Juno (2007)

Juno, the character (Ellen Page), makes teenage pregnancy almost seem fun which complements the film’s overwhelming potential of becoming a preachy “cautionary whale.” Juno is a somewhat precocious junior who becomes pregnant from what is implied as her one and only sexual experience shared with the athletic Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera) who has had more experience on the track than on the field. After numerous pregnancy tests, she finally deems herself “unholy.” Rollo (Rainn Wilson), an aging yet articulate convenience store clerk, is the first to know, and perhaps the easiest to tell. What follows is a seemingly endless stream of difficult decisions and awkward situations "way beyond her maturity level."

At first, Juno is optimistic, but as the pregnancy progresses, it impedes her ability to cope. The Loring couple (sought out by Juno through a Pennysaver ad) end up complicating things for Juno - the reverse of what she was originally hoping for. Mark (Jason Bateman) is a bit green in the papa department while Vanessa Loring (Jennifer Garner) seems strangely cold and alien yet simultaneously eager and ready for motherhood. They opted for adoption due to fertility issues.

Juno displays the familiar view that women suffer more than men from the perils of sex by merely contrasting physique. As the months pass by, Juno’s stomach protrudes while Paulie continues jogging. Juno withstands judgments from the Ultrasound Technician (Kaaren de Zilva) (hilariously rebutted by her step-mother and nail technician Bren MacGuff (Allison Janney)) while Paulie considers dating Katrina “stinkeye” De Voort. The film successfully makes us not hate Paulie who isn’t being a douche, but a totally confused sixteen year-old boy.

The dialogue is sort of a clever vernacular of its own, peppered with quotable lines such as "He is the cheese to my macaroni," or "it makes his junk smell like pie," and let's not forget the formidable "fingernail" references first coined by Su-Chin (Valerie Tian.) This is definitely one of the best flicks of '07.

Directed by Jason Reitman