Juno

A few weeks ago, my friend Melissa told me about Jason Reitman’s movie, Juno. The trailer had me hooked along with a killer cast consisting of Jason Bateman, Ellen Page, Michael Cera, and Jennifer Garner. The movie, about a 16-year-old girl who finds herself pregnant and looking for a family to adopt her baby-to-be, is surprisingly witty, clever, honest, and free of any political agenda. It's not a film about abortion or adoption or pro-choice or pro-life; it's a film about the grit and glories of life, and about love.

While the movie tackles difficult issues of teenage pregnancy and the possibility of abortion, the writing is brilliant, wedding clever humor with serious conversations. Not only was the writing perfect, but the acting was excellent--not over the top, but the actors genuinely and convincingly depicted the characters. The music reminded me a bit of Napoleon Dynamite and Little Miss Sunshine, having that retro, edgy feel while simultaneously being very accessible to a variety of audiences. In my opinion, it's a must-see movie. I'd even pay full price for it.