Story
Juno MacGuff (Ellen Page) is a fairly typical 16-year-old teenager with attitude and a quick tongue. She decides to experiment with sex with her friend Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera). This results in an unwanted pregnancy. Juno decides to confront her father Mac (JK Simmons) and stepmother Bren (Allison Janney). Although initially surprised, they are very supportive of Juno. At first Juno thinks she’ll have an abortion, because she knows she is too young to be looking after a baby. However, after attending the clinic, she changes her mind.
Juno then sets out to find the perfect couple to adopt her baby. She thinks she has found them in Vanessa (Jennifer Garner), desperate for a baby, and Mark Loring (Jason Bateman). Juno is to learn that nothing is simple or straightforward in life. She also discovers that bringing a new life into the world is far more complicated than she thought.
Themes
Teenage pregnancy; abortion; contraception
Violence
There is some violence in this movie, including a scene in which Juno and Mark watch a horror/slasher movie in which a body is drilled with blood splattering everywhere.
Content that may disturb children
Under 8
Children in this age group would be disturbed by the violent scene described above, as well as a scene in which Juno is shown being sick and another in which she is seen in a lot of pain during childbirth.
From 8-13
In addition to the scenes describe above, children in this age would be disturbed by the following:
- Juno throws a noose around a tree and puts her head through it, with no intention of hanging herself.
- A girl demonstrating outside the abortion clinic says that abortion is murdering babies.
Over 13
Some children in this age group might also be disturbed by some of the scenes described above.
Sexual references
There is much discussion about sex and pregnancy in this movie. There are also many sexual references. For example:
- Juno sits on a toilet to take a pregnancy test – her friend asks her if her nipples are brown.
- When asked what sex was like, Juno replies it was magnificent.
- There are a few references to abortion.
- A demonstration of how to put a condom on a banana is given in the classroom.
Alcohol, drugs and other substances
There is some use of substances in this movie. For example:
- Juno holds a pipe as if smoking it.
- There is talk about drug and alcohol use.
- Juno drinks a gin sling.
- People drink wine at home.
Nudity and sexual activity
There is some nudity and sexual activity in this movie. For example, there is a scene in which Juno takes off her pants and is shown having sex with Paulie, sitting in a chair in the nude, although it’s fairly discreet.
Product placement
The product Sunni D orange juice is displayed in this movie.
Coarse language
This movie contains some mild coarse language.
Ideas to discuss with your children
Juno is a comedy about a serious subject. It is directed at adolescents, who might find it both funny and confronting. This is because the movie emphasises the fact that many human emotions are involved in bringing a new life into the world.
The main message from this movie is that casual sex can result in an unwanted pregnancy, which can affect many people’s lives.
You could talk with your child about signifcant scenes such as Juno’s courage in telling her parents about her pregnancy and her decision to continue with her studies while pregnant. You could discuss issues concerning casual sex, contraception, pregnancy and abortion.