Juno Review

With the phenomenal success last year of "Little Miss Sunshine", the festival circuit has been quick to bestow the indie crown to a new young hopeful - one that may suitably win hearts and minds in the run up to the awards season. And so "Juno" arrives on to our screens with the full weight of expectation on her petite shoulders - like a summer blockbuster this kooky coming-of-age drama has to tick all the right boxes.

The titular "Juno", played by "Hard Candy" star Ellen Page, is that rarest of creatures - a confidant 16 year old who finds herself pregnant, underage and under qualified for the post of 'mom'. First seen drinking her weight in Sunny D, to induce the necessary ingredient for her third pregnancy test, Juno breezes on to the scene completely oblivious to how she 'should' be feeling. Her current state of being a result of one night of boredom with the unusually virile Bleeker ("Superbad" star Michael Cera). After discussing the situation with her best friend Leah (Olivia Thirlby) and thus dropping the bomb-shell on her doting dad (J.K. Simmons) and benevolent step-mom (Allison Janney), Juno decides upon an alternative solution to her predicament. Having found a local couple looking to adopt a baby, in the Penny Saver no less, right next to the guy selling Iguanas, Juno plans to give her baby away to Veronica and James (Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman), a seemingly loving couple with their McMansion in a gated estate and high-powered jobs but with a consumerism that threatens to deny them a proper family. On the surface all seems well but the whirlwind that is Juno can only upset the natural balance of things. With the conservative Veronica always away, Juno finds herself drawn to the housebound James - a composer of commercial jingles and something of a man-child waiting for his last bite of rock 'n' roll fame. With Juno, nothing is simple - her sheer exuberance won't allow it.

From the get-go "Juno" struts with a confidence all its own. Director Jason Reitman's sophomore effort (his debut being the brilliant "Thank You For Smoking") is a quirky creation and there are times where it feels a bit too cloying, as if trying to bowl you over with its cartoon-style credits. "Juno" is eager to please but the pay-offs are only just around the corner. As soon as Page starts to exchange put-downs with a local store keeper you can't help but be won over by the film's charm….and this is only two minutes in! First time writer Diablo Cody's dialogue is near perfect, unforced and eminently quotable. Ellen Page is unbelievably good as Juno bringing the role to life using a mix of vulnerability and balls-out savvy. Page is fully deserving of her Oscar nod on this kind of form.

There are of course one or two minor misfires, the impromptu jam at the end feels a little clumsy, but by then you're too awe-struck to care.