Juno

Rating: 5+/5

Both brilliantly written and acted, Juno is a film that is unusual in all of the best ways.

Juno (Ellen Page) is not your typical sixteen year old girl. She beats to her own quirky drum and doesn't care what people think about her. Though she leads a simple life, her basic teenage existence is thrown a curveball when she discovers that she is pregnant.

Knowing that she is not ready to be a mother, Juno makes the decision to have the baby and put it up for adoption. Through a pennysaver add, she finds Mark (Jason Bateman) and Vanessa (Jennifer Garner) Loring; a wealthy couple who has been trying to start a family for five years. With the help of her supportive parents and her own plucky personality, Juno tackles the situation that is well beyond her years with humor and resilience.

In the many movies that I have watched in my lifetime, and believe me, I have watched a lot, Juno contains some of the greatest dialogue that I have encountered. It is strange and eccentric, but doesn't appear forced or out of place. I remember when this movie came out and hearing it being quoted constantly, and it was definitely with good reason. I wish that this movie had won more awards, but I am very glad that it won for Best Original Screenplay.

The acting of the main cast is spectacular. Though Juno and her sometimes boyfriend Paulie (Michael Cera) aren't exactly what you would call main stream characters, they are peculiar, charming, and lovable. Also deserving as much attention as the leads are JK Simmons and Allison Janney who play Juno's father and step-mother. The two of them help to make Juno a movie about unconditional love, rather than just about teen pregnancy.

If memory serves correct, there were people who thought that Juno glorified the concept of being a pregnant teenager, but those who thought that clearly did not watch the movie with the right mindset. If anything, it shows how frightening and overwhelming the life changing event can be. Juno is a film that I have seen so many times that I have lost count, but every time I watch it, I still find myself experiencing the same sense of humor and emotion that I did when I first watched it. It is truly one of my favorite movies, and I know that will never change.

2008 Best Original Screenplay Winner- Diablo Cody for Juno