Juno really was the unexpected cheese to my macaroni this movie season. In the grand spirit of recent personal favorites such as Little Miss Sunshine, Diablo Cody's Academy Award winning screenplay takes an often serious and poorly executed movie-of-the-week scenario, teenage pregnancy, and turns it on its head with hilarious and poignant results. Cody's script has largely nixed the gross-out factor seen in more recent pregnancy comedies and replaced it with a bigger dose of heart and introspection. Sixteen-year-old Juno MacGuff (Ellen Page) and her best friend Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera) live in a somewhat surreal version of suburban life where most high school kids are fast-talking, quick-witted and are aficionados of bands such as The Moldy Peaches and The Velvet Underground. Michael Cera, from Superbad and TV's Arrested Development, had amazing chemistry with his leading lady. My favorite 'Paulie' moment in the film occurs when a very pregnant Juno confronts him about deciding to take another girl to their high school prom. While I fully expected Michael Cera to be great, I have to admit that nothing prepared me for Ellen Page's performance as Juno MacGuff. Ellen Page won my heart as the pregnant teen who decides to put her child up for adoption through the local Pennysaver. Juno is one of the most fully realized female teen characters to grace the screen in recent years. Ellen Page was deftly able to run through the gauntlet of emotions that a young pregnant girl could possibly be going through without it ever seeming contrived or forced.

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