Juno – TIFF

by AP

Jason Reitman’s new film “Juno” had its Canadian premiere September 8 at the Toronto International Film Festival. I really enjoyed Reitman’s “Thank You for Smoking” and short films, so I definitely wanted to see this one. Tickets were hard to come by – they sold out in advance ordering and I was only able to get one the morning of. I arrived an hour and a half early and was walking into the theatre when the stars arrived. Attending the screening were director Jason Reitman and stars Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jason Bateman, Jennifer Garner, J.K. Simmons, Allison Janney and Olivia Thirlby. I was able to get clear shots of Bateman and Simmons on the red carpet as volunteers were asking me and other filmgoers to keep moving. Inside, Ivan Reitman and Ben Affleck walked right past my step brother on the way to their seats. “Juno” is a funny, alternative take on teenage pregnancy, with characters and dialogue very different from what we’ve seen before. The audience really connected, reacting with lots of laugh and an enthusiastic standing ovation at the end. During the Q&A that followed, praise was given to Ellen Page, who plays Juno MacGuff, and first-time screenwriter Diablo Cody.