review: JUNO (Blu-ray)

Fox  //  Buy from Amazon.com Juno MacGuff (Ellen Page) is a whip-smart teen confronting an unplanned pregnancy by her classmate Bleeker (Michael Cera). With the help of her best friend Leah (Olivia Thirlby), Juno finds her unborn child a perfect set of parents: an affluent suburban couple, Mark and Vanessa (Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner), longing to adopt. Luckily, Juno has the total support of her parents (J.K. Simmons and Allison Janney) as she faces some tough decisions, flirts with adulthood and ultimately figures out where she belongs. "Juno" seemed to be the indie gem of 2007, a lil' film that garnered a whole lotta buzz. As always, I didn't see it in the theater, but was genuinely interested in checking it out on Blu-ray (thank you Fox!) Incidentally, I was intrigued to also see the Ellen Page in the title role, as my only previous knowledge of her was as Ricky's teenage daughter on the Canadian cult classic tv series, "Trailer Park Boys" (damn I wish that show would catch on here in American.) Anyway, I digress... I really dug "Juno" - it's not your typical film (not even your typical indie film.) Sure, it has loads of indie attitude that seems to sneer, "F*ck the establishment" but it also has a heart of gold under the afghan sweater and strange (but utterly mesmerizing) dialogue. The characters in this film are genuine through and through, and although they're not necessarily people you'd want to spend any time with in the real world, they are very believable characters and totally engrossing as the story progresses. There's always those great indie flicks that bubble up to mainstream success (most deservedly so), and "Juno" is definitely one of those films - a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. Video The 1.85:1 high-def widescreen transfer is perfect in every way - sharp detail, nice coloring, zero defects, zero complaints. Audio The DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack is also perfect - a lovely blend of dialogue and soft acoustic tunes. Extras audio commentary w/ director & writer deleted scenes gag reel screen tests "Way Beyond 'Our' Maturity Level" featurette "Diablo Cody is Totally Boss" featurette "Jason Reitman for Shizz" featurette "Honest to Blog! Creating Juno" featurette 2 promotional bits digital copy (for computers & iPods) Closing Thoughts Cute, quirkie, indie fun + huge assortment of extras = hip, original, enjoyable film