I kind of enjoyed the film apart from Juno talking unlike any 16 year old I've ever seen. I think that by making Juno a real character the movie woud have been much more powerful. I cant understand why they made her a 16 year-old gag-spouting, care-free person. Thats a fantasy character.....
shareCan you give us some lines where you think she talks "like a 30/40 year old"? I can't think of one. A lot of teens have posted to this board saying she talks like them or like kids they know. Take a look at the board before you post again - maybe you don't really know that many 16 year olds.
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Mr/Ms Spparker, thanks for your opinion.
I appreciate that you feel it is your role to defend Juno against any-one who has anything less than a positive opinion of the movie so can I just say this is my opinion, and its as valid as yours
Thanks for your advice to trawl through the numerous posts to find 16 year olds who say Juno "talks like them or like kids they know". But I dont feel the urge. I do find it a little unlikely that a real 16 year old talks in a
similiar spontaneous way to that of a movie character that has been scripted by a grown-up over various drafts.
But that is your opinion and I respect it. Please respect mine.
Thanks
Joe, this is a discussion board. When you start a thread with a contentious subject you should expect some feedback. And not everyone is as polite as I am.
All I asked is for you to back up your statement with some examples and to check the board to see where actual teenagers had posted that they talked like Juno.
I don't think Joe has to back up his statment with an actual example of a comment she made in the film to know what he's talking about. Maybe spparker should read the board to see that there is alot of people like Joe that feel the same way, like me. Only in my opinion becasue she talked and rambled on so much like a much older person it made her character very annoying and made it very hard to like her character, she also came off as rude. I seen her a movie once called hard candy, very similiar character very irritatiing. I think she must do alot of improv in her films, very hard to differentiate between the characters she plays in her movies. By the way even her references to pop culture in the film made it as if she grew up in the 70's or something talking about the carpenters, and the best year of rock being the 1977. How many 16 years olds know anyhting about 70's music.
shareyou have no idea... lots of 16 years old are on the '70 music, please update yourself, plus Ellen page made a fantastic performance she was even nominated for best actress, she played the role of Juno perfectly. I saw Hard Candy too and she had to play that role of vindictive teenager it was amazing. If you wanna see different roles for Ellen page i suggest you to watch "An American Crime" or X Men Last man standing, she played other characters and she was amazing!
shareSybil, thanks for replying to him, I didn't bother because to me it's just a waste of time. He says:
"I don't think Joe has to back up his statment with an actual example of a comment she made in the film to know what he's talking about."
I guess this is what IMDb is all about - start any outrageous thread you want and get all affronted when somebody asks you to back it up with an example.
It's funny how many posters state that she's rude and annoying as if that's a major flaw in the movie. She's SUPPOSED to be rude and annoying, that's what a lot of 16 year olds do really well. She's also brave, naive, funny and lovable - also like many 16 year olds.
Also, a lot of posters have wondered how she could be aware of 70's music. They can't live anywhere near a large population center where there are a quite a few radio stations that play music from the 60's to 80's, some constantly. I coach kids in Juno's age group and quite a few of them have music from that era on their iPods.
The most hilarious thing he says is "I think she must do alot of improv in her films". Does he think that any director is going to let a young actress make up her own lines?? LOL.
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Andrew, you're getting the actress and the character mixed up. I doubt whether Ellen Page is anything like Juno. And she can't walk through walls like her character did in X-Men, she isn't a psychotic avenger like she was in Hard Candy and she certainly isn't a pitiful victim like she was in An American Crime.
This is a discussion board; I can disagree with your opinion. But in this case I agreed with you, anyone who watches Juno and doesn't find her annoying at times, doesn't get it. That's a character trait that the director and writer want you to see - but as I said before she has other more redeeming character traits that make her both interesting and engaging (IMO).
You're asking me to conduct a poll? That's easy. There are probably a few hundred people who have posted on this board regarding both her music and the way she talks. Take a look. Your own small universe is not representative of all American teens, not by a long shot.
By lots you mean a few hundred out of a million 16 year olds or less than that.
The increase in human knowledge is the cause of the decline of religions.
How many 16 years olds know anything about 70's music.
How many 16 year olds know anything about 70's music?!?!
I am 17 years old and I have known more about the 70's than my parents will ever know, since I was very young...you must hang around a lot of idiotic teenagers. Either that, or you assume that we all live in a bubble and listen to teeny bopper music. Don't generalize.
-- I am a traveler of both time and space, to be where I have been
How many 16 years olds know anyhting about 70's music.
Juno is meant to be an endearing young woman but she seems artificial. She's too much of a smart-ass for a sixteen-year-old, too nonchalant about the pickle she's gotten herself into, delivering one-liners like a stand-up comedian. It appears the filmmakers are trying too hard to be hip, but end up with something that feels like an after-school special.
I just showed the dvd to a class of grade 11 girls. They complained ahead of time (having all seen it before), how no one really talks that way. Meaning Juno herself. Sure the odd teen age girl might be that hip and smart, but it was stupid how every second line she spoke was a snappy one liner.
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Just give me till then to give up this fight
And I will give up this fight.
Exactly, CanSteven3!
shareMy best friend (now in her twenties), was (and still is) pretty much exactly like Juno. She is always talking about things in a completely off-the-wall way, and I can't imagine ever being able to come at things as she does.
Why do people find it so outrageous for teenager to be witty? Wit is not an art learned through practice. Most witty individuals are just naturally that way, be they 13 or 31.
But wit is also based on experience, on knowing stuff to make references to. Juno was unrealistically knowledgeable about stuff that girls her age wouldn't know.
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Just give me till then to give up this fight
And I will give up this fight.
But wit is also based on experience, on knowing stuff to make references to. Juno was unrealistically knowledgeable about stuff that girls her age wouldn't know.
The point is not so much whether there are other girls in the real world that talk like Juno. The point is that she is uninteresting and her way of talking is annoying. So don't make a movie about a person like that, or any of these other fake teenage girls that you mention all the time.
shareThe point is that she is uninteresting and her way of talking is annoying.
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When I was 16 I knew quite a few people that were absolutely in love with 60s and 70s music, and that was 11 years ago. I've met PLENTY of kids like Juno, hell, I was a kid like Juno.
shareMe and my friends when watching this all pissed ourselves laughing because of the fact she does things and says things like me like filling those postbox things whatever they're called with tic tacs, i do little randomly meaningful things like that, like going into a supermarket and taking food from one shelf and switching it to the other side with totally different food or switching my friends furniture about in their room, but thats more about her actions not speech, but saying things like swear to blog, i have said things along the lines of that just her lil quirkisms and things and im 19, but i do like the fact you can have a convo without being a troll which is kooshty! cheerz!
Drusilla:I didn't like that bartender. He was rude and I can't get his eyeballs off my fingers
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I am puzzled by a lot of the talk on the board.
I am 45 and I work as a teacher to teenagers in Poland. Many of them DO talk like Juno IN ENGLISH... they are quick, blunt and witty. That's in a second language. I suspect they're even sharper in their own language.
As for Juno's knowledge of the 1970's... come on! When I was 15-16 (early 1980's) I could almost tell anyone who cared to listen (and many who didn't care)what certain long dead rock'n'rol singers had for breakfast in 1957. These guys had been dead 25 years! I have kids wearing Nirvana t-shirts who weren't even born when Kurt Cobain died and I have 17 year olds wearing Jim Morrison t-shirts and telling me about Pink Floyd.
I guess some folk were just too contemporary when they were 16.
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I appreciate that but such is the nature of scripted writing.
However, I was pretty quick myself at 16 and I read about all these dead rock'n'rollers (to the expense of my schoolwork). In fact, my cockiness and fast mouth still get me into trouble.Haven't learned much in 28 years!
Now, I'm dealing with 15 year old second language speakers who borrow my books on puppet-therapy of multi-personality disorders, which are in English... or read entire Harry Potter collections in English... and these are just ordinary teenagers.
I also wonder what people want from films... I mean, let's face it, if she behaved like a 'real' teenager, she'd probably stay locked in her room all day playing loud records and dreaming of Justin Timberlake or Johnny Depp. Not much of a storyline there.
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Again, I don't think people question that there clever adolescents are rare, and I'm familiar with the groups of kids who know everything there is to know about Harry Potter, but my take on Juno was that she wasn't representative of a real teenager, but a teenager mouthing (very well) lines written by a 40-something.
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That's fair enough. My only real disagreement would be what defines a 'real' teenager in a film.
Thanks for the discussion.
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It's that Malcolm Gladwell "Blink" intuition that something is a little off with Juno.
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Sorry, I don't get the reference.
I appreciate that but such is the nature of scripted writing.
However, I was pretty quick myself at 16 and I read about all these dead rock'n'rollers (to the expense of my schoolwork). In fact, my cockiness and fast mouth still get me into trouble.Haven't learned much in 28 years!
Now, I'm dealing with 15 year old second language speakers who borrow my books on puppet-therapy of multi-personality disorders, which are in English... or read entire Harry Potter collections in English... and these are just ordinary teenagers.
I also wonder what people want from films... I mean, let's face it, if she behaved like a 'real' teenager, she'd probably stay locked in her room all day playing loud records and dreaming of Justin Timberlake or Johnny Depp. Not much of a storyline there.
Well, maybe she was autistic on some level. I mean you can have extroverted autistics who are savants. Not saying she was just suggesting.
And I suggested that because when I was 13 I was diagnosed autistic/asperger and when I was 16 I talked a lot like Juno. Plus we do have a reputation for being blunt.
Also it was Quentin Tarantino movies that introduced me to 70's era music. So some teenagers who don't learn that stuff from parents could easily learn it from an outside source if they manage to get a hold of a copy of something like Reservoir Dogs or any grindhouse movie from the 70's or homages to them for that matter.
Evolve or die.
Totally agree! I teach 15-17 year olds at a High School in Australia and I can tell you they:
a) Know about 70's music (also 80's/90's) as they have a lot of this on their i-pods.
b) They do talk like Juno does in the film.
Not all teenagers are vacuous idiots who only live to listen to Justin Bieber and One Direction.
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Ironclad_Iconoclast do yourself a favour and stop using the word "prodigal" until you learn what it means. It does not mean what you think it does. Follow El Guapo's rule.
PS The vast majority of people do not know what prodigal means; it means "spendthrift".
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joewilson70 im sure you've blurted out random things before SPACE CATS ARE AWESOME
shareWow....You are easily one of the most sensitive people I have ever come across on IMDB if your reaction to sparks very polite post is this...
You are essentially saying that she should respect your opinion by not disagreeing with you, which is just pathetic.
Who cares what she spoke like...another amateur bomb from Reitman...thank your lucky stars your dad's Ivan or else you wouldn't have got the chance to make that other piece of *beep* in the Air...just *beep* quit...I've seen better constructed films on You Tube
Deputy Davo's Pig Squeezing Country and Western Comedy Show.
Not sure the exact quote, but:
"She was beautiful but really mean, like Diana Ross"
If that's not a 50 year-old putting words in a 16 year-old's mouth, there's also a Soupy Sales reference....which is like a 60 year-old putting words in a 16 year-old's mouth. An unhip 60 year-old.
what are you talking about? like, ALL my 16 year old friends talk like that. and listen/watch/read/eat/are entertained by soupy sales.
shareI'll go out on a limb and say that any 16 year-old girl conversant in Soupy Sales is not gonna date, much less get pregnant.
shareGraphicBlandishment
"I'll go out on a limb and say that any 16 year-old girl conversant in Soupy Sales is not gonna date, much less get pregnant."
Nice one GB. I agree 100% and really did laugh out loud. Ta.
Edited to remove typo.
Can you give us some lines where you think she talks "like a 30/40 year old"? I can't think of one. A lot of teens have posted to this board saying she talks like them or like kids they know.
A lot of teens have posted to this board saying she talks like them or like kids they know.
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I kind of enjoyed the film apart from Juno talking unlike any 16 year old I've ever seen.
Mary Shelley was around 18 when she wrote the novel Frankenstein. Take a look at the prose in that sucker and then tell me that it is impossible for the occasional teen to be smart and educated enough to talk like an adult. Unusual characters are a plus, not a flaw.
Thanks Adam for your intelligent reply. Yes I agree with your comment.
shareMary Shelley was around 18 when she wrote the novel Frankenstein. Take a look at the prose in that sucker and then tell me that it is impossible for the occasional teen to be smart and educated enough to talk like an adult.
Mary Shelly wrote that almost 200 hundred years ago. you can't really use her as an example how modern teens, like Juno, speak. also, how a person writes is completely different to how they speak. a writer can go back, rewrite, edit.
"I look like I want some damn Frosty Freeze?"
-Kit Ramsey
The point is that while not common, articulate, smart teens exist. When I was two years younger than Juno my vocabulary tested as that of a recent college grad, and I used it in my conversation.
Basically, I'd rather see a movie about an unusual character than a typical one.
I think what most people are getting at here is that she was more annoying than anything and because her character spoke like she was older than she was made her out to be irritating rather than unusual
shareAnybody who finds Juno the character annoying is a mindless, probably sexist jerk in my book.
share[deleted]
so you find someone annoying and that makes you sexist, What?
shareIt's the reasons people give for their annoyance that makes me suspicious of sexism. Look at the title of the thread--people seem to find her annoying because she's smarter and more articulate than most people her age, particularly as they are typically portrayed in movies. I suspect they prefer their teen heroines mousy and dumb.
shareActually the issue here is not sexism nor the way she talks, her character is a know-it-all, and came off as rude also. The scene were she first meets the future parent of her childs she acts very rude and ignorant. Lets just say to some she's not a likable character and this may be why some didn't like her character, therefore if you don't like a the main character then it probably hurts your preception of the movie. I mostley just found her character very annoying, male or frmale. I also don't like when girls act like boys, and just so you don't think thats a sexist comment, I dislike when boys act like girls. Call me old fashion.
shareI also don't like when girls act like boys, and just so you don't think thats a sexist comment, I dislike when boys act like girls.
Actually the issue here is not sexism nor the way she talks, her character is a know-it-all, and came off as rude also. The scene were she first meets the future parent of her childs she acts very rude and ignorant.
Part of the movie's point, which has been mentioned over and over by many perceptive critics, is that Juno isn't nearly as smart as she thinks she is and needs to grow up. Look at the scene where she argues with Bren about spending time with Mark. In any normal teen movie, the step mom would have been the villain in that scene. But we understand that Juno is being extremely naive.
That's one of the reasons the movie got such rave reviews--the movie is sophisticated enough to point this out about its main character, and thus the character has more depth. Must every character you encounter in film or literature be perfect?
I also don't like when girls act like boys, and just so you don't think thats a sexist comment, I dislike when boys act like girls. Call me old fashion.
That's an extremely sexist comment indeed.
sxist or not I don't care. If a man likes his woman womanly, rather than butch, this is his own opinion. It's a preference I have in women to be womanly, just as many woman have a preference in men to be like manly men. Back to your main point you were saying I was sexist because I disliked her character because she was mostley annoying, and that is not sexist, considering I never mentioned anything about her gender in talking about her character annoying me. Young teen that "THINK" they know-it-all, never said she did know it all, spouting off and being rude annoyed me, therfore not liking her character, is that simple enough for you.
shareYoung teen that "THINK" they know-it-all, never said she did know it all, spouting off and being rude annoyed me, therfore not liking her character, is that simple enough for you.
Yes, I understand that you are a very simple minded person who can't handle sophisticated or flawed characters. Stick with comic book movies.
she's just annoying ok. It annoyed me, obviously not you, so mwhats your point. I don't like her character, you do. Yes she is flawed but that is not what anooys me. Does nobody in your world annoy you? When someone annoys you, you walk away. OK. GET IT. I don't like it you do, why do you care what my opinion is on her character anyway get a life. Do you personally know Ellen Paige?, or are you a fan geek defending her, well I'm sure she doesn't give a sh*t.
shareYou had some intelligent comments until this.. You have no place to call someone simple minded because they find the character Juno annoying..
Honestly who the hell do you think you are? Everyone has the right to like or dislike anyone else on this planet.
You are pretty simple minded ACTUALLY.
You have no place to call someone simple minded because they find the character Juno annoying..
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People were more literate when Mary Shelley was alive.
Juno was simply Diablo Cody in a sixteen-year-old incarnation.
Get me a bromide! And put some gin in it!
People were more literate when Mary Shelley was alive.
Juno was simply Diablo Cody in a sixteen-year-old incarnation.
I didn't think at all that Juno was speaking like a 30/40 year old. I must say that for me Juno's language is what makes this film so extraordinary. She has a particular language and I've never heard any teens or any older people speak the way she does before. I thought it was very inventive, creative and incredibly smart and witty. I liked that aspect, regardless of whether I think real teens speak like that or not. I don't think the movie claims to be realistic in any way, it just creates something different.
I've read a few posts here and I'm a little surprised that what really made this movie enjoyable to me is specifically what ruined it for others. Perspective...
Eibhlinn Savage
[insert movie quote]
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MelancholyFlower, you may be 15 (or 16, now), but your post is excellent! You nailed the issue in a couple of sentences.
shareWow, I sure don't know any 30/40 year olds who talk like that... :/ Not very many people talk like Juno in real life period, regardless of age. If someone were to though, I would imagine it would be a younger person.
share[deleted]
I can't say that I found the character to be unreal. I have met some pretty witty and brilliant kids. Many teenagers are quite care-free and gag spouting in my view. They both can commonly be a product of rebellion, which is common to teens in many different forms, including these. I would agree that most do not speak quite with the sophistication of Juno. I personally thought her dialogue was a highlight in the film however, and doesn't take away from it's genuine feel. There are a lot of unique and intelligent people in the world. To me Juno is one of those more unique and gifted people. The truth is though that pretty much every person has great abilities in certain areas, or a certain area. However we only know people in certain settings and often do not even recognize their genius. I really do think that most poeple have a small genius in them in some way. Some people have a mathimatical talent, some a more creative genius, some people are gifted with advanced linguistic abilities, etc. I really can't say that I found Juno to be unreal. In fact, I found her to be very, very human. Which in my opinion is one of the main things that made this film and character so unique and enjoyable. Especially in comparisson to most Hollywood films that would be considered similar in theme and/or genre to Juno. Most are filled with stereotypical characters with little brains. While this may be somewhat authentic to a sad reality in some ways. It usually doesn't make for thought provoking filmmaking, and that in itself is probably part of the reason why many people are quite stereotypical, and refrain from using their brains ability very much. Too much thoughtless crap absorb into their heads. The brains abilities work very much like a muscule, use it or lose it as they say.
My body's a cage, it's been used and abused and I...LIKE IT!!
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I also don't think she talks like a 30 year old... nobody talks like that. It sounded like an adult trying to talk like a kid. The sarcasm and wit just seemed quite out of place.
If it was supposed to make her seem like an unusually intelligent, clever, and mature girl, there is A WHOLE LOT of evidence in the movie that suggests otherwise. It is inconsistent, and made her just irritating.
In fact, the vast majority of the dialogue was quite out of the ordinary, not just from Juno. The convenience store worker comes to mind, and the father saying he's going to kick the baby's monkey butt.