Lesson Plans - Juno

This film has won over the critics.  You can see why.  It’s original, savvy, and done with taste.  It doesn’t go for the obvious attention grabbers of sexuality, rude language, or nudity.  I enjoyed it.  The protagonist herself wrote the screen-play.  You’ll see.  It’s a real young woman’s perspective.  My only criticism is the language – there is just too much colloquial expression in it.  Many of the phrases make little sense to a non mother tongue young person.  The tone is indignant, irreverent, and even a bit crude.  Fortunately, though, the story is very easy to follow and understand.  And I felt the film was handled with good taste.

Even though the story involves a girl getting pregnant at the age of 16 – which cannot be easy or fun, it reminds me of a girl’s fantasy.  In the end, the protagonist wins over everyone in her life and succeeds, with her love life and family in tact.  

Let’s talk about the story.  The movie opens and the protagonist is contemplating her circumstances.  She has taken a number of pregnancy tests and they have all come up positive.  She has one flash back to the sex scene in which she had sex for the first time and gets pregnant.  The scene is handled with discretion.  They don’t even show the two kiss.  It’s well done. 

Back to reality, the film is about what Juno decides to do now that she’s pregnant and the complicated world of relationships that surrounds her.  Try to catch the sound track.  It’s very cute and fun. 

Discussion Before the Film

Prepare the students that this is a film about a 16 year old girl who gets pregnant the first time she has sex with her boyfriend Bleeker.  What if you were in that situation, what would you do?  Why?  List some of your considerations. 

What would you do if YOUR daughter got pregnant at an early age?  Why?

In the film, the protagonist decides to give the baby up for adoption.  She reads the want ads for couples who want to adopt.  In your opinion, what is the best way to choose adoptive parents?  What are some of the considerations?  The term open and closed adoption is used in the film.  A closed adoption is one in which the baby is given to adoptive parents and no relationship is pursued afterwards.  An open adoption is one is which the birth mother stays in touch with the baby and the adoptive parents after the birth.  Which option is better?  Why?  What would you choose if it were you?

This film deals with a lot of relationships.  Find descriptive words for Juno, her boyfriend Bleeker, her father, her step-mom, etc.  A central relationship in the film is the marriage between Vanessa and Mark, the adoptive parents.  Mark’s “messy” and less orderly life of music, horror films, and improvised passions are not the same as Vanessa’s.  Pay attention to the problems that arise from these fundamental differences between Mark and Vanessa.

Once Juno decides to “have the baby,” she must endure judgements from others, especially because she can’t hide her big belly from the world.  How did others see or judge Juno?   

Pay attention to the sound track.  There are some very cute phrases and descriptions about life and relationships.  See if you can make out some of the words.

Discussion After the Film

Juno’s perspective is what I would call indignant or irreverent.  What do those words mean?  Do you agree with this description?  How would you describe Juno?  Do descriptive words like self assured or self confident come to mind?  How is her life as an American girl different from say life in Italy? 

Did you catch the play on words when Juno goes to the abortion clinic.  Juno sees her friend from school who has a billboard and is protesting to stop abortions.  She calls out “All babies want to get bored”…instead of “All babies want to get born.” 

This film was most obviously about a young girl getting pregnant, her decisions, and her resolutions.  It was also a film about relationships.  Name some of them and describe them.  Some examples:  Juno’s father and second wife, young step-sister, Juno and Bleeker (her boyfriend), Juno and her best friend, Vanessa and Mark, etc.  One of the more endearing relationships was Juno, her father, and her step mom.  When the moment comes that she is in crisis and needs help, they are upset and disappointed, but the parents really “step up” and help Juno.  Describe how they did so.  Look closely at the opulence and perfection in Mark and Vanessa’s life, how would you describe their home, their lifestyle, the two of them as a couple.

The defining moment of the film is interestingly NOT the decision to have the baby but the moment with Mark.  Let’s look at that moment.  Juno meets the adoptive parents and decides she likes them and that life for her baby.  She takes the liberty of visiting the soon to be adoptive parents whenever she wants.  Interestingly Vanessa is not home the two times she comes over to visit and gets to know Mark much more.  Mark, on the other hand, is in the middle of his own crisis in life.  He has found himself in a marriage and about to adopt a child, both of which he is discovering – mostly by watching the freedom and liberty Juno expresses – not the choices that will bring him happiness.  You could even say he is falling in love with Juno or anyway, what she represents to him.  How would you express what Juno symbolized for Mark?

Then on Juno’s side, she was making gestures to Mark (and Vanessa) which may not be appropriate.  She enjoyed the couple and was happy she had found a home for her baby.  But what was inappropriate about her spontaneous visits and friendship with Mark?  Juno’s step mother reprimanded Juno for just “stopping by” their house.  She told Juno that a relationship of marriage was more than she could understand.  Bleeker even asked Juno with curiosity if it was normal to just go “hang out” (casually visit) the adoptive parents.  What were they talking about?  What was going on with Mark?  With Juno?  With Vanessa?  What was each one’s expectations in life? With one another? How did they clash? 

Juno said “she just wanted things to be perfect” when Mark expresses surprise that she is not more accepting of his desire to get an apartment of his own.  What was going on in this conversation?   Mark says his life “was in boxes, that he is underground.”  What did he mean?  Mark asks Juno “what do you think of me? Why are you here?”   What was Juno’s perspective?  Why could we refer to it as immature? 

When Juno saw that the marriage for which she was counting on for her baby was breaking up, she pleaded with Mark that all of this was her fault and said to Mark “you’re not trying hard enough (to stay with Vanessa).  What was Juno talking about?

The note from Juno to Vanessa read “if you’re still in, I’m still in.”  What did that message mean?