You won't see impressive special effects or sexy stars being sexy in "Juno." You will see a great story with a great script that could just as easily have been performed on a stage as in front of a camera. This is one of those rare films that can make you laugh, not at shocking vulgarity or outrageous physical stunts, but at simple words.

I score this film an Eagle.

Being a writer myself, I suppose I have a soft spot in my heart for films that display great writing. I truly wish there were more films like "Juno." It is not complicated or overly intelligent. You won't feel like you are watching a Shakespearian play. It is just plain, true, honest dialog between real characters in real situations.

The title character is Juno MacGuff played by Ellen Page. If you like a sense of humor as dry as the Arizona desert then Juno is your girl. She is sixteen and pregnant and therein lies the catalyst for the entire story. Page gives a great performance, but doesn't carry the film all by herself.

Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner both do a great job as Mark and Vanessa Loring, the couple who plans to adopt Juno's baby. Really, like a good athletic team, all the actors in this film contribute, making each scene meaningful and poignant.

This film was nominated for best picture at the 2008 Oscars and deservedly so. The best picture award went to "No Country For Old Men," but it would be hard to argue that "Juno" is in any way an inferior movie. In fact the pure entertainment value of "Juno" ranks higher in my mind.

Diablo Cody was the writer of the great script and Jason Reitman was the director. Between the two of them they produced a movie about a pregnant teenager that is truly funny without poking fun at the situation and sentimental without using cheap, tear-jerking tactics. It is full of scenes that could and probably has happened somewhere in real life. That is the real genius of it.

A simple conversation between Juno and her dad, or best friend or step mom. That is the entire basis for this film and that is all it needs. If you are looking for a good laugh and a little sentiment without all the sap, take a look at "Juno."

Learn more about this author, Jeremy Peters.
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