So yet again we have another teen comedy. But wait, this is different. This is a totally original and warm tale of teenage pregnancy in small-town America. There are many things to admire in the quirky and very funny film, with a script earning best original screenplay at this years Oscars.

Ellen Page is wonderful as the protagonist Juno and deserved her Oscar nomination for best actress. She portrays the character as warm and down-to-earth, a very humanistic performance. Whereas most actresses in these kind of films are often twee and ditsy, Page seems to give the character an edge and vitality that lightens the seemingly difficult situation she's in. Michael Cera gives a very realistic performance of Paulie Bleeker, the father of Juno's child. He shows great persistence to back off from Juno, believing she only wanted him for sex. Another good performance comes from Jennifer Garner as Vanessa Goring, the woman who adopts Juno's baby at the expense of losing her husband.

The Oscar-winning script is definitely a highlight of this film. One scene involved Juno telling Vanessa, "You should've gone to China, you know, 'cause I hear they give away babies like free iPods. You know, they pretty much just put them in those t-shirt guns and shoot them out at sporting events". It makes you think that however difficult the situation is that it's still covered up with humour that seems to work on every level. Even the cheesy one-liners are very memorable, when Juno said, "As far as boyfriends go, Paulie Bleeker is totally boss. He is the cheese to my macaroni". The script seems to fit in different types of humour that cater for everyone.

There is a major drawback to this film. It's not particularly the film itself, but more the format of the plot, which seems quite predictable. Comedy films like this generally start with a problem, then something good happens, which is followed by a moment of uncertainty. This is then followed by a sad moment near the end of the film that casts doubt over a happy ending. And then, there is the happy ending. Very predictable. This can generally be the most difficult part of making a film like this, so it's important to break the mould if a film wants to be exceptional.

So in summary then? Juno is a good film and should not be missed. It has some very talented acting and a great script that make this film one of the best so far this year. Quite predictable, but great comedy nevertheless.

Learn more about this author, Daniel Lugg.
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