Gem of a movie

Rating: 10/10 (14 January 2008)

Juno has been hailed as this year's Little Miss Sunshine, but to be perfectly honest Juno is ten times better than Little Miss Sunshine was. Little Miss Sunshine was funny, and off-the-wall and had a superb supporting cast, but underneath Juno's mouthy exterior lies a beautiful, charming, touching little film with quotable lines galore. It tells the story of Juno MacGuff, a sixteen year old who finds herself in a dilly of a pickle (Juno will have you saying those kinda things) when she discovers she's pregnant. Rather than have an abortion, she opts to put the baby up for adoption. I'm not going to discuss the plot in further detail because I don't want to spoil this gem of a movie for anybody. The film features an all-star cast, with the likes of Ellen Page, Michael Cera, JK Simmons, Allison Janney, the aforementioned Jason Bateman and Jennier Garner, Olivia Thirlby and a brief but glorious cameo from Rainn Wilson. Of course it's the film's lead Ellen Page who shines the most in this shiny little movie, giving an incredible performance as the witty, mouthy, lovable Juno. I hate to think what this movie would have been like had any other actress played the title role. Page captures the essence of Juno perfectly, and turns out a performance that has already earned her SAG and Golden Globe nominations, and surely will get her an Oscar nod, if not win. In Juno, teenage girls are given an alternative heroine, a tiny mouthy pregnant girl as opposed to the typical Hollywood teenage stereotype. The script is one of the most original ones I have ever come across, and minus a couple of cringeworthy lines/references ('Honest to blog!') it is set to become a reference point for anybody in the future sitting down to write an indie type movie. This isn't your typical indie movie, and it's not one that can only be enjoyed by freaky-deaky people who set out to find offbeat flicks. It's one that can be enjoyed by people of all ages, and is most definitely one of th best of the year.