FOX SEARCHLIGHT always believed "Juno" held great promise for teenage moviegoers. But it was not until the movie was unveiled at the Telluride Film Festival early in the fall that the company started to believe its film could appeal to Oscar voters too.
Unlike some movies -- "Atonement" and "The Kite Runner" come to mind -- that seem groomed for Academy Award consideration from the get-go, "Juno" is one whose critical esteem appears to have surprised even its own makers. Fox Searchlight wasn't even initially planning on releasing the movie this year, designing instead a spring 2008 debut.
But like the indomitable teen mother at its center, "Juno" couldn't be stopped. And with awards voters (not to mention moviegoers) beaten down by the violence and despair of "No Country for Old Men," "There Will Be Blood," "The Savages," "Sweeney Todd" and "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead," "Juno" is that rare fall movie that actually leaves you not wanting to stick your head in an oven when it's over.
The challenge for Fox Searchlight is converting those warm and fuzzy feelings into best picture votes. The studio was up to the test a year ago with "Little Miss Sunshine," and "Juno" is now building the same kind of momentum -- although "Juno" holds some challenges not shared by "Little Miss Sunshine."
Almost everywhere "Juno" goes, it returns home with some sort of accolade: the audience award at the Austin Film Festival; best film at the Rome Film Festival; the young jury prize at Spain's Gijon Film Festival; and prominent recognition at festivals in Palm Springs, St. Louis and Los Angeles.
Reviews for the movie, which opened in New York and Los Angeles on Dec. 5, have been uniformly glowing, with special shout-outs for star Ellen Page and first-time screenwriter Diablo Cody. "Juno" received three Golden Globe nominations -- including for best comedy or musical -- from the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. on Thursday, and collected four nominations for the Independent Spirit Awards.
But it was its September debut in Telluride that set "Juno" in motion. While the Labor Day weekend festival is neither as heavily attended as the Toronto International Film Festival nor does it equal the media and acquisitions spectacle of Sundance, Telluride has become a key launch point for Oscar challengers. In the last few years, "Capote," "Brokeback Mountain" and "The Last King of Scotland" all premiered in the Colorado mountain resort.
