to drink, Juno says she'll have a Maker's Mark, up, but her dad then says she's kidding. Juno jokingly tells Mark that she drank tons of booze, and thus he might get a baby born without "junk" (a penis, after he says there are only two options for the baby's sex). Vanessa has wine (after learning her husband is leaving her). BLOOD/GORE Juno lowers her pants, sits on a toilet, and urinates to take a pregnancy test. We don't see any nudity, but we do hear the urination, and there are comments about that (such as a male store clerk calling the pregnancy test a "pee stick") and later her friend asking how she could generate enough pee for three tests (she drank lots of liquid). A miscellaneous girl comments on having a menstrual migraine, and she and her lab partner (and possible boyfriend/lover) argue, with him telling her to call "when you get off the rag." Bren asks Juno, "Did you barf in my urn?" and we then see a flashback of Juno doing just that (from morning sickness). About being pregnant, Juno states, "I haven't taken a dump since Wednesday morning." Juno states, "Being pregnant makes me pee like Sea Biscuit." We briefly see footage from an old horror movie that Mark and Juno are watching on TV, and it shows a large pole going down through a woman's body, with her screaming and lots of blood, but it's all very fake looking. About her water breaking, Juno tells her dad," Either I just peed my pants or..." We see a newborn infant covered in some bloody goo. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Viewers make have different reactions to the following: Juno contemplates having an abortion (telling Paulie she's going to "nip it in the bud"), and even goes to an abortion clinic, but then gets freaked out, rushes out, and never looks back at that option. Some viewers may taken offense at the portrayal of an Asian student who protests outside an abortion clinic and repeatedly states "Babies want to be borned." A miscellaneous girl comments on having a menstrual migraine, and she and her lab partner (and possible boyfriend/lover) argue, with him telling her to call "when you get off the rag." Juno says she'll sell another student her Adderall (not really being serious) but the girl turns down that offer. Juno uses the term "lesbos" (but not in a mean way) when referring to potential recipients of her baby up for adoption. Juno is fairly sassy and smart-mouthed when first meeting Vanessa and Mark. And when Vanessa asks if she can get anyone something to drink, pregnant Juno says she'll have a Maker's Mark, up, but her dad then says she's kidding. An ultrasound technician has a bad/condescending attitude toward Juno, with Bren then putting that woman in her place for passing judgment. Some viewers might not like it when Juno says Mark should get a baby from China where they give them out like free IPods and shoot them from t-shirt guns. Juno pours something into Bren's urn out of spite while angry at her. About Paulie's mom who obviously doesn't like her, Juno says the woman was probably attractive once, but now looks like a fat hobbit. Various students disapprovingly stare at Juno in passing (for being pregnant). Mark ends up spending what could be viewed as inappropriate time with Juno, including briefly slow dancing with her in his basement. FRIGHTENING SCENES We briefly see footage from an old horror movie that Mark and Juno are watching on TV, and it shows a large pole going down through a woman's body, with her screaming and lots of blood, but it's all very fake looking. GUNS/WEAPONS None. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "Ow, ow, f*cking ow," "Oh sh*t," "Phuket" (Thailand, said to sound like the "f" word), "Jocks totally eat that sh*t up," "Maybe they'll like totally sh*t," "Sh*t, yes," "Sh*ttier," "No sh*t," "Sh*tty," "Scared sh*tless," "Pie balls" (testicles), "Use a d*ck" (what Juno tells Bren after the latter puts another woman in her place for being mean), "Get more snatch by the batch," "Stop surfing porn and get back to work," "Jeez, shut your freaking gob," "If it isn't McGruff, the crime dog," "Your eggo is preggo," "Silencio, old man," "Pee stick," "What's the prognosis, fertile Myrtle?" "That ain't no etch-a-sketch," "This is one doodle that can't be un-did, home skillet," "Honest to blog," "It's probably just a food baby," "I'm for shiz up the spout," "Anyway, dude," "Call me when you get off the rag," "Can you hold on a second? I'm on my hamburger phone," "I'm gonna kick your little monkey butt," "Crazy freak out," "Babies want to be borned," "Friggin," "Lesbos," "Your chest is going to milk-tate," "Desperately seeking spawn," "All that's missing is your bastard," "They sound like a freaking cult," "Greedy little bitches," "Dude," "I haven't taken a dump since Wednesday morning," "Damn skippy you're not," "Well, you're a little Viking," "A couple of baby-starved wing-nuts," "Wicked pic," "Can't we just kick this old school?" "Being pregnant makes me pee like Sea Biscuit," "Homes," "That must be like a bitch to..." "You're crazy," "You want to know how your kid's a-cookin'" "That think is freaky looking," "Dumb ass," "She's not the brightest bulb in the tanning bed," "Quite the time suck," "What a trip," "Isn't that like a little gay?" "Super-lame," "You don't think I'm gonna flake out on you," "I should probably bounce," "Where the hell you been?" "Out to east-Jesus nowhere," "You don't know squat," "Oh, go fly a kite," "Dork," "That would be awesome," "She smells like soup," "They call me the cautionary whale," "It's like Lipton landing," "Prom is for wenises anyway," "Gave me the stink eye," "I should be royally ticked off at you," what sounded like "Douche pack," "Like a real bitchin' time," "Will you shut up?" "Hell's yeah," "Way less of a fat dork," "A real bad ass," "How about some tuneage?" "Totally rad," "That's one big fat sack of..." "Please do me a solid," "Acting like a total a-hole," It sucks," "Hey big puffy version of June bug," "I'm sorry I was such a huge bitch to you," "That's pretty messed up," "Skanky," "Skivvy," "Tore-up from the floor up," "The right person is still going to think the sun shines out of your ass," "You could go into labor sucking face like that," "Totally boss" and "He is the cheese to my macaroni." Confirming that she's pregnant, Juno briefly throws a rope with a loop at one end over a tree branch and then puts that around her neck, but never seems serious about going through with that (it's more a quirky representation of her frustration). Paulie rubs deodorant on the inside of his thighs before going jogging. We see a miscellaneous young women with multiple piercings (above the chin and through one nostril). Juno pours something into Bren's urn out of spite while angry at her. Juno gives "the finger" to Leah for a smart comment. JUMP SCENES None. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) None. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) A song has the lyric, "You're a part-time lover and a full-time friend." A song has the line, "How much my sh*t stinks." PROFANITY At least 1 "f" word (with another modified to sound a little different), 10 "s" words, 3 slang terms for sex ("do," "lays," "did it"), 9 slang terms using male genitals ("thing," "pork swords," "junk," "wiener," "d*ck"), 4 using female ones ("vagin," "vag," "snatch," "nookie"), 1 for breasts ("fun bags"), 4 asses (1 said as "a-hole"), 2 damns and at least 5 uses of "Oh my God," 4 of "God" and 3 uses of "Oh God." SEX/NUDITY We hear Juno state that "it all started in a chair." We then see a flashback to her sexual encounter with Paulie. That includes a view between her legs toward him seated nude on a chair (due to the positioning of the camera and his body, no explicit nudity is seen). From that same view, we see her panties come down (no nudity), and then her walk toward him (she's still wearing a t-shirt) and then straddle him there. Most of that's in close-up away from the involved body parts, so while we know they begin to have sex, we don't see anything explicit. We do hear him state that he's wanted this for a really long time, and she then kisses him after saying she knows. Juno goes into a store to take a pregnancy test (for what we hear is the third time) and gets the same positive results. The male clerk matter-of-factly states, "Your eggo is preggo" after asking, "What's the prognosis, fertile Myrtle?" He then adds something about maybe her boyfriend having mutant sperm. A woman there also asks about her nipples changing from the pregnancy. A non-photo realistic cartoon drawing on Juno's wall shows a topless woman, but something in the pic blocks any view of the breasts. On the phone, Juno tries to convince her friend that she's pregnant and suicidal, saying she isn't Morgan Freeman. After she jokingly asks if her friend has any bones she needs collecting (in reference to the film "The Bone Collector," although Freeman was not in that movie), Leah jokingly replies only those that are in her pants (presumably an erection joke). Leah asks Juno when she decided she was going to "do" Bleeker, and Juno replies that the act was premeditated, clarifying that as the sexual act, not the resultant pregnancy. Leah then asks what it was like "humping Bleeker's bony bod," and Juno replies that it was magnificent. After a group of high school males jog by, Juno states that whenever she sees them with their "things" bouncing around in their shorts, she can't help but imagine them naked with their "pork swords." Juno tells Paulie that she's sorry she had sex with him, adding that she knows it wasn't his idea. Juno comments on knowing that a jock wants her (sexually), adding that his kind like the quirky girls. Juno comments on her friend Leah being into older teachers. Juno states that it's been two months and four days since she had sex (and got pregnant). In voice over narration, she then comments on hating adults using the term "sexually active" in reference to teens. We then see a flashback or imagined bit showing a female schoolteacher demonstrating how to put a condom on a banana. A young female receptionist at a woman's clinic tells Juno to fill out the form completely as they need to know about "every score and every sore." She then asks if she wants a boysenberry flavored condom, adding that her boyfriend wears one every time they have intercourse and that they make his"junk" smell like pie. Since she's there for an abortion, Juno says she's off sex now. Juno later complains about this, commenting on the condoms that looked like grape suckers and the receptionist talking about her boyfriend's "pie balls." After Juno comments on embryos having fingernails, Leah thinks that's cool and wonders if they could scratch the "vagin" on the way out (during birth). Leah tells Juno to be quieter about being pregnant, adding that her mom doesn't know they're sexually active. We see Juno's writing in Paulie's yearbook next to her photo, and it says something about that he can "wank off" with that. After his mother comes into and then leaves his room, we see that he's holding a pair of Juno's panties balled up in his hand. Juno is anxious as she tells her dad and stepmom that she's pregnant. Bren says she didn't know Juno was sexually active, while Mac, upon hearing the identity of the father, says he didn't think Paulie had it in him. Juno then makes a comment about Paulie being really great, and then adds what sounded like her saying in the chair (where they had sex). While supportive, Mac says, "I thought you were the kind of girl who knew when to say when." Juno then exits the room, and Mac wonders if this is all his fault. Bren says it isn't, adding that kids get bored and have intercourse. Mac then says that when he sees Paulie, he's going to punch him in the "wiener." After asking Paulie if he knows that Juno's baby is his (Paulie's), his friend says that he's going to stop wearing underpants to raise his sperm count. About a commercial product for which Mark composed the jingle, Juno jokingly adds, "Get more snatch by the batch." Juno jokingly tells Mark that she drank tons of booze, and thus he might get a baby born without "junk" (a penis, after he says there are only two options for the baby's sex). That term is then used several times again. Juno says she was named after Zeus who had tons of "lays" (or ladies). When Juno is asked if her parents are worried about her being out late, she replies that she's already pregnant and aks what other shenanigans she could get into. Juno comments on shoving a baby out of one's "vag." We see Juno's bare, pregnant belly on several occasions. Juno jokingly tells Mark to stop surfing porn (he isn't) and to get back to work. After Juno tells Leah how weird she (Juno) looks naked, Leah replies that she wishes her "fun bags" (breasts) would get bigger. Leah refers to an older male teacher as being "hot." About Paulie's prom date reportedly smelling like soup, Leah says that guys have endured worse things for "nookie." About his high school prom date years ago, Mark says she let him put his hands all over her. Mac asks Juno if she's having boy problems, adding that he doesn't much approve of her dating in her condition, adding that it's skanky, skivvy and "tore-up from the floor." After they make up, Paulie asks Juno if they can make out now. She says yes, they do, and Leah jokingly yells out from across the field that Juno could go into labor from "sucking face" like that. Juno states in voice over narration that she knows people are supposed to fall in love before reproducing, but she and Paulie aren't normal. SMOKING None, but Juno holds an unlit pipe (as a prop) while seated in a chair on Paulie's front lawn. TENSE FAMILY SCENES We hear that Juno's parents divorced when she was 5. Juno is anxious as she tells her dad and stepmom that she's pregnant. While they're shocked, they don't rake her over the coals, although her dad says, "I thought you were the kind of girl who knew when to say when." Mark announces to Juno that he's leaving Vanessa (just as the couple is about to adopt Juno's nearly born baby). Juno is upset about this, as is Vanessa when she gets the unexpected news. Mark later talks of their lawyer doing a collaborative divorce settlement for them. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Sexual activity among teens. Teen pregnancy. Juno contemplates having an abortion (telling Paulie she's going to "nip it in the bud"), and even goes to an abortion clinic, but then gets freaked out, rushes out, and never looks back at that option. Juno comments on her friend Leah being into older teachers. Juno comments on being out handling things way above her maturity level. Juno states in voice over narration that she knows people are supposed to fall in love before reproducing, but she and Paulie aren't normal. VIOLENCE We briefly see footage from an old horror movie that Mark and Juno are watching on TV, and it shows a large pole going down through a woman's body, with her screaming and lots of blood, but it's all very fake looking. Reviewed December 22, 2007 / Posted December 25, 2007

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