Reitman directs exactly how Cody writes: dryly disengaged for a cute effect...

Rating: 6/10 (5 June 2010)

Middle-class teenager--brainy, precocious, and mordant rather than cynical--is both surprised and dryly amused at finding herself pregnant after just one sexual experience; after ruling out abortion, she decides to have the baby and give it over to an upscale childless couple advertising in the Penny Saver. Sweetly attuned to cult media and teen-slang, screenwriter Diablo Cody writes sitcom dialogue far superior to what is heard on most sitcoms; influenced, perhaps, by John Hughes and "Heathers", Cody goes her own way when setting the tone for her second-act, and the results are pleasantly grounded and genial. As Juno, Ellen Page's mature resolve is entirely embraceable, and the supporting cast is equally fine--although the character of the would-be adoptive father (Jason Bateman) is just a sketch, a writer's contrivance. Director Jason Reitman ultimately plays things a little safe, softening the material's edges and making the scenario prettier and friendlier than it might have been in other hands. Still, the director and writer are on even ground when developing the characters, and overall the film has a keenly-judged balance which makes for a blithe, tender-hearted frivolity. **1/2 from ****