comment #1

Jack Price says ...

Admittedly, I found myself laughing on the inside quite a bit during this movie (or LTMQ for short). But it's hard to believe anyone would out and out hate this film; it's a significant step up from Thank You For Smoking in terms of character work.

comment #2

BurmaShave says ...

It's LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE/SIDEWAYS slot is pretty much assured, no? All that awaits to be seen in the Box Office.

comment #3

the king says ...

Oscar contender, really? I feel it skews way to young and hip to be appreciated by the academy. At least that's the vibe I got from the trailer. I haven't seen it yet.

the king

comment #4

JD says ...

I totally disagree, Jack and Burma. Juno is nowhere near as good as Sideways or Little Miss Sunshine, both of which were written with far more care, nuance, depth, and sensitivity. As for Thank You for Smoking, there was elegance to the writing in that film (which I largely credit to Christopher Buckley), whereas Juno is just a bunch of bitter one-liners that reminded me more of an Andrew Dice Clay routine than any of the other references being evoked. The problem with Juno's script -- and the concept of blogger screenwriting, in general -- is that it exhibits no understanding of cinematic storytelling. For better or worse, Diablo Cody is the female Kevin Smith. Her writing would play better as a radio show, blog entry or stand-up comedy routine. And the movie is not supremely hip, as some people suggest. Not only does Cody make fun of Sonic Youth (a supremely un-hip move, in my opinion), but the soundtrack is full of songs by Belle & Sebastian, a terrific band that you'd be ahead-of-the-curve to use in a movie, oh, somewhere around the time High Fidelity came out.

comment #5

MAGGA says ...

How does the movie make fun of Sonic Youth? That is like making fun of Kubrick, which means it is fine if it is funny and stupid if it is an attempt to be hip? I would love to know the context.

comment #6

christian says ...

Hopefully it makes fun of SY's over-protective fan base.

comment #7

corey3rd says ...

it's easy to make fun of Sonic Youth post-"Dirty."

Belle and Sebastian on the soundtrack? Wow. that's never been done before....outside of New Jersey.

comment #8

Rothchild says ...

Every time this film is mentioned JD has to pop up and give his thoughts in some attempt to stop the hype. That's not going to happen.

comment #9

MiraJeffAICN says ...

I've been a pretty vocal critic of Diablo Cody's script over the last couple months. I thought it was way too clever for its own good. That said, the movie won me over and it was much better than I was expecting. Still, I don't think it was better than LMS or Knocked Up. I can see where Page and Cody might have Oscar potential but it strikes me as a long-shot when Tapley lists Juno among the potential BP nominees. Because it's definitely not THAT good. The Sonic Youth line though, is one of the funniest in the film. The soundtrack, while fun at times, gets a bit grating. The problem with the movie is how pleased with itself it is, and how every line of dialogue goes out of its way to be quirky (like the opening credits). But it's still among the better films I've seen all year.

comment #10

Bocephus says ...

I don't get what Juno has to do with Hot Rod or Aqua Teen.

Also, Diablo Cody is a ridiculous yet awesome name.

comment #11

JD says ...

I'm not trying to stop the hype, Rothchild, I simply didn't like the movie and, therefore, have a different opinion than most of its fans. Should I only comment when I agree with the consensus? I think the opposite is true. Is there really any need to say "Juno is so fun and clever and cute... yay, it makes me feel so good" when everyone else is already saying exactly the same thing?

Plus, I've yet to read a perceptive, articulate defense of the movie or its many weaknesses. How do you get past the fact that Jennifer Garner's performance is laughably awful? Or the friggin Tic Tacs? Or the most irritating first 10 minutes in recent memory? Worst of all, how do so many of the people defending this movie also bash Wes Anderson? There's a sense of purpose, modesty, precision, sensitivity, and aesthetic skill to his quirkiness, whereas Juno is all sitcom all the time. If only it were the ultimate Arrested Development episode it so desperately wants to be...

comment #12

MilkMan says ...

Pop culture references are so 1990. Any movie that has the line "Thunderbirds are go!" in it is offically a movie for middebrow doucheballs who think referencing television shows or movies or pop songs is a sign of brightness. It's not. It's dull. And if Thank You For Smoking was an entertaining satire (which is arguable) it had everything to with Christopher Buckley's story and very little to do with Reitman fils stylized hackery. The only product of nepotism that deserves even the slightest amount of attention is Jake Kasdan. At least he seems to know what to do with the little talent he has, which is get the fuck out of the way and let the movie speak for itself, which is what he did with The TV Set.

And anyone who bashes Wes Anderson is only doing it to show how hip they are. Maybe his style is starting to calcify a little bit, but at least his style is his style, he's the one who invented it. Jason Reitman and the other lazy chumps who nutball his aesthetic (and Todd Solondz's, who got this whole shocking, uncomfortable white middle class thing started back in 94) should be ashamed of themselves, but they aren't. Juno will not be nominated for an Oscar, and I would be willing to bet anyone crisp dollar bills that I am right.

comment #13

Armin Tamzarian says ...

MilkMan, I hope you are right, but I will take you up on your offer and bet you one crisp dollar bill (or, Canadian Loonie, as I have some left from Toronto), that JUNO receives a screenplay nom.

comment #14

MilkMan says ...

Belle and Sebastian did the soundtrack for Todd Solondz's Storytelling, just in case any of you members of the Diablo Cody fan club are interested.

comment #15

MilkMan says ...

Armin, you have a bet. Let's metaphorically shake on it.

And P.S.: Making fun of Sonic Youth is pointless. What's there to make fun of? That they rode the crest of NYC's avante-garde Lower East Side/East Village No Wave wave? That they make atonal, dissonant rock with melodic pop undertones? That Linkin Park sells more albums in one month than Sonic Youth did during all of the 80's? It comes across as being some kind of anti-elitist joke, I'm sure, but Sonic Youth paid their dues, and they continue to work because they have to. When was the last time Jason Reitman had a real job? A little rich kid who makes fun of some working class kids is not being anti-elitist; he's being a bully. Oh, but Diablo Cody wrote the dialogue, right? She's the one who's making fun of Sonic Youth and she's got street cred. Okay. All I'll say on that is follow the money.

comment #16

Jack Price says ...

I guess it was a little naive of me to think there wouldn't be any overt dissent against this film...

My admissions: the film's most notable "flaw" comes from the observation almost all of the characters speak with a nearly identical voice and dialect: namely, of an acerbic 29-year old Suicide Girl. So in this sense, I could see how the Kevin Smith card could be pulled out.

However, I absolutely feel that the film is leagues ahead of Thank You For Smoking in terms of emotional resonance. I strongly disagree with the claims against Jennifer Garner's performance. Her character as written came came closest to being outright antagonistic, but I feel like her humanity really showed through in a surprising way. You either like Garner or you don't, and I don't feel like her believability was pulled into question in ways that weren't already bound by the character as written.

And please. Shut the fuck up about "hackery." What kind of numbnuts can put "hack" and "Todd Solondz" in the same sentence? So Solondz should be ashamed of himself for having what you consider to be a similar style to Wes Anderson, and thus all his work becomes safe and toothless by default?

comment #17

christian says ...

Todd Solondz stacks the deck against his characters in so many ways, it's clear he has an axe to grind for being soooo different. I hated his last movie a lot, but do have the Belle & Sebastion soundtrack for STORYTELLING. But HIGH FIDELITY is as overrated as anything. It was made specifically for smug record store clerks. Had it been set in England it would have made more sense.

On the other hand, I kinda crave intimate relations with Diablo Cody so I'm not the best judge here.

comment #18

MAGGA says ...

"What kind of numbnuts can put "hack" and "Todd Solondz" in the same sentence?"

You just did...

Seriously though, he actually said that the hacks also rip off Tod Solondz. That having been said, the alphabet of cinema expands as people come up with new ideas, and other filmmakers would be stupid not to use all the letters. If it gets too close it is a problem, but being inspired by others is not inherently bad. As for Sonic Yout, most people I know prefer their post-Dirty albums.

comment #19

JD says ...

Jack, I think you're misunderstanding MilkMan's thoughts on Todd Solondz... or maybe I am. In any case, Jennifer Garner is guilty of one of the mortal sins of acting (in Juno and elsewhere): indicating. She always indicates precisely what note she's playing, what point she's trying to get across and it's really grating. It's not just manipulative, it's obvious and simplistic. Her character is the definition of one-note and she spends every scene trying to drive home what was already clear 10 seconds into her first scene. Where's the surprise? Where's the insight? Where's the pulse?

comment #20

buckzollo says ...

Juno is making a connection. It is clever and spunky if only with the nutritional value of cotton candy. Is it serendipity? Timing connected to ingenious counter-programming decision at Telluride then Toronto? Diablo Cody's stripper cred? Just because one likes the movie does not necessitate an articulate and perceptive defense of it. JD you are such a hater. Rothchild is correct about you. Hopefully you will link to youtube so we can see real tears from you crying about Juno's forthcoming Oscar nomination, not to mention the certain box office success.

comment #21

MilkMan says ...

Jack, you misunderstood what I was saying. I love Todd Solondz's movies, even Fear, Anxiety & Depression. All I was saying is that I'm tired of the type of young director who makes his name by ripping off movies that he saw last year. Take Jared Hess for example. Watching Napoleon Dynamite, you would never guess that Jared Hess had ever seen another movie besides Rushmore, and who knows, maybe he hasn't. It's cheap and easy to steal from your contemporaries. Steal from the old & the dead, that's what they're here for, to be picked apart like carrion. Jason Reitman and his type are vultures attacking a fresh hot body and they must be put down with buckshot.

comment #22

buckzollo says ...

MilkMan what of Judd Apatow? Reitman to me is ripping him off, if anyone for that matter. What does one say about this considering Apatow has been known to be a (ahem) borrower.

comment #23

MilkMan says ...

Apatow as a writer/director is so inconsequential that I'm not quite sure if Reitman has been "inspired" by him or if the two of them are just drinking from the same cup. And Apatow is a known thief, but that seems pretty par for the course for most Stand Up Comedians, which is what Apatow was, is, and always will be. I mean, how come Apatow always gets credit for Freaks and Geeks, and Paul Feig has turned into a footnote? People act as if Apatow just opened his mouth and Freaks and Geeks came hurling out. There were other people involved with the show, other writers and directors, but Apatow, like all desparate people, decided to hog all the credit for himself to further his own career. And for those of you out there who are going to tell me that you know Judd Apatow and that he's the most generous person in the world, save your carpal tunnels, because you don't know him, and if you did, you wouldn't be sitting at your computer right now, you'd be out to dinner with Judd Apatow, laughing at everything he says in hopes that he wants to back you on one of your projects, most likely the one involving a Van Halen-esque band that gets stuck in a small town while on tour, with the lead guitarist deciding that he wants to get a job at the local gas station. Insert fifteen fucks, ten cocksuckers, one pussy, three douchebags, and presto, there's the newest Judd Apatow movie, the one he stole from you.

comment #24

buckzollo says ...

Funny stuff Milk. Were I drinking you at least a white nose bubble would have formed when I visibly guffawed at your apa-post. I can't believe JD hasn't returned yet to talk down to me and playa-hate. He must be busy preparing sweeping generalizations and loving on Baumbach and Anderson unconditionally. Maybe he and Baumbach's mom are marathon chatting about how w o n d e r f u l Margot at the Wedding is?