Juno

For Juno's first twenty minutes you'll probably be cursing whoever recommended it to you. The scene in the chemist with the pregnancy test aside little of interest happens. In fact you'll probably be thinking "here we go with yet another over-hyped "indie" film". All the pieces are there for a textbook "indie" film; the twee soundtrack (Moldy Peaches GAAAH!), wisecracking teens referencing way beyond their years, Juno's actual taste in music (ie stuff not in the soundtrack like The Stooges) is suspiciously cool and the opening credits are animated. Shudder.

Then it comes.

The moment where Juno begins to click into place. It involves her telling her parents she's pregnant. It's hilarious, emotional and perfectly judged by the actors, Ellen Page, J.K. Simmons and Alison Janney. From the reactions of the parents to Juno trying to cover up her emotions with humour while she's clearly not mature enough to deal with all this it's like an encapsulation of the whole movie in less than five minutes.

And what a movie it turns out to be. It's sweet but gutsy at the same time, unlike Knocked Up where they can't even utter "abortion" Juno has her go to a clinic before choosing to keep the child. And the fact she makes a choice is important, this is no anti-abortion film, although it could be read as suggesting that everything works out great thanks to a teen pregnancy. Of course not really, the whole point is really about what happens when those who are still not mature have to make big decisions.

The second act introduces the Lorings, a yuppie couple who can't conceive played by Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman. This storyline is one of Juno's strong points. The seeming way out for Juno quickly becomes a very uncomfortable obstacle as initial impressions of the whole situation are turned on their head. The level of discomfort that arises from this situation is an incredibly bold step from the screenwriter Diablo Cody, probably even more so than the abortion/right to choose angle. Thankfully any levity is countered by the genuine sweetness of the script. There's affection for these characters in Cody's writing that means that the whole proceeding never becomes overwrought and this is backed up by Ellen Paige's great performance as Juno, somehow actually a likable character, the fantastic parent characters and the wonder that is Michael Cera. Just like in Arrested Development and Superbad he does that dying swan thing he does so well. His Bleeker is the one without the ability to just simply quip to cover his emotions so his immaturity in relation to the pregnancy is brought to the fore. You even are willing them to get together by the end.

Of course there are wrangles. Jennifer Garner's not great and director Jason Reitman falls back on his copy of "The Big Book Of "Indie" Movie Cliches" a little too often. There's also that nagging feeling that a lot of the attention given to the movie by Oscar is an attempt by the old farts who judge to show they are "with it". I'd call it "The Little Miss Sunshine Syndrome".

But like that movie Juno's a very enjoyable, sweet character study. Sure the teen's dialogue can be a little grating, but in all honesty it's the only problem with Diablo Cody's script. She even uses the traditional three act structure to perfection with the passing of the seasons that make up Juno's pregnancy. She's definitely a writer to be watched. It's flawed but Juno overcomes those thanks to its charm and is ultimately a wee feel good gem. Just don't curse me until the twenty one minute mark okay?