THE ELLEN PAGE REVIEW

By Nate Lee

BEST FILM: Juno The zippy dialogue, which won author Diablo Cody an Oscar, is especially fun and true when it comes out of Page’s wry and something like precociously tongue-in-cheek mouth. That oddly low and smart voice, after working its way through a collection of fascinatingly advanced characters, found its home in Juno; the Golden Globe, SAG and Oscar nominations, and scores of lesser awards are testaments to the performance that carries the movie.

GREAT PERFORMANCES YOU MAY NOT HAVE SEEN:

Whip It (Bliss, aka Babe Ruthless, a Texas roller derby girl, in Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut)

Hard Candy (a teen who turns the tables on an internet predator)

Smart People (the asshole-genius daughter of an asshole-genius college professor)

The Tracey Fragments (the lost daughter of the ultimate dysfunctional family)

An American Crime (true story of a young girl held captive by an insane caretaker)

Mouth to Mouth (a member of a counter-culture group in Europe)

Wilby Wonderful (resident of a Canadian island community)

The Stone Angel

BLOCKBUSTERS:

X-Men: The Last Stand (the mutant Shadowcat)

THE REAL PAGE:

Juno

Until she does something different, which surely won’t take too long, Ellen will have to remain the wry, smart teen.

ACTING STYLE:

Real teen angst. So beautiful and cuddly, yet smart, headstrong, and rebellious. Page thinks and feels every line, every word in a way that is reminiscent of, daresay, James Dean? Only smarter.

BITS AND QUIRKS:

The lost and lonely bits. Talking to herself. The oversized clothes and the schlumpy slouch, with and without cuddliness. The punchy delivery. The facetious line, often with a head bob, or quick on-and-off smile. All kinds of hair things, mostly in the face, but also the wave on the side a la Veronica Lake.

GREAT SCENES:

WHIP IT! -

The underwater love scene > Reconciliation in the kitchen with mother Marcia Gay Harden and father Daniel Stern > The tryout and training sequence

X-MEN -

The fight with Juggernaut > The ice skating scene with Iceman

JUNO -

Practically every scene: a multitude of iconic teen bits to match the longer serious scenes >>> Breaking the news to her parents > Meeting the adoptive parents, Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman > The abortion clinic scene > The Ultrasound > The crisis point

STONE ANGEL -

Discussion in the kitchen with Ellen Burstyn about her son

HARD CANDY -

Tying up her prey > On the roof

SMART PEOPLE -

Outside the gym, coming to terms with her dad, Dennis Quaid > Taking the phone call from Sarah Jessica Parker > Christmas dinner