Juno

Directed by Jason Reitman (Thank You for Smoking) and written by fellow blogger, Diablo Cody, Juno is the quirky story of an unwanted teenage pregnancy. Fourteen year-old Juno (Ellen Page, Hard Candy) does ‘it’ with her best friend Paulie Bleeker for the first time and enough to get her pregnant. Everything expected ensues: abortion is considered and abandoned, she tells her parents about her growing problem, and she continues going to school all the while. What is unexpected is the maturity and assertiveness Juno possesses during her pregnancy and her subsequent decision to give the baby up for adoption. In fact, although there is no denying that Juno’s growing belly is what drives the plot, the film is less about teenage pregnancy and more about the responsibilities of parenthood. It is refreshing to see a movie pregnant with the potential for high drama to substitute a roller-coaster of mood swings with examples of good parenting, especially in a society where pregnancy without consideration of its consequences seems to be all the vogue (following the lead of Hollywood’s beloved celebrities). If you liked films like Lars and The Real Girl or Little Miss Sunshine, you might like Juno, only you can expect the sense of innocence that the former possess to be lost in this film.

Good - because that's what the bandwagon will tell you.

Starring Ellen Page, Jennifer Garner, Michael Cera, Jason Bateman
Written by Diablo Cody
Directed by Jason Reitman