When looking at how motherhood is portrayed in cinema, there tends to be a lot of stereotypes. You have the picture-perfect middle-class American mom who makes bacon every morning and rarely questions her husband’s insane ideas (see Bonnie Hunt in Beethoven). There’s the frustrated and near-catatonic housewife who dreams of something better like Julianne Moore in The Hours. Despite recent films unveiling the facade that motherhood is easy and always joyous like The Lost Daughter, sometimes portraits of moms in cinema are either too “perfect” or else, they become a villain. What about the mothers who call their children out for being assholes but would still murder someone if they hurt their kid. Of course, I’m talking about Allison Janney’s Brenda in Juno.

Juno, which was released 15 years ago today, is an absolute cinematic gem for a myriad of reasons. You have the breakthrough of Elliot Page; the first outing of a match made in heaven: Director Jason Reitman and screenwriter Diablo Cody; and enough genius lines to quote for the rest of your life, “this is one doodle that can't be undid homeskillet.” There’s so much to love about this film, but an aspect that sometimes gets left out of conversations is Allison Janney’s droll and practical performance as Brenda, Juno’s stepmom.

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The first thing that sets Brenda apart from all the other moms that have come before is that we get to know her as a person outside of being a mom. She’s a nail technician who runs her own salon. Her main passion is dogs, and she dreams of having her own someday, but Juno is allergic to their saliva. It’s not said in the film, but it’s fair to presume that isn’t always easy being Juno’s stepmother, especially considering that Juno’s biological mother now has three new kids and barely contacts Juno. Brenda also shares a daughter (called Liberty Bell, obviously) with Juno’s dad, Mac (J.K. Simmons) who is definitely up for the world's best dad as well. So, on top of all this, she now has to deal with a pregnant teenager. A pregnant teacher who likes to throw their massive blue slushie up in their urn.

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Image via Fox Searchlight Pictures

Brenda takes a no-nonsense approach to motherhood. Even at times when the movie is pulling on your heartstrings, she never dissolves into the emotional, cradling nightingale. When Juno tells her that she’s pregnant, her first response is to look after Juno’s health, and she starts listing the vitamins that Juno needs to take. We see her sewing elastic bands on Juno’s clothes as her bump grows, and she accompanies her to her ultrasound. These are realistic depictions of what is to be a mother. Yes, emotional words of affirmation in tender moments can be nice, but sometimes actions speak louder than words, and we never doubt that Brenda would do anything for her family. She doesn’t slut-shame Juno, uninterested in the minor details. All that's on her mind is that Juno stays healthy, and that really is the fundamental principle of being a mom.

In the ultrasound scene, the snobby technician doubts Juno’s abilities as a mother, thanking God that the baby is going to be adopted. Brenda goes full-blown mama bear here and jumps to Juno’s defense. She berates the doctor, not in a way to humiliate her or to be malicious, but to defend her stepdaughter. She doesn’t affirm Juno or comfort her, but she comes to her aid when people make assumptions about her and her pregnancy. Brenda probably agrees that the irresponsible sixteen-year-old Juno would make a terrible mother, but God help anyone else who might say that. Juno might be an idiot, but she’s Brenda’s idiot. She doesn't try to make out that her stepdaughter is an angel, but she’ll always stick up for her.

On the flip side, Brenda is never apprehensive about calling out Juno when she’s being a naive teenager. When Juno comes home after spending time at the house of her baby's soon-to-be adopted parents, Vanessa (Jennifer Garner) and Mark (Jason Bateman), Brenda tells Juno that she can’t just stop in on a married couple whenever she wants. When Juno gets defensive, the two get into an argument with some of the funniest dialogue in the film: “Go fly a kite!” It's a reminder that moms are human too. They’re not always calm and ethereal, they can get annoyed and defensive, and call out their children when they're being dumbasses. It's all part of being responsible for a kid, no matter how old they are or if you birthed them yourself.

Allison Janney as Brenda in Juno
Image Via Fox Searchlight

All these moments where Brenda shows her maternal instincts, whether they’re through defense, consoling, or berating, are sugarcoated in irreverent humor. When Mac asks Brenda if he expected that pregnancy was going to be Juno’s big announcement she replies “Yeah, but I was hoping she got expelled or was into hard drugs.” And she tries to calm Mac by saying that someone else is going to find a blessing in this “garbage dump of a situation.” She refers to Juno as a “dumbass” when she’s defending her to the ultrasound technician. Bren is no angel, but she never tries to be. Any archetype for the perfect mom goes out the window, and it speaks volumes that Bren is still one of the most loving and caring mothers in recent cinema without the soft-spoken, cookie-baking charade. She resembles real-life mothers, who have no interest in being the picture-perfect suburban mom.

When it’s time for Juno to give birth, we again see Brenda jump into action stations. She shouts for a doctor to get Juno her “spinal tap” and she’s at her side when she goes into labor. There isn't one moment where she isn't by Juno’s side, but we still get to see a sweet moment between Juno and Mac after the birth. In the next scene, Vanessa is holding her baby boy for the first time, obviously terrified as her life has now changed forever, and she’s responsible for this tiny human. Brenda comes to look at her and Vanessa asks “how do I look?” to which Brenda says “like a new mom, scared shitless.” Again, this could have been an opportunity for her to deliver some emotional and fuzzy monologue on the joys of being a mother, but with Janney’s signature stern delivery, she sums it all up in one sentence. Bren has no time for beating around the bush: Motherhood is terrifying, and no one knows it better than her. But she still offers that warm smirk that tells Vanessa "everything is going to be okay."

Allison Janney, Elliot Page, and JK Simmons in Juno
Image Via Fox Searchlight 

In the last few minutes of the film, we’re offered a look into the happy ending of every character. Vanessa has settled into being a single mom, even if it’s not as tidy as she expected. Juno and Bleeker (Michael Cera) are happily in love and the world is their oyster now that their child is safely in another home. But Brenda gets her happy ending too! We see her joyfully playing with her two new puppies in the garden of their home, because, and this might surprise you, being a mom to humans may not be enough. It’s important to see mothers on-screen have interests and joy outside their motherly duties, and Brenda deserves all the happiness in the world.

Overall, Brenda is a fully-rounded character. Sure we see her mainly as a mom but we also know her as a woman who gets the job done and always puts reason and rationale first. She doesn't bullshit anyone or tell them what to hear. She subverts any expectations we have of the movie mother. We don't see her in pristine dresses, cooking in the kitchen. Nor is she cradling Juno up on her lap and singing her to sleep. But subverting these very ideas is what makes her such a stound-out mom; because it's a realistic portrayal of what it is to be a mother. It’s not always easy, you can lose your temper and call your kids names, but it never means that you love them any less. She might sometimes come across as overly harsh or stern, but we always know that Bren is coming from a place of love. She may not be the first to hug or kiss, but if her young are in trouble, she is there in a matter of seconds to help or defend them, and let them know, in her own special way, that they are loved. And at the end of the day, that's all we can ask for from a mom, right?