Juno’s been out long enough in other cities that I’ve not only sat through the initial crush of praise, but the first hints of backlash, so I went in ready for anything. It’s whip smart, funny, though not wildly so, and yeah, a little precious from moment to moment, but I liked it all the same. Ellen Page who you may have nightmares about from Hard Candy, plays a pregnant 16 year old who machine guns snappy comebacks like someone well beyond her years, sort of a hipster version of the kids from Dawson’s Creek. Her performance is special, as are all of the supporting roles. Personally, I thought Reitman was more restrained here than he was with Thank You For Smoking, and holding back on the ‘Yeehaw, I’m Directing!’ flourishes and allowing the story and performances to take center stage. It’s garnered a lot of comparisons to Little Miss Sunshine, and I think it’s a worthy companion when it goes for the heart, but the laughs come mostly from coolspeak zingers which eventually start to seem one note. But these are minor annoyances and on the whole it’s best movie about a pregnant teenager you’ll see this Christmas.
