Coming-of-age comedies are a dime a dozen, and movie studios are well aware of this, with each new iteration trying to find the perfect blend of raw humor and pathos to suit the throes of adolescence. The maternity-pondering “Juno,” the latest to attempt that admirable feat, mostly succeeds in its efforts to make a resonant yet snarky comedy.
The movie concerns the exploits of the titular protagonist, played by Ellen Page. Juno, a Midwestern high school junior, is the embodiment of feistiness as she copes with an unexpected pregnancy ““ the consequence of a boredom-induced tryst with her best friend Paulie Bleeker, played by the unfailingly timid and endearing Michael Cera. The ever-cavalier Juno resolves to put the baby up for adoption and quickly finds what seems to be the perfect parents in Mark (Jason Bateman) and Vanessa (Jennifer Garner).
Even though the storyline of an unexpected pregnancy is more than well worn, Juno’s unique outlook creates a different take on the situation. Page characterizes Juno for exactly what she is: a bored, off-beat, brash and sarcastic teenager. When we first see her character, she is drinking directly out of a gargantuan jug of Sunny Delight and wiping her mouth on her sleeve. It’s not long until she’s making biting remarks about flavored condoms and firing babies out of T-shirt guns. The spunky attitude Page brings to Juno contributes greatly to the likability of the film.
The crass and witty Juno contrasts superbly with that of her paramour, Bleeker. Cera does what he does best in creating the earnest and soft-spoken foil to Juno. However, at a certain point it seems that Cera is just Cera-ing and not acting, in that Bleeker is more than a little similar to his George-Michael Bluth from “Arrested Development” and to his Evan in “Superbad.” On the other hand, it is more than welcome to see a younger actor depend on subtlety rather than bombast for legitimate comedy.
In parts, “Juno” plays like a cleaned-up, female version of “Superbad.” The candid bawdiness of the open dialogue between Evan and Seth in “Superbad” shows up in glimpses in conversations between Juno and her friend Leah and between her and Bleeker.
Most of the dialogue is clever and memorable; however, first-time screenwriter and ex-stripper Diablo Cody shoots for both witticism and realism with sometimes confounding results. There are many “dude”s and “totally”s awkwardly inserted into the dialogue, which makes it seem like Cody tried to overcompensate for teenage speech. In addition, some of the slang-infused lines come out of left field, like Rainn Wilson’s entire cameo as a drugstore clerk.
Yet when Juno guns for earnestness and pathos, it guns hard. Female audience members swoon nearly every time Michael Cera opens his mouth, in anticipation of something awkward and heartfelt. This fairly dependable twee sensibility can grow cloying and make you wish Jonah Hill would pop out of a locker and shtick it up.
Though even without Jonah Hill during the syrupy parts, “Juno” does know when to cut through the sentimentality. Like when a Moldy Peaches singalong between Juno and Bleeker is about to approach Hallmark levels of cuteness, the ever-present Dancing Elk track team runs in front of the frame. And this is where the strength of “Juno” lies: in its sometimes-off, sometimes-on balance of sentimentality and honest-to-God jokes.
E-mail Ayres at jayres@media.ucla.edu.