Every year there is one movie that I pin all hopes and expectations on. My 2007 Must-See Movie is Juno, director Jason Reitman’s follow-up to the fantastic Thank You For Smoking. I am a strong believer in word-of-mouth, buzz, great marketing and just enough of a teaser trailer; Juno has all of that and more.
The film stars Ellen Page, a phenomenal young actress (Hard Candy, X-Men: The Last Stand) who gave a jaw-dropping performance in the brutal and little-seen Sundance film An American Crime. I think she will follow more in the selective footsteps of Natalie Portman and Jodie Foster when it comes to her career…or at least I hope she will. All signs point that way right now.
Reitman has proven that he can put together one hell of an ensemble cast. There is always scene-stealing potential when you pair up two fantastic actors like J.K. Simmons (Oz, SpiderMan 1-3) and Allison Janey (The West Wing), who play Page’s parents in Juno. And I can’t wait to see Jason Bateman (Arrested Development) and Jennifer Garner (Alias) playing a straight laced suburban couple (they recently co-starred in The Kingdom as well). Even Rainn Wilson (The Office) makes an appearance! But of course I am also looking forward to more of the suddenly suave Michael Cera (Arrested Development, Superbad). Sadly, he and his television dad (Bateman) do not have any scenes together in this film (watch them discuss that together here).
Juno was written by Diablo Cody, author of the damn funny potty-mouth blog The P*ssy Ranch. She is currently on strike supporting her fellow scribes, and you can follow her adventures on the picket lines and during the promotional phase of Juno. Jason Reitman is also chronicling his experience as the movie inches closer to nationwide release (for some reason it won’t link for me, but you can find his blog on the movie site I have linked below).
The vision of Cera in dolphin shorts should be enough of an impetus to get you to the theater when Juno premieres next month. Here is the trailer should you need more of a shove.
You might have noticed that I did not really tell you what Juno is about. I’d much rather provide links to sites which are relevant to the film, and hear what you think after you’ve seen it.
So what are you waiting for? Visit the official site and click on the Showtimes & Tickets box to get tickets for a free screening of Juno in a town near you! I will be going in the next few weeks myself, and I am VERY excited to see it.
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