And Juno Was Her Name-O

There's something to be said about pregnant, teenage girls with quick, dry wits:

They are awesome!

Juno proves this for us. The story of a sixteen-year-old girl who gets pregnant and decides to put the baby up for adoption normally isn't the kind of topic you'd go: Hey, let's make a comedy out of this situation. And yet, the situation is inherently filled with humor, from the awkward teenage sex to the urinating on a stick to the growing huge and waddling through high school – there is an absurdity that calls for something beyond the dramatics. Juno delivers, big time.

A lot of it has to do with the stylized writing. The improbably named (and, let's face it, chances are, not her (yes, her (and yes, I'm doing parentheses inside of parentheses)) real name) Diablo Cody creates a Middle-American world where everyone is both impossibly stuck in the 80's and 90's, but speaks in a dialect that I can only describe as “white-ghetto.” It works brilliantly, in that it both provides a comedic element and adds a level of ironic sophistication. We know it's ridiculous that they speak this way, and it's pretty obvious that everyone in the movie is subtly winking along with us.

What really makes this work is, of course, the acting. I will consistently stand behind the opinion that comedic acting is the hardest thing to do, because it's not just about raw emotion, but about knowing how to connect with people. In other words, drama can drift towards overacting, and still be powerful, because crying and screaming can still evoke a response even if it doesn't seem, in hindsight, overly genuine. Comedy, though, either works or it doesn't. The jokes, especially in a dialogue-driven film, require more than good writing: it requires the actor to be able to deliver it. This isn't stand-up or sketch comedy; it's not even a sit-com. We are supposed to believe that these are things people would actually say in these situations. That means, the delivery has to be natural, there has to be great timing and inflection and expression. While a writer may pen the line, and a director may try to draw it out, it is ultimately the actor who has to make it happen.

Ellen Page, the eponymous character is a excellent. She takes “wry” and “sardonic” to levels of heretofore untold heights. She is at once charming and crude, lovable and distasteful. She can nonchalantly deliver lines about abortions or the process of birth and make us love her all the same. It certainly doesn't hurt that she's adorable, but it's also important to note that she is adorable. She's not gorgeous or a super-model – she is, despite her innate Canadian-ness – a typically pretty American teenager. She's also a superb actor, because she brings out the depth of her character. While Juno appears to be tough and cynical, you can tell that she also a frightened, confused little girl. What makes it so great is that throughout, she is an incredibly strong young woman, but not so over the top that it becomes unbelievable for the situation.

Then, the fact that she's surrounded by an excellent supporting cast makes the movie complete. Her parents, played by J.K. Simmons and Allison Janney (who, I'm convinced, should just be given every role that requires a middle-class Midwestern couple), are both bumbling and sophisticated, never quite the caricature you expect them to be. Janney, as the step-mom, is level-headed and loving, and one of the best scenes is when she berates the sonogram technician. Michael Cera, who plays the Y chromosome in this little passion zygote, establishes himself as the teenage nerd-hero for this decade. His nervous charm allows him to be the everyman high school persona, and he pulls it off without a hitch. Jason Bateman is great as the reluctant, hipster father-to-be, and relative newcomer Olivia Thirlby is a great comedic sidekick for Juno. Even Rainn Wilson, in his brief cameo as the corner store cashier, almost steals the show with his ridiculous commentary on Juno's situation.

In fact, even Jennifer Garner, who I find to be a rather wooden actress, does nothing to detract from the movie for me.

What you get, then, is a complete story. Yes, there are parts that are probably too much (Jason Bateman's role verges on the melodramatic), but on the whole, those little distractions are ancillary to the main story anyway – or, if they aren't, they do not detract from the overall movie. This is a movie that will make you laugh for an hour-and-a-half, even with the touching moments interspersed throughout.

More important, this is a movie that will make you wish you owned a hamburger phone.

And that's simply great cinema.