Sweet, Quick-Witted and Timeless, This is One Comedy Worth Keeping

Rating: 9/10 (22 June 2015)

Ellen Page's smart, quirky coming-out party is equal parts sharp, witty, honest and real. At times it can fall into the trap of playing mouthpiece for the screenwriters, Aaron Sorkin style, but it's rescued by a grand tapestry of vivid, relatable supporting characters and a brilliant performance from Page in the title role. Somehow, she manages to come across as both wiser than her years and wonderfully naive, and her struggle to come to grips echoes the kind of profound identity crisis many of us experience during adolescence. Hell, I'd imagine that kind of uncertainty still resides in a deep, dark corner of most adults. JK Simmons is noteworthy as a wary, caring father - the kind of guy we all deserve in our corner - and Michael Cera is at his painfully-awkward best/worst as the shell-shocked teenage father-to-be. Still funny after all this time, with a great partner in its charmingly appropriate, folksy original soundtrack.