Juno Analytical Essay
Harri Puddey (1137 words)
How does the film Juno by Jason Reitman subvert audience expectations of a typical ‘teen film’?
The expectations that audience have of teen films are that expecting it would follow the struggles of growing up or being a teenager. Teen films are generic by categorising the social groups in high school based on stereotypes. Teen film narrative often follows common plot of high school relationships. Jason Reitman’s 2007 teen film, Juno separates itself from the typicality of teen films. Juno goes against the familiar trends of teen films, challenging the audience expectations. This is because the main topic of the film is the struggles and everything associated
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with teen pregnancy.
Juno subverts the audience expectations of typical teen films because it has a controversial plot of pregnancy and abortion, mature/adult themes and the characters are quite deep and complex. The construction of characters and how they develop drives the plot and sets the setting of the film is evident that Juno challenges the typical narrative that audiences are expecting.
The characters in Juno are not typically the type of roles that would be found in a teen film. The characters challenge the audience expectations of teen films. The expectations would be expecting that Juno, being a teen film would feature cliques and social groups. Some of these stereotypical groups are the Jocks, Mean/Popular girls, the Nerds and the Outcasts. Juno challenges these expectations and doesn’t display a social divide like most common teen films. Paulie Bleeker, the boy that Juno fell pregnant to, doesn’t fit what the audience would expect from a male teen role. His character, is a combination between a jock and a nerd. Paulie takes part in a running club therefore he earns the title of jock but appears nerdy and acts socially awkward. He is tall and has a lanky appearance. His attitude towards Juno isn’t what would be seen
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in a common teen film, he acts in a caring, and sensitive and manner, especially when told by Juno that she is pregnant. When being told this, she asks what to do with the baby. He replies with a realistic response that wouldn’t be presented among common teen films. He replies saying whatever you feel is right. The way Paulie is presented and the way he acts is completely different from any common teen film. Jocks are typically the big, tough guys playing NFL, they get all the girls and go out to all the parties and get drunk, etc. Paulie doesn’t take part in any of this. He lives with his mother and she does all his washing, his room is decorated like he would be 10 such as owning a racing car bed etc, he is somewhat socially awkward, he doesn’t act cocky and doesn’t get ahead of himself. He is a more realistic representation of a teenage guy compared to typical American teen males portrayed in the genre of teen films. Since the characters in Juno go in detail and are more complex and thought out compared to common teen films the plot which these characters follow and further develop will challenge the audience expectations of a teen films. The plotline or story line in Juno isn’t typically what audiences would expect from a teen film. The plot of Juno subverts the audience expectations of teen films. An audience is most likely expecting a plot line that every teen movie follows, high school-teenage relationships. The audience is most likely not expecting a film centred on the theme of pregnancy, this topic, not being common in teen films because they focused on the lighter less realistic side of high school life. Juno subverts those expectations and challenges the generalised plot that teen films follow. Juno, finding out that she is pregnant early on in the movie considers abortion as an option to deal with situation, this topic of pregnancy isn’t commonly discussed in teen films. Pregnancy is a mature and serious topic to be discussed within a teen film. The idea of exploring this topic and the options she has to choose from as a pregnant teenager challenges the audience’s expectations. Juno, being a teen film is commonly light-hearted and appeal so that teenagers can relate. But typical teen films are not realistic representations of the world’s teen population. The idea of making a film talking about teen pregnancy completely challenges the entirety of this genera. Juno goes into and explores the struggles of teen pregnancy realistically. The plot of Juno deals with a very mature topic, pregnancy. Places such as the abortion clinic or hospital are presented in this teen pregnancy film, these setting challenge the expectations of teen films. The settings in Juno are not exactly commonly found among typical teen films.
The setting challenge the audience’s expectations of teen films. Audience expectations of possible setting of typical teen films are generally centred around school grounds, house parties, sporting areas. Juno doesn’t focus on these settings. The settings used in Juno are not what would be found in a typical teen film, thus challenging audience expectations. The abortion clinic is a controversial setting in this film. Juno decides that she is going to deal with her pregnancy and by going through with an abortion. Outside of the entrance of the abortion clinic, Juno sees Su-Chin protesting against abortion. Juno is overwhelmed in the clinic because Su-Chin told her that babies have fingernails. Juno freaks out and the scratching of fingernails on skin is emphasised. She decides to keep her baby. This film sides with both opinions of abortion, for it and against it. Generally teen films are superficial and very unrealistic. They don’t explore topics such as pregnancy and abortion because it is too mature for a general audience watching the film. The settings in this film are realistic and go hand in hand with the plot and theme, what adventures come with teen pregnancy. The settings are squarely focused at school like most superficial teen films are. They setting in Juno are unexpected and unique and ultimately carry the controversial topic of teen pregnancy and
abortion. Reitman directed Juno because he wanted to shine a light on a controversial topic that is not commonly explored in teen films. Reitman decided he would dive into how a teenager may deal with pregnancy and he would also, in an effort to be realistic, touch on the topic of abortion. By building complex and realistic characters, the director gives the audience a more realistic type of teen film, a departure from the over exaggerated, stereotypical representations of teens in this genre of film. By choosing settings that are directly tied in with teen pregnancy, audiences see settings such as hospitals and abortion clinics. The expectations the audience has on Juno due to their familiarity of other teen films be challenged. Audiences should be relieved when watching this film as it invigorates the teen film genre.
“High School Confidential”, an article written by film critic David Denby for the New Yorker in 1999, accurately disputes and criticizes that high school related movies get their genre clichés from other high school movies that are out, as well as emotions of writers from their own high school years. Denby backs this claim up with multiple examples showing the stereotypes of high school movies, and explaining how those stereotypes are incorrect, such as the stereotypical princess in the school, the standard jock-antagonist, and the outsider/nerd character, and then he shows that all of these examples stem from the “Brian de Palma masterpiece Carrie”. David Denby’s purpose is to show readers how most high school movies are over-stereotyped
The only real way to truly understand a story is to understand all aspects of a story and their meanings. The same goes for movies, as they are all just stories being acted out. In Thomas Foster's book, “How to Read Literature Like a Professor”, Foster explains in detail the numerous ingredients of a story. He discusses almost everything that can be found in any given piece of literature. The devices discussed in Foster's book can be found in most movies as well, including in Quentin Tarantino’s cult classic, “Pulp Fiction”. This movie is a complicated tale that follows numerous characters involved in intertwining stories. Tarantino utilizes many devices to make “Pulp Fiction” into an excellent film. In this essay, I will demonstrate how several literary devices described in Foster's book are put to use in Tarantino’s film, “Pulp Fiction”, including quests, archetypes, food, and violence.
In “High-School Confidential: Notes on Teen Movies” David Denby criticizes movies portraying high school. He writes “The most commercial and frivolous of genres harbor a grievance against the world” (426). In many movies starting in the early 90’s you began to see an extreme amount of disrespect to adults from teenagers. High school movies are filled with unruly
This film contains some classic examples of the kinds of real life issues adolescents deal with. Issues such as popularity, peer relationships, family/sibling relationships, sex, and struggles with identity are all addressed in this ninety-minute film.
Teenage films are often thought of films focused on issues such as teen angst, conflict with parents, coming of age, and most notably rebellion. Nicholas Ray’s Rebel Without a Cause(1955) is one of the first films that could be classified as such. In today’s times, many films that fall into this genre follow the same structure as Rebel without a Cause in that perceptions and activities of youth defy what is considered to be a seemingly more stable adult life. Prior to Rebel Without a Cause, there wasn’t a film that challenged the ideas of masculinity in society and the struggles that teenagers endured in that era, so it is no surprise that the film is considered to be the poster child of youth rebellion in the 1950’s. Ray brings to light a
The movie The Breakfast Club is a perfect example of peer relationships in the adolescent society. It shows the viewer some of the main stereotypes of students in high school you have a jock, a nerd, the weirdo, a rebel, and a prep. Over the course of a Saturday detention the different types of peers learn a lot about one another by hearing what each one has done to get into Saturday detention as well as why they chose to do it.
The movie, Juno, features a female teen who is faced with the challenge of an unplanned pregnancy by her classmate. The protagonist, in the movie, is a 16 year old girl named Juno. She is sharp, sarcastic, and humorous. She learns that she's pregnant from having sex for the first time with her best friend, Paulie Bleeker. Although she would rather not be pregnant, Juno is realistic about her situation. Paulie is initially shocked about the whole situation and decides to leave all the decisions about the baby to Juno. Unlike most TV shows and movies, this pregnant teen is not a deviant or an outcast, she is a character that we are encouraged to identify with. She is not like the pregnant teen we have seen on Jerry Springer or Montel, who are promiscuous and claiming that they got pregnant on purpose to the dismay of their parents. She first tells her best friend, Leah, about the pregnancy and then they decide to get an abortion. When she decides to 'nip it in the bud' and terminate the pregnancy, Juno goes to the abortion clinic where she finds one of her friends from school outside protesting. Even with her friend protesting, she still decides to go into the clinic. While she is sitting down filling out the paperwork, she stops to look at this place. The atmosphere of the building and the fact that it ‘smelled like a dentist' made her leave the abortion clinic and decide against getting an abortion.
Have you ever met someone who acted just as teens are stereotyped? Not many people have because they do not exist. Real teens are poorly portrayed in the media and are the complete opposite of their stereotypes. Books and TV shows make teens out to be wild or crazy, irresponsible and out of control. One hardly ever hears about teen-heroes. Instead, newspapers and magazines are plastered with stories of teens and crime. And while looking at commercial billboards and other related media, the regular teen seems to be sex-crazed and image-obsessed.
Going to the movies is an experience that everyone can enjoy, and while most people have an idea of what genre of movie they are partial to, there are some movies that will appeal to almost any crowd. I recently took my two nieces, ages ten and thirteen, to see the 2014 musical Into the Woods, and in the audience there was a large group of teenagers, a couple families that had brought their preteen and teenage children, and even some adults that had gone to see it for their own enjoyment. There are numerous aspects of a movie that can catch a person’s attention, and the film producers of Into the Woods knew exactly how to draw in the desired crowd. In order to do this, the filmmakers used both ethos and pathos to appeal to their intended preteen, teenage, and adult audiences.
In his essay, “It’s Just a Movie: A Teaching Essay for Introductory Media Classes”, Greg M. Smith argues that analyzing a film does not ruin, but enhances a movie-viewing experience; he supports his argument with supporting evidence. He addresses the careful planning required for movies. Messages are not meant to be telegrams. Audiences read into movies to understand basic plotlines. Viewers should examine works rather than society’s explanations. Each piece contributes to Smith’s argument, movies are worth scrutinizing.
Youth have a certain quality and charisma that has made making films about them not only an interesting endeavor but also fundamental to cinema (Shary, 2002). Representative of hope and change, children are viewed as the future. Youth culture, with its ‘here today and gone tomorrow’ kind of dynamic, suggests that children are also the future of film. For decades the film industry has relied on young audiences for patronage and also looked to youth for inspiration and just the kind of material that makes a relevant and refreshing script (Shary, 2002). Youth-oriented film has subsequently become a genre all its own (Shary, 2002). A history of American youth cinema would indicate no different. It is thus interesting to explore youth-oriented films and how films across time, namely Lolita (1962), Marathon Man (1976), Rain Man (1988), Kids (1995), and The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012), have depicted youth culture, specifically the theme of “Coming-Of-Age.”
I chose to analyze Despicable Me, an animated film geared towards a younger audience, because I was interested in examining underlying theories and messages that this film would be relaying to its viewers. Often times, when watching animated films, children are not aware of these messages, as they are absorbed by the characters, special effects, and humor. But as we have learned throughout this semester, our brains are subconsciously primed by the various surroundings we are exposed to. Since we also studied the impacts of entertainment, such as television and video games, on children, I wanted to see how a popular children’s film might also affect them.
Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, has yet to be discovered as in depth as Juno will. NASA New Frontiers recently established the Juno Mission to observe Jupiter (Ionescu 1). The spacecraft is currently on route to Jupiter and it is set to arrive in 2016. Juno will orbit Jupiter thirty-three times total before shutting down (Ionescu 1). Juno will observe Jupiter with deeper observation than can be seen by a telescope. The Juno Spacecraft is a project made to discover Jupiter’s high winds, a possible water source, and the planetary structure.
I have chosen to review the film Boyhood written by Richard Linklater that took twelve years to film. In the movie Boyhood, it illustrates the life of a boy named Mason Jr. through the many stages of his childhood to adolescence to becoming an adult. The movie follows Mason Jr.’s life through his years of kindergarten, middle school, high school, and to college. Through these milestones in his life encounters society with socialization, culture and norms that are exhibited through his family, friends, and others. With factors of social classes, and gender that influence Mason Jr. as he grows and fits into the society that is formed. From the events and milestones in Boyhood, it is able to show human behaviour in society from our
Most of Juno and the paycocks realism comes from its accuracy of speech. Its Dublin intentions unerringly gain a reality of setting and of character. Even features that have an expressly dramatic purpose, like repetition, rhetoric, lyrical or biblical passages, fall easily on the ear in natural spoken rhythms. Language plays a big part in this play in the quick changes of pace mood characterisation of the play and strengthens both its comedy and its tragedy.