Teenage Pregnancy Comedy, who would have though it.

Rating: 8/10 (16 February 2010)

At the end of 2007 and beginning of 2008 Juno was small indie film that took the world by surprise, winning recognition for it's star Ellen Page and made it's first time writer Diablo Cody into one of the best known screenwriters in the world.
In a typical town in Middle America 16-year-old Juno MacGuff (Ellen Page) discovers she is pregnant after loosing her virginity with her best friend Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera). Juno at first tries to have an abortion, but ends up bottling it. With her friend Leah (Olivia Thirlby), she looks for a couple to adopt the baby in the local free paper. After an initially shocked reaction from her dad and step-mum (J.K. Simmons and Allison Janney), they support Juno's decision, and meet the couple. The married couple are Mark and Vanessa (Jason Bateman and the lovely Jennifer Garner), a wealthy upper-middle class who can't have children. Both things become more complex when Juno sees Mark as a kindred spirit, with similar tastes and interests. Juno goes to see Mark, despite the counsel of family and friends.
Juno has talent in front of and behind the camera. They is a excellent support cast, J.K. Simmons, Jason Bateman, Allison 'C.J. Cregg' Janney and Jennifer Garner are all actors I am willing to watch, and offer heart-warming, convincing performances. Ellen Page is the start of the the film, and this is her best role to date. However her character is at times slightly annoying, and I am properly in a minority, but I find Ellen Page is an overrated actress. Michael Cera also offers a heartwarming, down-to-Earth performance as Bleeker, Juno's conflicted friend who is thrown into an extraordinary situation.
Diablo Cody does write a very witty script, with good lines and dialogue, keeping the humour to be very natural and down-to-Earth. The revolves around clever characters and their understanding of the world. She is also able to add drama and develops a decent story. It is a shame that it seems Cody is torching her own career after writing Jennifer's Body.
Jason Reitman is a director with his star rising, having also directed Thank you for Smoking and Up in the Air. With Juno he earned his first Oscar nomination, but understand lost to the Coen Brothers, and had strong competition from Paul Thomas Anderson. Reitman keeps the tone sweet natured and down-to-Earth, allowing the film to organically evolve and for characters to grow. It's not just film about teenage pregnancy but also a coming-of-age story and almost a love story. Reitman has a real spirit and style for this type of material.
I can also praise both Cody and Reitman for showing a more realist view of school life. It's not like other American media like Glee or American Pie or whatever else where either the jocks and the geeks are in the middle of a continuous war or they all the students are just drugged and sex crazed. They are just normal teenagers trying to get by with their school work and want to lead normal lives. The best example of this is Michael Cera.
There are however a few little problems. I thought that Juno as a character was a bit annoying and obnoxious, and is at first hard to sympathise with. I also didn't believe that even as alternative Juno is, her tastes are still to specific and I think at her age she would be listening to bands like the Clash and the Sex Pistol as a way in to listening to other lesser known bands. Finally some of the dialogue is still a bit too scripted, especially for the type film it wanted to be.
This is a good, sweet natured, light comedy, a good film if you like indie films, and films like Little Miss Sunshine.