I just recently watched Juno for the first time and really appreciate this x-ray look at it. I didnīt fully get how "fake" adult she was before she got pregnant, to be honest. Iīm not sure if thatīs because the movie could have shown that a bit more in the exposition -like a scene when she hangs out with older, cool people whom she tries to impress- or if itīs because I was very similar to her as a teenager and also didnīt think anything was wrong with that "fake" maturity... If I have that pointed out to me, I can see and appreciate it better in the film. Thank you!

Paula, where you start a story is always an interesting choice. Juno starts with the pregnancy. There is value in that choice: (1) Immediately yanks the audience into the story. (2) Kick-starts the central conceit: She's pregnant. (3) Creates a question: What will she do about it. (4) And the biggie in terms of her persona: WHY DID SHE DO IT? Once we begin to see how much she values being 'cool' and how pretty much everything she does is to define herself differently form her peers, and particularly her connection with Mark - A COOL ADULT - I think it's fair to say she decided to have sex with Paulie as a kind of defiant act, an act of adulthood, "I can choose to sleep with whoever I want whenever I want." Unfortunately she is a teenager and those parts of her psyche still exist including the impulsive think without responsibility dynamic. Hence --> Pregnant. To me, Mark is a projection of who Juno aspires to be, indeed, imagines herself to be in the making which is why she has a choice of two Attractors: The 'adult' version of a lover in Mark vs. the teenage version of a lover in Paulie. Mark blows up her fantasy - hence her scene where she breaks down and cries in the car... up to this point, we've never seen even a hint of a tear in her eyes - and with it the illusion, even desire to jump to adulthood. Thus her choice to be with Paulie is an embrace not only of him, but of her own adolescence. Which is why the Denouement is a picture perfect ending for the movie. Juno may seem like a lighthearted comedy and at some level, it can be seen that way. However if you dig into it, you begin to see lots of layers of things going on and some really subtle story elements which elevate the narrative, certainly worthy of an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.

That was indeed an awesome post. It was especially helpful after just finishing the Character Development Keys class. To see all the archetypes laid out in a film I know well brings it all into clear focus. Like Paula, none of the fine points you illustrated really stood out for me from simply watching the film (many times over the years;) it took the extra explanation. Thanks, Scott!

Hey Scott, Thanks for taking this much time to respond. I have been thinking about this. I absolutely agree that this screenplay is deep, rich and worthy of the Award it got! But I have some thoughts how to make her voyage from "cool" to "vulnerable" just a tad more comprehensible for someone like me. For the points you make about her being left by her mother at age 5, this being the age when trust is most vital, plus: "Unfortunately she is a teenager and those parts of her psyche still exist including the impulsive think without responsibility dynamic. Hence –> Pregnant." are a bit to analytical and removed to me. Itīs not really inside her line of thinking but from way above and thus not very contagious emotionally. When I watched the film, I was really involved except at two moments: - when she first tells Pauly he knocked her up. - and when she finally tells him she loves him. The first moment involves her carrying that armchair, plus a carpet outside his house and making a really "cool" scene. While it looked awesome I just had trouble sensing what she really meant by this. And at the "happy ending speech" I thought her talk was just so perfectly suitable for a script and so void of subtext, it also gave me the impression I was watching a girl dangling from an authors strings. So those two moments could have made your analysis become actual experiences for me. Especially if in these encounters her shift from status quo "cool/detached" to "vulnerable/attached" was really moving. That would include for me that both moments are incredibly difficult for her to deliver and she is not sure how he will react. While this may be just my personal preference, I do think those two moments are stringing her development together and thus should be crafted similar and opposite at the same time. Ok, enough time spent on not writing! ;-/ Itīs just such a stimulating blog..