Juno

When teenage misfit Juno (Ellen Page) gets pregnant by her geeky boyfriend, Paulie (Michael Cera), she neither keeps nor aborts her baby. Instead, she gives it up for adoption to yuppie couple Mark (Jason Bateman) and Vanessa (Jennifer Garner). The charm of Juno doesn’t lie in its simple premise but in its rich characterisations and genuine laughs. Juno is a mouthy girl who doesn’t fit in anywhere. She plays in a garage band with Paulie, who devours orange Tic Tacs. Her stepmother loves dogs but settles with collecting dog memorabilia because Juno is allergic to canines. Anyone can identify with these characters. Everyone has flaws and modest hopes. Juno chooses Vanessa and Mark because they look like a proper couple that can take care of her baby. Instantly, Juno connects with Mark because he was a punk musician in the grunge days. In fact, Juno calls him a sell-out for writing inane TV jingles and living in a big, empty house watching gore movies. By contrast, Vanessa is an infertile lawyer who is dying to have a baby of her own. However, something doesn’t click between her and Mark, and Juno’s presence only accentuates that. The cast is note-perfect, driven by lead Ellen Page (Hard Candy) in a role that will further propel her career. Beautifully written by first-timer Diablo Cody and directed by Jason Reitman (Thank You For Smoking), Juno never goes for easy laughs or cheap melodrama. The story is sincere and the performers mesh well, particularly Page with Cera and Bateman (both from Arrested Development). This is easily one of the year’s best.