film study guide : year 11
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FILM STUDY GUIDE : YEAR 11 directed by Jason Reitman screenplay by Diablo Cody Cast and Other Facts Ellen Page Juno MacGuff Michael Cera Paulie Bleeker Jennifer Garner Vanessa Loring Jason Bateman Mark Loring Allison Janney Bren MacGuff J.K. Simmons Mac MacGuff Olivia Thirlby Leah Shooting locations – all in and around Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Juno was the surprise hit of 2007, an independent movie, made on a tiny budget of $U7 million, that grossed $US227 million worldwide, with another $38 million in DVD sales in only the first few weeks after release. A critical as well as popular success, it had universally positive reviews, and went on to be nominated for Oscars for Best Picture, Director and Actress, and to win one for its screenplay. Which only goes to show that big budgets, big stars and special effects are not necessary to make a good movie, and that nothing beats a great script and great performances. 1 Study Record By the time you have completed this unit, you should be able to 1. analyse film image and sequences in detail; 2. understand the way film language creates setting and character, and manipulates our responses; 3. describe how verbal and visual features are combined for different purposes; 4. understand the way a screenplay tells a story, builds character and explores themes; 5. respond to and interpret meaning, ideas and effects; 6. write an essay/ answer about an aspect of the text. Fill in the boxes below with the appropriate date, and tick only when the task is satisfactorily completed. Your teacher will tell you which tasks are required. This will help you see your progress, and to catch up on any missed work. Class work Homework Due date Completed Plot Summary Narrative structure Close Reading Close reading test Character study and activity Themes Discussion questions From the critics Useful quotations Example essay Ensure all notes and tasks are completed so you have good notes to learn for your exam at the end of the year. Remember: Juno is the character, Juno (or Juno) the title of the film. 2 Plot Summary When Juno MacGuff, a ____-year old _______________ at a _______________ high school, discovers she is _______________ by her good _______________ Paulie Bleeker, her first thought is to have an _______________. But she finds she can't go through with it, and so she decides to have the baby and find _______________ _______________ for it. She and her best friend ____________ look in the _______________ where they see an _______________ from Vanessa and Mark _______________. Supported by _______________, Juno arranges with the Lorings that she will give them the baby for a traditional _______________ _______________ . A few _______________ later, Juno takes the _______________ picture to show the Lorings. Vanessa is not at home, but Juno discovers she and Mark, a _______________ _______________ composer whose _______________ youth is now in _______________ in the basement, have similar tastes in music, and in _______________ movies. Vanessa is _______________ to discover Juno in her house but _______________ when she sees the ultrasound picture. Juno's _______________ Bren suggests it is _______________ for Juno to be visiting Mark, but Juno _______________ her opinion. She visits Bleeker and is _______________ when he expresses his _______________ for her. She suggests an ____________ ____________ for him. A few weeks later Juno sees Vanessa at the ________ interacting with a _______________ and is _______________; she encourages Vanessa to ____________ to the baby and feel him kicking. Learning Bleeker is taking _______________ to the prom, Juno – now nearly _____ months pregnant – has a ________ with him. Upset, she gets in the van and visits _________. They _________ together, and he tells her he is ____________ Vanessa. Juno is _____________. When Vanessa arrives home, Mark tells her he is not _______________ _______________ and wants a _______________. While he and Vanessa _______________ this, Juno leaves in tears. After giving the matter considerable thought, Juno _______________ _______________ which she leaves on the Lorings' _______________. Back home, she seeks _______________ from her father, and thanks to his ______________ _______________, realises that she ___________ Bleeker. The next day, she _______________ _______________ and they kiss. When she goes into _______________, she does not tell Bleeker because he is at an important _______________. Seeing her not in the ____________, he realises what has happened and runs to the _______________ where Juno has had a _______________. While he lies on the bed with her and _______________ her, Vanessa meets her _______________ for the first time. On the wall in the baby's nursery, Vanessa has ___________________________ ___: "Vanessa. If you're still in, _______________." Juno is happy as Bleeker's _______________ and resumes her life as a _______________. 3 Narrative Structure Narrative surtrctue does not mean just the oerdr in which the story is told; the term refers to the whole structural freaomwrk that undeerlis the order and manner in which a story is prnteesed. An important aspect of siellttoyrng is point of view: who tells the story, from whose ptivepecrse the events are shown and/or seen. 1. From whose point of view is the story told in this film? Is that consistent throughout or are other points of view shown? Give details. Nativrares often involve a series of prolmebs to be met and slvoed, or osbtacles to be overcome, like taking two steps forward and one step back, until the reoslution is reached. 2. List the main obstacles and/or problems faced by Juno in the story, and explain how she deals with each. Early scenes will set up etaxpections of the main caerachtr(s) that will affect the suurttrce of the story. 3. Can you identify examples of this? Time is always an important consideration in a scenrelpay; a feature film may cover days, weeks, even years of real time, so ways of showing time passing are needed. 4. How much time is covered in this film? Can you work out a timeline? Some of the ways the passing of time may be indicated include: fades or dissolves changing light showing a clock or a calendar references in dialogue dates or times on screen seasonal differences – winter to summer cuts to the same scene at a clearly later time, e.g. from full plates to empty, or the same people with different clothes or in different places. a montage of brief symbolic or typical images. 5. What techniques are used in this film to show time passing? Revision of techniques Know these terms \ 4 Visual techniques Verbal techniques Camera Angles Sound effects Camera Shots Sound track – score Camera movement Dialogue Mise en scene Aspects of the set Props Costume Editing Cross cutting Montage Tableaux Symbolism Special in effects Close Reading the Text - Analysis of important scenes Scene: opening credits Your brief description Animation Suggests a drawing, colours not all filled in, simplistic urban landscape - Juno walking along is more realistic, moving along a path - transition from to real world at the end Refers to Juno’s and closeness to childhood, has not grown up yet but it is suggested that she is in a phase and about to develop, her life will become more “” and complicated, she enters the ‘’ Music Creates a cheerful ‘happy go lucky’ to the start of the film that Juno’s personality up until this point in life. The tune also indicates to the audience the tone of the film as being a ‘coming of age comedy’. Song Lyrics - verbal feature ‘If I were a bird you’d be a bee’ the lyrics talk about of complimentary things in life. This links to the theme of companionship and marriage 5 Missing vocabulary pairs adult-world transition animation drawn mirrors inexperience filled out child’s tone visual motifs stripes associated with both Juno and with Bren – provides a link between them tic tacs used to begin and end the film; each character is associated with a particular chair. A bit forced? The final chair – an antique rocker – is used to show the difference between Vanessa's book-inspired preparations and the reality of baby-care. blue slushies Bren's motif food scenes – it is an affectation that she drops fingernails Count up the number of times the door is shown. dogs a running gag – climaxing with Paulie's run to the hospital the track team associated with Juno, who pours the remains into Bren's urn, which she is also sick into. chairs Bleeker's "one vice"; Juno uses them to show him she cares Juno's pipe is associated with Juno: the mall, cafeteria, the hospital tray. The MacGuffs are introduced over family dinner; Vanessa sits at a bare table [50] and though offered nothing is eaten or drunk at the first meeting.only in early Lorings' front door associated with Juno – and became part of the publicity verbal motifs "Wizard" Bleeker's motif – it underlines his youthfulness, given the context of the first time he uses it "sexually active" only used in the first part of the film: when Juno phones Women Now, by Leah, and by Bren; mostly for comic effect visual motifs stripes associated with Juno – and became part of the publicity tic tacs Bleeker's "one vice"; Juno uses them to show him she cares blue slushies associated with Juno, who pours the remains into Bren's urn, which she is also sick into. food is associated with Juno: the mall, cafeteria, the hospital tray. The MacGuffs are introduced over family dinner; Vanessa sits at a bare table [50] and though offered nothing is eaten or drunk at the first meeting. fingernails associated with both Juno and with Bren – provides a link between them dogs Bren's motif the track team a running gag – climaxing with Paulie's run to the hospital chairs used to begin and end the film; each character is associated with a particular chair. A bit forced? The final chair – an antique rocker – is used to show the difference between Vanessa's book-inspired preparations and the reality of baby-care. Juno's pipe only in early scenes – it is an affectation that she drops 6 Lorings' front door See below. Count up the number of times the door is shown. verbal motifs "Wizard" Bleeker's motif – it underlines his youthfulness, given the context of the first time he uses it "sexually active" only used in the first part of the film: when Juno phones Women Now, by Leah, and by Bren; mostly for comic effect Scene: Juno phones Leah ____________ Juno’s Hamburger phone ____________ Mise en scene Contrast between Juno’s and Leah’s bedroom ____________ Suggests childhood and her immature nature Juno’s: messy, arty, musical, childish which reflects her unique, quirky but also immature, nature Leah’s: ______________________________ Suggests awareness of sexuality, girly, sexy, ________ ironic because Juno is the one that deals with consequences that resulted from sex Leah’s outfit of knee high socks, hot pants and tank top Juno’s clothes of tomboyish, casual, non-sexy Scene: Intro to Paulie Bleeker lyrics ____________ ____________ Of his actions (dressing, eating, preparing for his run) Scene: Abortion clinic “Baby’s have fingernails” ____________ and Juno’s surprised reaction __________and ____________ Increasing sound of fingernails drumming/scratching combined with the close up of people’s fingers Reflect what kind of personality he has, but partly to work with the visuals to manipulate the viewer into stereotyping him We are meant to judge him by his actions and form an opinion about him as an organised, nerdy, unusual, meticulous character, the running uniform (pants) direct the viewer’s gaze towards his crotch which hides the ‘instrument’ with which Juno’s life change begins - also fingernails symbolise detail/developed body parts and hands which represent _____________________________________ (esp. mother child) Links to Su Chin’s words and: 1. 2. -final slam of the door emphasizes her decision to stop the abortion which is a pivotal moment in the film and in Juno’s life Scene: The Loring’s house __________ Mise en scene and Lighting Of Vanessa’s meticulous tidying actions Vanessa is defined by ________________so the viewer gets to know her __________ first, viewer is perhaps manipulated into thinking she is just a superficial woman with the perfect life, in order for us to adapt our view of her later on when we see that there is more underneath that perfect impression - her action show that _____________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ Mark’s room: __________ ______________________ ______________________ Shows imbalance of the relationship - Vanessa is in power and does not give Mark the chance to express himself fully (tp express HIS idea of HIS future, he feels dominated and goes 7 ___________, is in contrast with the rest of the house: ______________________ ______________________ with the flow parallels to Juno’s approach to life) - shows the contrast between the characters: Mark –______________________________________ Vanessa - ____________________________________ Scene: Mark and Vanessa in baby room ____________ Vanessa and Mark in standing next to each other talking about the wall colours The techniques make it clear that there is a conflict in interest - ____________ “it’s called nesting” “then we have to disagree” “It’s too early to paint” -Vanessa quotes from books which shows_____________ ____________________________________________ – shows her commitment but also her inability to look at the problem in the present (Mark), she does not want to compromise on her goal - ___________________________________________ ____________________________________________ Scene: Mall Long shot and high angle ____________________ ____________________ ____, we see her from Juno’s viewpoint who looks from a higher point ____________ Juno from low angle, Vanessa from high angle ___________ ____________________ ____________________ Important moment for Juno to see the potential of Vanessa as the mother of her baby, reassures her, shows a different side of Vanessa: ______________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ After hesitation it looks like Vanessa overcomes her apprehension and her desire for the baby and to connect with it overrides everything else and she crouches down, it is a humble position and shows her vulnerable, committed and happy Juno is put into a powerful position and she realises ________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ Works well together with the angle shot, showing both women’s feelings towards each other and Vanessa’s genuine joy when talking to the baby Scene: School corridor two parallel scenes in the month pregnant 1. ____________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ film: 1. Juno early stages of pregnancy; 2.Juno 8 scene one (earlier in the film): Juno is a few weeks pregnant without an obvious baby bump yet. However, the film techn. Emphasizes that being pregnant at 16 is not usual and like going against the mainstream which is tough and not an easy walk, but people don’t know so you are not treated differently 2. scene two: Juno 8 month pregnant, still going against the mainstream but this time _________________________________________ ___________________, looking at her with differing emotions (contempt, judgment, curiosity, respect?); 8 making her feel stand out and isolated Scene: Mark and Juno confrontation ____________ “I wanted this to be perfect” (Juno) We see that Juno had this naïve/innocent ideal that her baby is going to grow up in a happy/perfect environment, she hoped this family would be ‘normal’ unlike hers (parents split up) shows her _________________________ _________________________________________ her faith in true love is shaken - Mark is stating directly for the first time his concerns and true feelings about the baby at this time “I’m not sure I am ready to be a father” (Mark) Scene: Juno home talking to her Dad ___________ Dialogue “I never realised how much I like being home unless I’ve been somewhere different for a while” - “ - “loosing my faith in humanity” Mise en scene “ The mood and atmosphere of the kitchen in her house (_____________,_______ ___, _______________, ________ ___________) admits her immaturity and lacking experience: there are things she is not equipped to mentally cope with/things that require a more adult maturity that she has not got yet - she seeks advice from her Dad (unlike her conversation with Brenda where she did not want to take advice and was reactionary) - her father restores her ‘faith’ and makes her realise what true love is and that she found it (Paulie) - this is a stark contrast to _________________ from a cold, seemingly perfect (but emotionally messed up) ‘show house’ to her comfortable slightly messy, warm lighting, genuine loved house Scene: Hospital ___________ Paulie and Juno’s feet with stripy socks and his dirty running shoes This emphasises and represents the idea that despite being forced to grow up a bit more quickly through difficult circumstances we can still remain who we are and take our childhood with us, Juno and Bleeker matured but________________________________, suggesting __________________________________________ Close reading test Copy the following table on refill. Write your name on it. Watch the scene closely, then fill in the table. Scene: Crying in Car scene Description: Techniques: Description Explanations: 9 Themes What do you understand by the word 'theme'? Do all films have themes or a “message”? Should they? Imagine you were an alien, seeing the movie for the very first time. What ideas of this world, our society, would you learn from this movie? What lessons would you learn? Individual or group work What do you think are the main ideas of this film? Is it anti abortion? Or pro adoption? What’s the difference? How does this difference affect the tone of the film and the genre? For each idea, locate the characters and scenes that emphasise it. Produce a chart/poster with three columns, with details under the following headings: idea/theme scene(s) where it is illustrated or is relevant significance characters who illustrate it quotations in support film techniques used to highlight it If you are working as part of a group: make an oral presentation of your group’s findings. Discussion questions 1) The film has been criticised for the scene of Mac and Bren being understanding and not angry when Juno tells them she is pregnant, on the grounds that this is not very realistic. Is this a valid criticism? 2) Is Mark coming on to Juno in the dancing scene? How do you see his behaviour here? 3) Three couples are contrasted: Mac and Bren, Mark and Vanessa, and Juno and Bleeker. In what ways are they similar and in what ways are they different? 4) When Mark says he is leaving Vanessa, Juno asks him, "Is this my fault?" [45] Is she in any way responsible for the break up of the marriage? 5) Vanessa tells Mark to "grow up". Is she being selfish too? Is her need to have a child more important than his dream of being a rock star – something which we know will never happen? 6) Which of the four main female characters provide good role-models for girls? In what ways? And which of the three main male characters provide good role models for boys? In what ways? 7) The film ends with – in the words of the director – a 'return to innocence'. Is it that easy for a girl to give up a baby and forget it ever happened? 8) The film raises a number of issues of morality – whether 16 year olds should be having sex, whether it is responsible to get pregnant so young, whether either abortion or adoption are suitable solutions. Does the film address any of these issues? If yes, in what ways and what viewpoints are presented? 10 From the Critics Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly Let's get reality out of the way. Juno is about an independent-minded high school virgin who freely chooses to have sex with her pal and fellow outsider, Bleeker. Contraception is not used; the girl becomes pregnant. Juno is fortunate to have a supportive and loving father and stepmother, a true-blue best friend, access to a safe and legal abortion, and the right to choose whether to continue or terminate her pregnancy, with Bleeker's unwavering support. She chooses to continue, and to give the baby up for adoption. Juno would have been a very different movie had the young woman named for the queen of Roman gods chosen termination and brought her admirable young female clarity to that less gentle, more divisive decision — maybe truer, certainly not so funny. But director Jason Reitman and screenwriter Diablo Cody really don't give a hoot what you think about the right to life/right to choose/right to make jokes about teen sex. Their movie, a blithe charmer balanced somewhere between a life-should-be-so-neat fairy tale and a life's-a-real-bitch tragicomedy, leaves political debate at the ticket counter and focuses solely on what it's like for Juno MacGuff to be Juno MacGuff. Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times Jason Reitman's Juno is just about the best movie of the year. It is very smart, very funny and very touching; it begins with the pacing of a screwball comedy and ends as a portrait of characters we have come to love. Strange, how during Juno's hip dialogue and cocky bravado, we begin to understand the young woman inside, and we want to hug her. The screenplay by first-timer Diablo Cody is a subtle masterpiece of construction, as buried themes slowly emerge, hidden feelings become clear, and we are led, but not too far, into wondering if Mark and Juno might possibly develop unwise feelings about one another. There are moments of instinctive, lightning comedy: Bren's response to a nurse's attitude during Juno's sonar scan, and her theory about doctors when Juno wants a pain-killer during childbirth. Moments that blindside us with truth, as when Mac and Juno talk about the possibility of true and lasting love. Moments that reveal Paulie as more than he seems. What he says when Juno says he's cool and doesn't even need to try. And the breathtaking scene when Juno and Vanessa run into each other in the mall and the future of everyone is essentially decided. Jennifer Garner glows in that scene. Rob Vaux, Flipside I'm not fond of the soundtrack: smug, quasi-indie Liz Phair style mooning that gilds the film's lily in all the worst ways. I mention this now because it is the only thing about Juno that didn't utterly enchant me from beginning to end. Story, character, brilliant dialogue from screenwriter Diablo Cody, and sharp direction from Jason Reitman... every element arrives with pitch-perfect care to deliver one of the funniest and most insightful human comedies of the last few years. In other hands this material could be disastrous: a hot-button subject (teen pregnancy) delivered as a sitcom style ensemble piece and marked by the insidious presence of grand contrivance lurking around every corner. Juno slays those demons by its extraordinary devotion to the characters – first by making them supremely appealing and then by leveraging the plot through their (very believable) motivations rather than pandering to the audience or indulging in political grandstanding. Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian: The film owes its power to Ellen Page's lovely performance and to Cody's funny script, which treats the subject of status with shrewdness and compassion. If women all too often find status only in the dangerous and expendable commodity of sexual attractiveness, then in getting pregnant, Juno would seem to have catastrophically abandoned this one tiny prerogative, and looked stupid into the bargain. Yet she finds that, as a pregnant woman, she is the centre of attention, and in offering her child for adoption, she has dizzying power over rich adults. It is a power that gives her insight and clarity, and humbles her elders. Glenn Kenny, Premiere … there is no point in complaining that every character in the movie, right down to the clerk at the convenience store talks as if they're in a hipster screwball comedy. Because every character in this movie is, in fact, in a hipster screwball comedy, take it or leave it. Not everyone liked the film. The following is from anti-feminist activist Phyllis Schlafly Juno makes her decisions solely on a whim. She doesn't permit her parents, or Paulie, or anyone else to have any input or advice about what she will do with the baby. Juno's baby seems destined to live in a happy home until Mark realises that his wife has suddenly pushed him out of the loop of her affection and attention. The movie's message is that no man should have anything to say about a baby for whom he is financially responsible. With the impending arrival of the birth date, Mark realises Vanessa doesn't need or want him anymore. So he decides to move on. Juno could easily have found another two-parent home, but she gladly gives the baby to Vanessa where he will become one more statistic of a boy raised in a fatherless home. The theme of this movie isn't love, romance, or respect for life, but the triumph of feminist ideology, i.e., the irrelevancy of men, especially fathers. America is in bad shape if the financial success of this movie reflects today's high school culture: sexual activity without marriage, crude pictures on the walls, vulgar language, a girl smoking a pipe, unattractive clothes, uncombed hair, enjoyment of slasher movies and weird music, and marriage breakup. Toward the end, Juno asks if it is "possible for two people to stay happy forever". The movie's obvious answer is no; not Vanessa and Mark, not Juno's father who is married to a woman not Juno's mother, and not any reason to hope that Juno would ever stay married to a good husband. Choose any three of the comments and provide evidence from the film to either justify them or to refute them 11 __________________________________________________ Hollywood heroines who don't consider abortion are of a generation taking its rights for granted by Hadley Freeman, The Guardian January 28, 2008 At a screening I went to recently, one of the biggest laughs came when the lead character, a pregnant 16-year-old, asked for an abortion. Now let me say that, despite what the above might suggest, I liked the film. But after Waitress and Knocked Up, Juno (which received a best picture Oscar nomination last week) completes a hat-trick of American comedies in the past 12 months that present abortion as unreasonable, or even unthinkable – a telling social sign. Each of these films presents situations where women do not consider abortion as a feasible possibility and dismiss it – as something that is portrayed in Knocked Up as the act of selfish women who don't want a swelling belly to impede their clubbing. I don't believe any of these films is consciously designed to be anti-abortion propaganda. But they are a product of a generation that has had the luxury of legal and relatively easy access to abortion. The danger is that one forgets what the alternative really meant, and as a result sentimentalises it. It is surely no coincidence that these films are emerging from a country that has had eight years of ultra-conservative Republican rule. A report last week showed that abortions in the US have fallen by 25% since 1990, and 2006 saw the largest number of children born for 45 years – but the teenage birth rate also rose for the first time in 15 years. In the harrowing Vera Drake, the UK (which has the highest teenage birth rate in Western Europe) has made its own contribution to the abortion genre. This film is a reminder that not having an abortion doesn't always lead to the happy families of Juno and Knocked Up. As Libby Brooks wrote on these pages, we need to guard against a creeping antipathy to abortion, exemplified by claims that it is linked to breast cancer. Another new film about abortion – Four Months, Three Weeks and Two Days – depicts the horrors women in Romania had to go through to get an abortion when it was still illegal 20 years ago. Its message is stark: choice is not about giving silly young women a lazy form of contraception that destroys families; it is about giving women control over their lives. hadley.freeman@guardian.co.uk -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Choose ONE topic. Make sure you understand BOTH parts of the topic before you start writing. Write an essay of AT LEAST 200 words for your answer. Support your points with specific details from the text. Make sure you answer BOTH parts of the question. Each part is equally important to help you show understanding of the text. TOPICS (Choose ONE) 1. Describe a character or individual in the text that you either admired OR disliked. Explain how the director used at least ONE of the following verbal and /or visual features to make the character or individual interesting to you. Camera work Narrative point of view Editing Structure Colour Lighting Costumes Special effects Props Music Sound effects Dialogue . 2. Describe an important event at (or near) the beginning of the text. Explain how verbal and / or visual features were used to show you what was going to happen in the rest of the text. 4. Describe an important change experienced by a character or individual in the text. Explain how verbal and / or visual features showed you that this change was important to the character or individual. 12 Example essay Topic: Describe an important idea in the text. Explain how visual and/or verbal features showed you that this idea was important. In the film ‘Juno’, directed by Jason Reitman, one important idea is growing up and dealing with challenges in life that move young people from immaturity to adulthood. The director has chosen props to emphasize the move from childhood to adulthood. Special effects are another technique to illustrate that idea and its importance. The idea of growing up through life’s challenges is clearly shown through Juno’s pregnancy. topic statement She is 16 years old and generally a happy, outgoing, rock-loving girl who is often seen making childish jokes or behaving quite immaturely. As she gets pregnant we see how she has to deal with this challenge, facing obstacles that require a maturity of her that she has not developed yet. Furthermore, the pregnancy and its association with adult responsibility is contrasted to Juno’s lifestyle before she gets pregnant and we see her development from an innocent young girl to a more mature person. general description of the theme, relating to Juno and her pregnancy This development is particularly highlighted in the director’s use of special effects at the beginning of the film. topic statement (technique 1) Example and explanation: The opening credits show Juno walking through the streets and past buildings that look like drawings. The montage effect gives the impression of childhood creativity and a simplistic view of the world, possibly referring to Juno’s innocent character before she finds out she is pregnant. Juno’s figure also looks like a drawing but a little more realistic, showing that she is moving into a more serious state of life. This is emphasized when the background drawings of a store merge into its realistic outlines as Juno enters the shop where she will find out that she is definitely pregnant. Just like special effects the use of props towards the beginning of the film illustrates the importance of growing up and having to leave behind childhood innocence. topic statement Example and explanation: One example is Juno’s hamburger phone which strongly suggests her playful/youthful side. The phone is strongly contrasted with the fact that Juno is using it when phoning the abortion clinic, A PLACE WHERE INNOCENCE AND CHILDHOOD ARE CLEARLY ABSENT. In addition to the hamburger phone, the effective use of the chair as a motif in the film also shows the idea of growing up and maturing. The armchair is associated with comfort, older people and domestic stability, WHICH IS IRONIC WHEN CONSIDERING THAT THIS IS WHERE ‘IT ALL STARTED’ as Juno says herself, referring to the sexual intercourse with Bleeker resulting in her pregnancy. Both the hamburger phone and the chair are reflective of her youthful innocence and immaturity, whilst also seeming ironic considering her circumstances. link back to statement To conclude, the director uses props, such as the hamburger phone and the arm chair, as well as special effects at the beginning of the film, to show that the moving from childhood to adulthood and its challenges is an important idea in the film. Both techniques are effective as they show Juno loosing her innocence - symbolised by the hamburger phone and the special effects, towards maturity and adulthood - highlighted by the chair motif. The chair motif also shows that the choices we are making in life and their results can make us grow up quicker than we sometimes want. 13 Useful Quotations Juno It started with a chair. 1 Rollo Juno Well, well... If it isn't MacGuff the crime dog! Back for another test? I think the last one was defective. The plus sign looked more like a division sign. I remain unconvinced. [Rollo pulls the bathroom key out of reach] This is your third test today, Mama Bear. Your eggo is preggo, no doubt about it. 4 Rollo Juno Rollo So what's the prognosis, Fertile Myrtle? Minus or plus? I don't know. It's not seasoned yet. … The little pink plus sign is so unholy. That ain't no Etch-A-Sketch. This is one doodle that can't be un-did, Home skillet. 4 Juno Leah Juno Leah Juno I'm pregnant. What? Honest to blog? Yeah. Yeah, it's Bleeker's. It's probably just a food baby. Did you have a big lunch? No, this is not a food baby all right? I've taken like three pregnancy tests, and I'm for shizz up the spout How did you even generate enough pee for three pregnancy tests? That's amazing... I don't know, I drank like, ten tons of Sunny D... Anyway dude, I'm telling you I'm pregnant and you're acting shockingly cavalier. Is this for real? Like, for real for real? Unfortunately, yes. Oh my GOD. Oh shit! Phuket, Thailand! There we go. That was kind of the emotion that I was searching for on the first take. 6 9 Paulie What should we do? I thought I might, you know, nip it in the bud before it gets worse. Because I heard in health class that pregnancy often results in an infant. Typically, yeah... Yeah that's what happens when our mothers and teachers get pregnant. Juno Hi, I'm calling to procure a hasty abortion... 12 Juno Oh, and she inexplicably mails me a cactus every Valentine's Day. And I'm like, "Thanks a heap coyote ugly. This cactus-gram stings even worse than your abandonment." 13 Juno ...and the receptionist tried to get me to take these condoms that looked like grape suckers and was just babbling away about her freaking boyfriend's pie balls! Oh and Su-Chin was there and she was like, "Hi babies have fingernails." Fingernails! 17 Rollo Leah Juno Leah Juno Leah Juno Paulie Juno Leah Oh, gruesome. I wonder if the baby's claws could scratch your vag on the way out. Juno Leah Juno Leah I could like, have this baby and give it to someone who like totally needs it. You should look in the Penny Saver. They have ads for parents? Yeah! 'Desperately Seeking Spawn.'' 17 Leah 18 Juno "Wholesome, spiritually wealthy couple have found true love with each other." Aw... all that's missing is your bastard! I don't want to give my baby to a couple who describes themselves as "wholesome." I was looking for, maybe, a thirty-something graphic designer with a cool Asian girlfriend who kicks ass on the bass guitar, but I don't know, I don't wanna get too particular. Mac Juno I thought you were the kind of girl who knew when to say when. I don't know what kind of girl I am. 20 Mac Bren Mac Did you see that coming? Yeah... but I was hoping she was expelled, or into hard drugs. That was my first instinct too. Or a DWI... anything but this! 20 Bren I think that kids get bored and have intercourse. 20 Mac Thanks for having me and my irresponsible child over your house. 22 Vanessa Oh, I thought I would get some drinks. What would anyone like? I have Pellegrino, or Vitamin Water or Orange Juice or... 22 14 Juno Mac I'll have a Maker's Mark, please. Up. She's kidding. Junebug has a wonderful sense of humour. Just one of her many genetic gifts. Gerta Juno So how far along are you? I'm a junior. 22 Mark Juno Vanessa gave me my own room for all my stuff. She gave you your own room in your whole house? For your stuff? Wow, she's got you on a long leash there, Mark. 23 Juno I named my guitar "Roosevelt" – not Ted, Franklin. You know, the hot one, with polio. 25 Juno Yea, if I could just have the thing and give it to you now, I totally would. But I'm guessing it looks probably like a sea monkey right now and we should wait till it gets a little cuter. 26 Vijay Paulie Vijay You should grow a moustache? I can't. Yeah, me neither. 27 Leah Juno Whoa! Check out Baby Big Head. Dude, that thing is freaky lookin'. Excuse me. I am a sacred vessel, all right? All you've got in your stomach is Taco Bell. 29 Juno You're quite the sell-out, Mark. I mean... what would the Melvins say? 31 Juno My dad had this weird obsession with Roman or Greek mythology or something and he decided to name me after Zeus' wife. Zeus's wife? Yeah and I mean Zeus had tons of lays but I'm pretty sure Juno was his only wife. And apparently she was supposed to be super beautiful but really mean, like Diana Ross. 31 Vanessa Juno Your parents are probably wondering where you are. Nah... I mean, I'm already pregnant, so what other kind of shenanigans could I get into? 32 Mark Why does everyone think yellow is gender neutral? I never knew a guy with a yellow room. 38 Paulie Like I'd marry you! You'd be the meanest wife ever, okay? And I know that you weren't bored that day because there was a lot of stuff on TV, and then The Blair Witch Project was coming on Starz and you were like 'I haven't seen this since it came out and if so we should watch it' and 'but oh, no, we should just make out instead la la la' 43 Mac Are you having boy troubles? I gotta be honest; I don't much approve of dating in your condition, 'cause well... that's kind of messed up. 52 Juno Paulie Juno I think I'm in love with you. You mean as friends? No... I mean for real. Cause you're, like, the coolest person I've ever met, and you don't even have to try, you know... I try really hard, actually. 55 Juno Bren Juno Bren Bren, when do I get that spinal tap thing? It's called a spinal block. And you can't have it yet, honey. The doctor said you're not dilated enough. You mean I have to wait for it to get worse? Why can't they just give it to me now? Well, honey, doctors are sadists who like to play God and watch lesser people scream... [Juno lets out painful scream, Brenda checks her watch. Hey, can we get my kid the damn spinal tap already? 56 Vanessa Bren How do I look? Like a new mom. Scared shitless. 57 Juno It ended with a chair. 58 Juno As far as boyfriends go, Paulie is totally boss. He is the cheese to my macaroni. And, I know that people are supposed to fall in love before they reproduce, but... guess normalcy isn't really our style. 59 Mark Juno Paulie 15 Barry Louis Polisar: 'All I Want Is You' If I was a flower growing wild and free All I'd want is you to be my sweet honey bee. And if I was a tree growing tall and greeen All I'd want is you to shade me and be my leaves Hold me in your arms and sway me like the sea. If you were a wink, I'd be a nod If you were a seed, well I'd be a pod. If you were the floor, I'd wanna be the rug And if you were a kiss, I know I'd be a hug If I was a flower growing wild and free All I'd want is you to be my sweet honey bee. And if I was a tree growing tall and greeen All I'd want is you to shade me and be my leaves All I want is you, will you be my bride Take me by the hand and stand by my side All I want is you, will you stay with me? Hold me in your arms and sway me like the sea. All I want is you, will you be my bride Take me by the hand and stand by my side All I want is you, will you stay with me? Hold me in your arms and sway me like the sea. If you were the wood, I'd be the fire. If you were the love, I'd be the desire. If you were a castle, I'd be your moat, And if you were an ocean, I'd learn to float. If you were a river in the mountains tall, The rumble of your water would be my call. If you were the winter, I know I'd be the snow Just as long as you were with me, let the cold winds blow All I want is you, will you be my bride Take me by the hand and stand by my side All I want is you, will you stay with me? Hold me in your arms and sway me like the sea. All I want is you, will you be my bride Take me by the hand and stand by my side All I want is you, will you stay with me? The Kinks: 'A Well Respected Man Cause he gets up in the morning, And he goes to work at nine, And he comes back home at fivethirty, Gets the same train every time. Cause his world is built round punctuality, It never fails. cause he's oh, so good, And he's oh, so fine, And he's oh, so healthy, In his body and his mind. He's a well respected man about town, Doing the best things so conservatively. And he's oh, so good, And he's oh, so fine, And he's oh, so healthy, In his body and his mind. He's a well respected man about town, Doing the best things so conservatively. And he likes his own backyard, And he likes his fags the best, cause he's better than the rest, And his own sweat smells the best, And he hopes to grab his father's loot, When pater passes on. And his mother goes to meetings, While his father pulls the maid, And she stirs the tea with councillors, While discussing foreign trade, And she passes looks, as well as bills At every suave young man Cause he's oh, so good, And he's oh, so fine, And he's oh, so healthy, In his body and his mind. He's a well respected man about town, Doing the best things so conservatively. 16 17 18
