USA: Indie film "Juno" with actors Ellen Page and Jennifer Garner garners praise for its unusual story about a pregnant teen

Record ID: 724495

  • Title: USA: Indie film "Juno" with actors Ellen Page and Jennifer Garner garners praise for its unusual story about a pregnant teen
  • Date: 6th December 2007
  • Summary: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (NOVEMBER 29, 2007) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) JENNIFER GARNER, ONE OF THE LEAD ACTORS IN THE FILM, "JUNO", SAYING: "I'm doing a movie first with Matthew McConaughey and then Ricky Gervais -- two very different leading men, but Ricky is just as sexy and handsome as Matthew, so we worked together in Alias a long time ago, and I am really excited to work with him again."
  • Embargoed: 21st December 2007 12:00
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  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Reuters ID: LVAD4ZEGMRPRSWX4DPZYE76B0H54
  • Story Text: A sharp comedy telling the story of a young woman facing an unplanned pregnancy, "Juno" has been dominating the indie film circuit, receiving praise from critics for its unusual depiction of a pregnant teenage girl and her world. The film has already earned four nominations in the Spirit Awards, including best movie and best director.
    Directed by Jason Reitman who debuted with the witty 2006 hit "Thank You For Smoking", the film stars young actors Ellen Page and Michael Cera. Twenty year old Page plays Juno, a quick-witted and distinctively unique teen who takes on an atypical approach to the surprise of her unplanned pregnancy. With the help of her best friend, Juno plans to find her unborn baby the perfect set of parents through the ads featured in the local Penny Saver.
    Of her role in "Juno" and a portrayal of teens that shuns stereotypes of either nerds or the cool kids, Page said: "It's really nice to have a refreshing dynamic explored. One of the greatest things about reading the script, to read something devoid of stereotype and give a voice to a teenage female lead like I felt we haven't seen before."
    Page was recently honored as breakthrough actor at the 17th annual Gotham Awards, and even before the release of "Juno", there is Oscar buzz already about a possible nomination for her role in the film. When asked to respond to the accolades she has been receiving and the comparisons with actresses like Natalie Portman, and even Cate Blanchett, Page became tongue in cheek, saying it made her think she had a bit of a future. "We'll see if I can live up to the standards. People should calm down you know," she said.
    Playing the role of Page's friend and love in the film is Cera who was seen earlier this year in the well-received film, "Superbad". He said that the script of "Juno" rang true to him mainly because it reminded him of how he used to be in high school.
    The screenplay for Juno has been written by erstwhile blogger Diablo Cody. After being approached by a Hollywood scout to write a screenplay, Diablo took a hard look at recent teen films and felt that there was an opening for "a little girl with a big attitude". Juno's story is partly autobiographical, especially when it comes to the aspect of the funny and frank dialogue about sex that the confident girl has with her friends.
    "I find humor in a lot of life situations, especially in awkward situations. And also, really, I set out to write something uplifting because I think there are a lot of movies that treat subjects like teenage pregnancy etc. in a really melodramatic way, and it's just not really me," said Cody.
    In the film, actress Jennifer Garner plays Vanessa Loring, a tightly wound thirty something who longs to have a baby. Along with her husband, Vanessa decides to adopt the as yet unborn baby of Juno.
    In real life, Garner is believed to be fiercely protective about shielding her 2-year-old daughter, Violet, from the media glare.
    "Clearly, it's not her fault that her father (actor Ben Affleck) and I are actors and in the public eye, and she deserves to have a totally free childhood," Garner said of her decision to keep her daughter as protected as possible. Garner also said that she wouldn't support the idea of Violet acting as a kid, and seemed tentative about the possibility of Violet acting when she grew up.
    Garner will soon be seen with British actor Ricky Gervais in the upcoming film, "This Side of the Truth". Laughing as she spoke, the actress instead that Gervais is "just as sexy and handsome" as Matthew McConaughey, with whom she is set to work with as well on a different film.
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