Asian Americans in Juno

January 29, 2008

I thought it was really interesting that everyone in the movie was white and Asian American. There were really only a few characters that came into focus in the Middle American high school world that Juno inhabits. One was anti-abortion Sue-Chin, who informs Juno that her "unborned" fetus has fingernails while solitarily picketing outside of the clinic. The other was Vijay, perhaps a member of the JV track team who asks Bleeker (Michael Cera) if he has heard about Juno's pregnancy, then confesses to going commando in order to increase his sperm count.

To me, who grew up in Middle America, it seemed accurate to populate the school with these characters. I thought that their quirkiness was great. I think when more films start recognizing that most American high schools are full of Sue-Chins and Vijays, then films will become more complex.

What did other people think of these characters?

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Comments

The movie was filmed in Canada. Most people there are either white or Asian.
i loved loved loved sue-chin! i wish they had brought her back to make another appearance.i definitely think it's interesting that she was the only person at the abortion clinic. this may be reading into it a little too much, but could she have been adopted? i guess i'm trying to find out why that character specifically, was chosen to be asian american or to be played by an asian american, either in the original script or during the casting process. i knew a girl in high school who is korean american, and is adopted by a white family. she was very outspoken about pro-life and used her own story in many of the debates and discussions.
Yes, that's interesting. I felt like there must have been some intentional choice outside of just acting ability to cast these characters. I think the movie was set in Minnesota, which has a lot of Asian adoptees. I also felt like the whole movie was about being an outsider, so Sue-Chin and Vijay represented that as well.
now i gotta see the movie!
Did everyone forget the "what a silly asian girl with bad grammar" gimmick?"All babies want to get borned!"Cute character, but I rolled my eyes... awkward grammar spouting Asians again?!?