Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

 

Directed by Eric Appel and written by Appel and “Weird” Al Yankovic that is based on a parody film trailer by Appel for Funny or Die, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story is the story about the life and career of music parody artist “Weird” Al Yankovic as it is told loosely in the form of a parody. The film plays with the many clichés expected in a music bio-pic yet it is told with a lot of absurd and bawdy humor relating to legends in the life of Yankovic including infamous stories about his supposed affair with pop singer Madonna as Daniel Radcliffe plays the titular character. Also starring Arturo Castro, Toby Huss, Rainn Wilson, Julianne Nicholson, “Weird” Al Yankovic, Will Forte, and Evan Rachel Wood as Madonna. Weird: The Al Yankovic Story is an insanely hilarious and off-the-wall film from Eric Appel.

Ever since he recorded a parody of the Knack’s My Sharona into My Bologna in late 1979 that eventually lead to a long-standing career as an artist of his own who is famous for music parodies as well as some unique originals and genre parodies. “Weird” Al Yankovic is a figure that is difficult to define when it comes to being the subject of a movie bio-pic as a parody trailer from 2010 showed exactly what might’ve been. However like all other movie bio-pics before him, Yankovic too would play into the many plot schematics that is expected where that person comes from humble beginnings, being rebellious, creating the first hit song, becoming famous, doing drugs, alienating those, crashing down to Earth, killing some people along the way, doing mountains of cocaine, sex scandals with farm animals, losing everything including the money, going home, and then make that great comeback album that unfortunately sucked ass. Actually, a lot that was mentioned didn’t exactly happened to Yankovic in real-life as he never drank, did drugs, doesn’t eat meat, doesn’t say profanity in his records, and never took himself seriously but he does have an addiction to dessert.

Since Yankovic’s life doesn’t play to those schematics, that doesn’t mean that he and co-writer Eric Appel would make Yankovic’s own life to play into those many clichés with lots of exaggerations and such where much of the film takes place from the late 1970s to the mid-1980s with lots of anachronisms, dramatic liberties, inaccuracies, and all sorts of ridiculous embellishments that somehow work. Even in Yankovic’s relationship with his parents Nick and Mary Yankovic (Toby Huss and Julianne Nicholson, respectively) is played into clichés with the young and teenage Yankovic (Richard Aaron Anderson and David Bloom, respectively) feeling like his parents don’t understand him though the reality was that Nick and Mary Yankovic were more than supportive as they would sometimes appear in Yankovic’s music videos and concerts to the delight of fans. Still, the script does play into the clichés where young Al tries to ponder his father’s hatred for the accordion and polka music where the latter of which is considered to be evil music where the teenage Yankovic was invited to a party unaware that it’s a secret polka party that is considered forbidden with the accordion also considered taboo. It is among these things that play into this surrealistic approach that Appel and Yankovic provide as well as the legendary story of Yankovic’s relationship with Madonna that supposedly never happened.

Appel’s direction is definitely stylized as it opens with Yankovic being sent to the emergency room where the ER doctor (Lin-Manuel Miranda) is about to declare Yankovic’s time of death until Yankovic gets up and asks the doctor for a piece of paper and a number 2 pencil. It then shifts to life of the young Yankovic trying listen to his favorite radio show hosted by Dr. Demento (Rainn Wilson) who would later become Yankovic’s mentor. Shot largely on location in Los Angeles with additional locations in Pompona and Tarzana, California, Appel does keep a lot of the compositions straightforward with some wide and medium shots to establish some of the locations with the latter playing into some of the drama as it relates to Yankovic and his parents but also some strange sequences of how Yankovic creates the song Eat It after eating guacamole laced with LSD. It is among these strange yet hilarious moments that Appel creates where nearly every scene is a play of every cliché expected in a bio-pic but also being aware of how ridiculous it is.

Appel also create scenes that does spoof other films but also real-life moments from stories of other real-life musicians add to the sense of absurdity. Even when Yankovic finds himself in the ire of legendary Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar (Arturo Castro) who felt rejected when Yankovic passed on doing a show for Escobar’s birthday. Though the reality was that Yankovic and Escobar never met, the idea that the latter would be a fan of the former is still hilarious as it plays up the tone of the film that also delves into stylish action moments inspired by films of the 80s. The film’s climax does play into this sense of redemption yet because this isn’t based on any form of fact or anything realistic. It still has this absurdity into what Yankovic endures but also getting some unlikely inspiration for his magnum opus in a song that would give him validation but also the ire of some. Overall, Appel crafts a monumentally idiotic, stupid, and ridiculous film that manages to fucking hilarious and so much more about the life of one of the Weird One.

Cinematographer Ross Riege does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its colorful look for the daytime exterior scenes along with stylish lights for the interiors at the Yankovic home and for some of other interior/exterior scenes at night. Editor Jamie Kennedy does excellent work with the editing as it has elements of style in a few montages as well as some of the absurdist-humor moments in the film. Production designer Dan Butts, with set decorator Laura Harper and art director Jack Carnevale, does amazing work with the look of some of the places including the first mansion that Yankovic have as well as the villa where Escobar lived in. Costume designer Wendy Benbrook does fantastic work with the costumes such as the many Hawaiian shirts that Yankovic wore as well a few costumes for some of his songs as well the clothes that Madonna wore during that time in the 80s as well as a look she would have in the many years to come.

Makeup artist K.T. Chandler does nice work with the look of the characters including some of the celebrities Yankovic meets as well as a look his mother would have late in the film that would inspire one of his great songs. Visual effects supervisors Charles H. Joslain, Joseph Sperber, and Izzy Traub do incredible work with some of the visual effects with the most notable moment is the acid trip sequence in all of its insanity. Sound designer Mike James Gallagher and sound editor Anthony Vanchure do superb work with the sound in the way music is presented on a radio as well as certain sound effects that would play into Yankovic’s music. Music by Leo Birenberg and Zach Robinson, with additional music by “Weird” Al Yankovic, is wonderful for its orchestral-based score that is a spoof of dramatic-based music scores with elements of bombastic arrangements and rock textures for some of the action and fight scenes while music supervisor Suzanne Coffman cultivates a soundtrack feature some of the comedy music of the 1960s and 1970s that would inspire Yankovic as well as the music of the times including some new music by Yankovic including a new song for the final credits.

The casting by Wendy O’Brien is great as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Suzanne Krajewski-Yankovic as Tony Scotti’s wife in the European singer Sylvia Vartan, Michael McKean as a club MC, Dot-Marie Jones as a club goer who wants ice cream, Patton Oswalt as a heckler at the club, Josh Groban as a waiter an expensive restaurant, Seth Green as the voice of a radio dee-jay, Thomas Lennon as an accordion salesman who tells the young Yankovic that he’s going to get a lot of pussy through the accordion, Richard Aaron Anderson as the young Yankovic, David Bloom as the teenage Yankovic, and Lin-Manuel Miranda as the ER doctor who almost declares Yankovic dead. For the appearances in the party scene, the performances from Jack Black as famed radio dee-jay Wolfman Jack, Emo Philips as Salvador Dali, Conan O’Brien as Andy Warhol, Paul F. Tompkins as Gallagher, Demetri Martin as Tiny Tim, Nina West as Divine, Jorma Taccone as Pee-Wee Herman, Akiva Schaffer as Alice Cooper, and David Dastmalchian as Queen bassist John Deacon are a joy to watch as are some of the un-credited people who play other famous figures such as Elvira, Grace Jones, Devo, and David Bowie.

The performances of Tommy O’Brien, Jack Lancaster, and Spencer Treat Clark in their respective roles as Yankovic’s friends/bandmates in drummer Jon “Bermuda” Schwartz, guitarist Jim “Kimo” West, and bassist Steve Jay are terrific to watch as friends who support Yankovic but are troubled by his alcoholism while the duo of Will Forte and “Weird” Al Yankovic are fantastic in their respective roles of Ben and Tony Scotti as the men who would sign Yankovic with the former being completely dismissive of Yankovic’s talents. Quinta Brunson is excellent as Oprah Winfrey as the talk-show host who interviews Yankovic in his rise while her question about his parents would become a major plot-point while Arturo Castro is superb as the infamous Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar as a fan of Yankovic’s music until he gets pissed off that Yankovic turned out the invitation to celebrate his birthday. Toby Huss and Julianne Nicholson are brilliant in their respective roles as Yankovic’s parents in Nick and Mary Yankovic with the former being a man who hates polka and accordions with a lot of anger where Huss brings a lot of laughs as the angry disapproving father with a secret to hide while Nicholson plays it straight as someone who supports her son but hopes he doesn’t anger his father as she would later turn her frustrations into something that would inspire one of her son’s greatest songs.

Rainn Wilson is amazing as Doctor Demento as the famed comedy dee-jay who would discover Yankovic and become his mentor where he would guide him but also introduce him to drugs much to his regret as well as wanting to become a father figure to Yankovic. Evan Rachel Wood is phenomenal as Madonna as the famous pop singer who seduces Yankovic in the hope he would parody one of her songs so she can get a big sales bump as Wood captures the voice and look of Madonna pitch-perfectly as well as that personality of a woman who wants to rule the world as it is truly one of her finest performances ever. Finally, there’s Daniel Radcliffe in a tremendous performance “Weird” Al Yankovic as a young man that wanted to create music as Radcliffe brings that offbeat humor to the role while also displaying that angst as someone wanting to win his father’s approval as Radcliffe plays up the absurdity in a performance that is truly one of his best.

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story is a sensational film from Eric Appel that features a great leading performance from Daniel Radcliffe as well as incredible supporting work from Rainn Wilson, Toby Huss, Julianne Nicholson, and Evan Rachel Wood. It is a film that refuses to take itself seriously or to be accurate in favor of just being ridiculous as well as make fun of many of the clichés expected in movie bio-pics. In the end, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story is a phenomenal film from Eric Appel.

© thevoid99 2023

The Rocker (2008 film)

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 12/16/09 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.

Directed by Peter Cattaneo and screenplay by Maya Forbes and Wallace Wolodarsky from a story by Ryan Jafee, The Rocker tells the story of a drummer from a mid-80s glam-metal band who was left behind by his band as his life twenty years later has become one big failure. When his nephew asks him to join his band, the drummer suddenly gets a second chance to live his dream to become a rock star. Starring Rainn Wilson, Christina Applegate, Teddy Geiger, Emma Stone, Josh Gad, Jane Lynch, Jeff Garlin, Will Arnett, Fred Armisen, Bradley Cooper, Howard Hesseman, Demitri Martin, and Jason Sudeikis. The Rocker is a funny, rocking film from Peter Cattaneo and company.

The film is a simple story of a drummer from now very popular metal band called Vesuvius whose life of misery has him moving in with his sister and befriending his nephew who is in a band that needed a drummer. By playing their high school prom gig, he becomes a member of the band with much reluctance from his new bandmates where a notorious Internet clip gets them attention. The band called A.D.D. suddenly becomes famous where one of the band member's mother joins the tour, the band become successful as the drummer called Fish (Rainn Wilson) deals with his new chance as well as the old demons in his past where he is offered the chance to open for his former band.

While the film has elements similar to the 2003 Richard Linklater film School of Rock about an adult wanting to rock with young kids. The film is about a man's unfortunate situations about his old band becoming big as he's left living a life that is mediocre and dull. When he's given a second chance, he is hoping to do all the things he wanted to do as a rock star. Yet, the character of Fish is more than just some guy finally living his dream but someone who really cares about his band mates by helping Curtis (Teddy Geiger) on the directions of the songs, help Amelia (Emma Stone) with her own image, and his nephew Matt (Josh Gadd) in his shyness. While the script does follow certain plot formulas, it's array of humor and love of rock does make it worthwhile.

Director Peter Cattaneo does a fine job with the direction though it's mostly average in terms of compositions and settings. Yet, he does make the film quite energetic and fun while a lot of the film is shot in Toronto with a few locations in Cleveland including the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame museum. For a lot of the performance sequences, Cattaneo succeeds in knowing what to shoot as he gives each actor a chance to shine while showcasing what happens with most big rock concerts once audiences get to see Vesuvius live in the film's climatic ending. Despite some formulaic ideas with the script and lack of fresh ideas, Cattaneo does create a solid film that is funny and entertaining to watch.

Cinematographer Anthony B. Richmond does pretty good work with the film's darkened look with moments of grain in the shoot in order to make the film look a little grimy but also polished. Editor Brad E. Wilhite does a nice job with the film's editing in giving it a nice, leisurely-paced feel while speeding up a bit for some of the film's wilder moments. Production designer Brandt Gordon and set decorator Clive Thomasson does a good job in the look of the clubs, the tour bus, and places that the characters go to. Costume designer Christopher Hargadon does excellent work in the looks of 80s rock star clothing in the film's early sequence along with modern clothes and dresses for Emma Stone. Sound editor Andrew DeCristofaro does very good work with the atmosphere of the rock shows and interaction with the audience.

The music by Chad Fischer is mostly a mixture of melodic-pop and rock as it serves as the songs he created for the fictional band A.D.D., a lot of which are sung by Teddy Geiger. The songs are pretty good while the songs Fischer wrote for the fictional band Vesuvius is reminiscent of 80s hard rock while Geiger and Fischer do a pretty good cover of Poison's Nothin' But A Good Time that works in conveying the spirit of the film.

The casting by Julie Ashton is wonderfully with cameo appearances from the likes of comedy actor Demitri Martin as a pretentious video director, Jane Krakowski as Fish's ex-girlfriend, Howard Hesseman as A.D.D.'s tour bus driver, Lonny Ross as Fish's replacement in Vesuvius, and as Vesuvius, Bradley Cooper, Fred Armisen, and Will Arnett. Another notable cameo that gives the film a bit of humor, though he's only in one scene, is original Beatles drummer Pete Best as a guy in the bus stop reading Rolling Stone. Other notable small roles include Brittany Allen as an A.D.D. fan who has a crush on Matt, Jonathan Malen as A.D.D.'s original drummer, Keir Gilchrist as a drum machine kid, Samantha Weinstein as Matt's sister, and Jon Glaser as Vesuvius' manager are memorable.

Jason Sudeikis is very good as A.D.D.'s scheming manager who tries to get rid of Fish in making the band bigger. Jeff Garlin is funny as Matt's dad who is excited to see Fish be a rock star again while Jane Lynch is really good as Fish's no-nonsense sister despite not given much to do. Josh Gad is great as Fish's nephew and keyboardist Matt who is funny with some of his sleeping antics along with his shyness where he's helped by Emma Stone in a funny kissing scene. Emma Stone is really good as Amelia, the band's nonchalant bassist who rarely smiles while is often grossed out by Fish's antics while displaying a sweet persona to her role. Teddy Geiger is also good as Curtis, the band's brooding lead singer and guitarist who is trying to deal with fame while coming to terms about what making music is really all about.

Christina Applegate is excellent in a wonderful supporting role as Curtis' mother Kim who joins the band on tour after Fish gets in trouble while revealing her own past as a rocker in which she connects with Fish. The film's most fantastic performance truly goes to Rainn Wilson as Fish, the drummer who gets a second chance in living his dream. Wilson's performance is definitely funny in the way he reacts to all things uncool or to his former band while doing lots of dumb things that are very funny. At the same time, Wilson also shows range as an actor in scenes where he helps everyone else as it's definitely a great role for the comedy actor.

While it's not a perfect film, The Rocker is indeed a funny, entertaining film from Peter Cattaneo and company with a hilarious performance from Rainn Wilson. Fans of rock films will no doubt enjoy this film for its music and sense of humor while it also has something that fans of low-brow comedies can enjoy. It may not have the brilliance of films like School of Rock, Almost Famous, or High Fidelity, The Rocker is still a film that is worth watching while letting rock fans rock out.

© thevoid99 2013

Hesher

Directed by Spencer Susser and screenplay by Susser and David Michod from a story by Brian Charles Frank, Hesher is the story of a young boy whose life is falling apart following the death of his mother where he meets an anarchist who causes mayhem at every turn he’s in. Playing the titular character is Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the film also stars Devin Brochu, Rainn Wilson, Natalie Portman, and Piper Laurie. Hesher is a wild yet harrowing drama from Spencer Susser.

After the death of his mother (Monica Staggs) in a car accident two months ago, T.J. (Devin Brochu) is still reeling from her loss as he is obsessed with getting back the family car. With his father Paul taking numerous pills to deal with his loss as they both live at the home of Paul’s grandmother Madeleine (Piper Laurie), T.J. notices a weird young man named Hesher who had been following him after breaking a window in a home that was being built. Though T.J. has issues with a bully named Dustin (Brendan Hill), he still sees Hesher lurking around as Hesher decides to move in to the home where he befriends Madeleine. While T.J. wonders about Hesher and his antics, Hesher takes T.J. around to deal with Dustin’s car where T.J. gets in trouble with the police.

Hesher still likes to cause trouble as he becomes part of the home as he helps out Madeleine while noticing that T.J. has a crush on a 20-something grocery store cashier named Nicole (Natalie Portman). When Nicole accidentally hits another car, Hesher defends her as he takes her and T.J. into an adventure where things were fun for a while. Yet, Nicole feels she’s already in enough trouble with work and money issues as T.J. wants to help out. Yet, Hesher’s presence finally takes a toll between T.J. and Paul who are unaware about Madeleine’s illness. The result of Madeleine’s issues lead to T.J. acting out as he feels helpless in sorting things out where he deals with everything he’s lost as Hesher tries to pick up all of the pieces of a broken family.

What happens to a young boy whose life is going downhill following his mother’s death when an unconventional anarchist arrives to his home to shake things up? That’s the idea of what the film is about where it follows a young boy in his grief as he reluctantly lets in this 20-something guy who likes to listen to heavy metal, cause mayhem, and just live somewhere for a while. Essentially, it’s a coming-of-age tale for a young boy as he deals with loss and growing pains while his father is lost in his grief as they both live with his grandmother who is trying to feel useful only to find some companionship in someone like Hesher. There’s also a 20-something young whom T.J. has a crush on as she is trying to deal with her own issues as she befriends T.J. and Hesher in the fact that they’re both misfits as she admits to her own imperfections.

The film’s lack of conventional storytelling in the screenplay allows director Spencer Susser to go for a very stylistic approach to the film. Through some slow-motion shots, moments of unpredictability, and unwillingness to be sentimental nor brash. It’s a film that is very uncompromising just like the titular character himself who is clearly undefined and not willing to give any answers for why he is the way he is. Through some amazing compositions and wide shots set in California, Susser allows the film to be pretty sunny but also off-kilter due to Hesher’s antics often seen from T.J.’s perspective. Though there’s a few moments in the film such as a penultimate scene between Hesher, T.J. and Paul that is a bit much. The overall work is quite dazzling as Susser creates a truly mesmerizing drama about loss.

Cinematographer Morgan Susser does great work with the cinematography from the sunny exterior shots to the more stylish nighttime interior and exteriors to help set the mood for the scene. Editors Spencer Susser and Michael McCusker do excellent work with the editing to play out the intensity of some of the film‘s violence as well as the antics of Hesher. Production designer Laura Fox, with set decorator Jennifer Lukehart and art director Charles Vargas, does wonderful work with the set pieces such as T.J.’s home filled with places to suggest where T.J. and his dad are at as well as the messy van of Hesher.

Costume designer April Napier does nice work with the costumes as it‘s mostly casual with Hesher being the most outrageous due to largely black clothing. Sound designer Sam Petty and sound editors David Esparaza and Will Riley is terrific for the way it plays out the chaos in T.J.’s life in moments that involve Hesher as well as more calmer moments without Hesher. The film’s score by Francois Tetaz is very good for its low-key ambient score to play out the drama. The film’s music soundtrack consists largely of heavy metal music courtesy of Motorhead and Metallica where the latter carries the bulk of the music as the soundtrack also includes a Dion & the Belmonts song in a key scene.

The casting by Justine Baddeley and Kim Davis-Wagner is superb for the ensemble that is created as it include some notable appearances from John Carroll Lynch as a car repair shop owner, Monica Staggs as T.J.’s mom, and Brendan Hill as T.J.’s bully Dustin who likes to torment T.J. Piper Laurie is excellent as Paul’s mother who is trying to cope with the loss as well as trying to make herself feel useful as she befriends Hesher. Rainn Wilson is terrific as T.J.’s father Paul who is just trying to deal with loss as well as T.J.’s growing sense of anger. Natalie Portman is wonderful as Nicole, a young woman whom T.J. has a crush on as she is someone trying to deal with her own existence while being aware that she is very flawed.

Devin Brochu is great as T.J., a teenager who is trying to cope with the loss of his mother as Brochu brings a real sense of determination of a kid who is eager to save the one piece of the loss he had in a car while dealing with the antics of this strange being in Hesher. Finally, there’s Joseph Gordon-Levitt in an incredible performance as the titular character where there’s a lot of attitude to his performance as well as a physicality to display how dangerous he is. It’s Gordon-Levitt at his best as it’s a truly fearless performance for an actor who is already proving his versatility into playing any kind of role.

Hesher is an excellent film from Spencer Susser that features a towering performance from Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Along with strong supporting work from Devin Brochu, Rainn Wilson, Natalie Portman, and Piper Laurie, it’s a film that plays into the world of grief and mayhem while not being afraid to be a bit sentimental. Fans of Gordon-Levitt’s work will no doubt see this as one of his most essential performances. In the end, Hesher is a remarkably thrilling and chaotic film from Spencer Susser.

© thevoid99 2012

Juno

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 12/30/07 w/ Additional Edits.

Directed by Jason Reitman and written by newcomer Diablo Cody, Juno is about a young girl from a small town who suddenly gets pregnant. Deciding to give the baby away to a couple, she begins to deal with the changes in her life and such. While Reitman's previous film was a satire on the tobacco industry, this film is more about a young girl's pregnancy and how her family and friends deal with this experience. Starring Ellen Page, J.K. Simmons, Allison Janney, Michael Cera, Jason Bateman, Jennifer Garner, Olivia Thirlby, and Rainn Wilson. Juno is a charming, witty film from Jason Reitman.

Juno MacGuff is a 16-year old high school student who just discovered that she's pregnant after trying three pregnancy tests at a convenience store. Realizing the father is her friend Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera), she remembers that the conception happened out of boredom one night. Calling her best friend Leah (Olivia Thirlby), she suggests that Juno to go to an abortion clinic but cold feet makes her change her mind. With help from Leah, Juno searches for the Penny Savers to find a couple to give the baby up for adoption. After finding the right couple, Juno tells her father Mac (J.K. Simmons) and step-mother Bren (Allison Janney) about her pregnancy and plans to give it up for adoption.

Juno and Mac then meet the couple they're going to give the baby to in the form of middle-class, posh suburban Mark and Vanessa Loring (Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner) as Juno just wants to give the baby away. Though she is amused by their yuppie lifestyle, she learns Mark is a music composer for commercials with love for alternative rock and old-school horror films. While Vanessa is excited about having a baby, Mark seems more interested in his own world as he and Juno bond over music and horror films. With support from Mac and Bren, Juno deals with her newfound role as a 16-year old pregnant teenager while her friendship with Paulie is becoming shaky as they hope to reform their old band. Hanging out with Mark, Juno learns about their previous attempts to adopt when she and Leah meet Vanessa at the mall and her love for children.

By the spring and in the final stages of the pregnancy, Juno learns that Paulie might go to the prom with Katrina De Vroot (Ashley Whillans), a girl Paulie claimed he doesn't like. A falling out ensues as Juno decides to meet Mark where she learns about his relationship with Vanessa starting to falter. The sense of disillusionment over adulthood and love force Juno to confront with realities she is too young to face as she tries to find a way to deal with everything. Even as her child is about to come out.

If a film about teenage pregnancy was done in a Hollywood style, it wouldn't work because it's tendency to sugarcoat something or make an entire situation look very silly. Yet, in the mind of director Jason Reitman and first-time screenwriter Diablo Cody, this is a film that doesn't pander down to Hollywood conventions or anything that's expected for a typical teenager. Instead, the whole film feels very real yet is done with a lot of sarcastic humor and realism, particularly in how high school is. Juno is a character who is essentially a loner with a few friends though she and Leah are in different social circles. Yet, Juno gets by with her own sarcasm, love of punk rock and alternative music, and her individuality that is both her strength and weakness.

Screenwriter Diablo Cody does a fantastic job with this amazing screenplay that is filled with a lot of heart, humor, and moments that audiences can relate to. Whether it's life in high school or dealing with adult situations that a 16 year old might not handle at all. Cody's script is very smart in the way characters are developed and such, notably the character of Vanessa. She's a woman who might seem like a typical, WASP-like character who is so giddy about having a child. Yet, when Juno gets to know her, there's a whole lot more to Vanessa as this woman who wants to be a mother. It's part of Cody's study of character that reveals that even though Juno is this kind of smart-aleck teenage girl, she is a real teenage girl that teenagers can relate to.

This is where Jason Reitman's direction is at it's best. While Reitman’s approach to humor is more subtle than his father, he really takes a huge step forward as far as approaching a film like this. Whereas his debut film Thank You for Smoking was a satire that was stylish yet worked in some parts, Juno really shows Reitman taking his direction to a more intimate level. It doesn't look overlit or forced so the result seems relaxed and natural that includes a wonderful opening credit sequence that's done in animation. Even the compositions are great to emphasize the moments of drama and humor as Reitman really shines with his direction that is overall solid.

Cinematographer Eric Steelberg does an excellent job with the film's cinematography that has a more natural look with wonderful colors and grey-like footage to showcase the differing look of the seasons from autumn to summer. Whereas the entire film has this look that is colorful yet desolate, it works to convey the look as well as the mood of the film. Editor Dana E. Glauberman does great work with the film's editing to convey the film's quirky tone with the use of jump-cuts and fade-outs to work the film's structure and changing of the seasons. Production designer Steve Sakland along with art directors Michael Diner and Catherine Schroer do great work in presenting the different places of Juno's world from the posh-like suburbia of the Lorings, the rooms of Leah and Paulie, to the working-class home of the MacGuff family that is very real with loads of props including the cheeseburger phone that is actually owned by screenwriter Diablo Cody.

Costume designer Monique Prodhomme does excellent work with the look of the high school track clothes that Paulie wears with those yellow short-shorts, red shirt, and yellow headband. It's funny and a bit creepy while the overall costume works to convey the personalities of each character. Sound editors Barney Carbal and Perry Robertson do a fantastic job with the film's sound, notably a scene of dramatic tension at the abortion clinic that forces Juno to make a drastic decision that works for laughs and such. The film's folky score by Matt Messina with chimes and such is wonderful plaintive as it conveys a Hal Ashby like feel reminiscent of his 1971 classic film Harold & Maude that featured the music of Cat Stevens.

The soundtrack is amazing and definitely one of the year's best. Featuring songs by Kimya Dawson and her former band the Moldy Peaches, the soundtrack is wonderful in conveying Juno's quirky little world that also features music from Sonic Youth covering the Carpenters' Superstar, Belle & Sebastian, the Kinks, Buddy Holly, Cat Power, the Velvet Underground, and Mott the Hoople's classic song All The Young Dudes written by David Bowie. It's a great soundtrack that is similar to the style of the film soundtracks of Wes Anderson but with a great selection while the music is used to great effect.

The film's cast is wonderfully assembled with small roles from Ashley Whillans as Katrina De Vroot whom Juno refers to as Soupy Sales, Kaaren de Zilva as an Ultrasound technician, Steven Christopher Parker and Candice Accola as Juno's lab partners who were fighting each other in a scene, Valerie Tian as Juno's schoolmate Su-Chin who is an abortion protester, Darla Vandenbossche as Bleeker's mom, and Sierra Pitkin as Juno's little sister Liberty Bell. Emily Perkins of Ginger Snaps fame makes a great appearance as pierced receptionist who looks very punk and twisted while Rainn Wilson is funny as a convenience store clerk who makes funny remarks to Juno's pregnancy.

Newcomer Olivia Thirlby is excellent as Juno's sexy best friend Leah, a cheerleader who helps Juno in finding the right parents while having to be one of her few real friends during this moment as Leah is also interested in old, adult teachers. Allison Janney is great as Juno's step-mother Bren who might seem like a typical mother but has her funny one-liners as she supports her step-daughter while saying the right, funny things in the film. J.K. Simmons is also great and funny as Mac MacGruff, an old army veteran who supports his daughter while giving her quirky advice on life and such. Jason Bateman is wonderful as Mark Loring, a man not sure about being a father as his desires to be a rock musician is in conflict as he desperately tries to hold on to his youth.

Jennifer Garner is amazing as Vanessa Loring, a loving, caring woman whose desires to be a mother is in conflict as she is pondering about her own maternal instincts despite her cheery personality. Garner may not have moments of humor but she holds her own as a woman who realizes she might have what it takes. Michael Cera is a joy to watch as Paulie Bleeker, this skinny kid wearing short-shorts who represents the kind of awkwardness of this young man who knows isn’t ready to be a father while trying to deal with being a young man growing up. Cera's performance is great while he does look fantastic in those yellow short-shorts, red shirt, and yellow bandana.

Then there's Ellen Page in what has to be one of the year's best performances by an actress. The 20-year old Canadian actress definitely shows her range as this quirky, offbeat young woman who tries to deal with this new reality while making her way in life through her sarcasm. Page's performance is a knock-out as she not only carries the film with such ease as well as natural humor and depth into playing a real-life teenager. This is truly Ellen Page's film all the way as she makes a star-making turn in this great performance.

Juno is a flat-out humorous, sweet, entertaining, and realistic film from Jason Reitman and company led by Ellen Page's winning performance and a funny script from Diablo Cody. Featuring a great ensemble cast and a superb soundtrack, it's a film that has a nice mix of humor and drama about teenage pregnancy without all of the sentimental mush that often revolves around these films. In the end, Juno is a phenomenal film from Jason Reitman.

Jason Reitman Films: Thank You for Smoking - Up in the Air - Young Adult - Labor Day - (Men, Women, & Children) - Tully - The Front Runner - Ghostbusters: Afterlife - The Auteurs #30: Jason Reitman

© thevoid99 2011