A smart, sassy and brilliantly written comedy - 89%

Rating: 9/10 (28 July 2013)

I've always said that if I can write a movie half as good as "Pulp Fiction" then I'd be happy. But as great as Tarantino's opus is, it still feels artificial. Vincent and Jules would never exist in real life and Mia's overdose would be all-too-fatal - in short, none of it feels like real life, however entertaining it may be. But this film, from debuting screenwriter (and first-class name-holder) Diablo Cody, manages to feel not just entertaining but almost autobiographical. With scalpel-sharp dialogue and blistering performances, this makes one of the best-written film I've seen become one of the very best.
Juno MacGuff (Ellen Page) is a sixteen-year-old high school student who discovers she's pregnant after one night's experimenting with her best friend Paulie (Michael Cera). After fleeing from an abortion clinic, Juno decides to go through with the pregnancy and give the baby up for adoption to a nice couple. Meeting up with musician Mark Loring (Jason Bateman) and his wife Vanessa (Jennifer Garner), Juno has no qualms at all about going ahead with the plan and relies on the help of her parents Bren (Allison Janney) and Mac (the always wonderful J.K. Simmons). But as the seasons pass and Juno's delivery date gets every nearer, will things ever be the same again for her, Paulie, her family or the Lorings?
It's easy to spot an actor or actress giving brilliant performances and while "Juno" is full of them, Page is simply superb as the quirky teenager, firing off one-liners like they're going out of fashion. Feeling like a living version of MTV's "Daria", Juno is smart, sassy and remarkably the most level-headed character on screen. Cera handles the role of the bewildered father-to-be with excellence too while Simmons and Janney have real fun with some of the lines - Bren's sparring with the ultrasound technician (Kaaren de Silva) is a rare scene that's performed to such a degree that not only did I wince at the verbal sparring but wanted to cheer for her afterwards! The film's soundtrack is also fantastic, scored by the artist Kimya Dawson who I'm not familiar with but will try to track down now. Her songs and lyrics have a beautiful simplicity to them that flow through the film like the changing seasons the characters find themselves in and turns what might have been a depressing story into one filled with a positive, life-affirming message.
So why does it miss out on a hallowed 90%+ score? I kinda felt that it lost its way a bit. I found it difficult to sympathise with Garner's overly enthusiastic mother-in-waiting and the ending didn't feel right either - at least, the adoption part. But by and large, this is a brilliantly written, directed and performed comedy about the various trials and tribulations about growing up faster than you'd wish for. It feels quite female-orientated and yet, I still would happily recommend "Juno" to anyone who enjoys an intelligent and all-too-plausible film that is the polar opposite of something like "Knocked Up". This has a sensitivity, a heart that governs not just what happens to the characters but has enough left to get its pro-life message across without being overly preachy. Page is a star with a real future ahead of her if this is anything to go by and I personally feel the Academy got it wrong by snubbing Page's Best Actress nod. It might be a bit 'indie' for some people but "Juno" is a film to be enjoyed, understood and celebrated for years to come.