MIT Lecture Series Committee

Rated PG-13
96 minutes

view trailer

Juno (2007)

Ellen Page (X-Men: The Last Stand) stars as Juno, a witty teenage girl whose boredom doesn�t lead her to the mall. Instead, she makes a one-time trip into the arms of her best friend Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera). When Juno discovers that she�s pregnant, she�s forced to grow up fast as she tries to find adoptive parents for her quickly growing child. Juno might have a lot of strengths--Page�s award-worthy performance, a pitch-perfect soundtrack, excellent direction from Jason Reitman--but it�s the screenwriting debut of writer Cody Diablo that makes this such a winning film. Famous for her blog and her book Candy Girl: A Year in the Life of an Unlikely Stripper, Diablo has a unique voice and an incredible ear for dialogue. But even the nearly perfect script wouldn�t sound so good if it weren�t for the talents of these actors, particularly Page. She won raves for her first major role in Hard Candy, but this performance proves it wasn�t a fluke. The rest of the cast, especially J.K. Simmons as Juno�s dad, is just as worthy of attention. Juno continues Cera�s cinematic ascent after his success with the hit comedy Superbad, and his Arrested Development costar Jason Bateman uses his dry delivery to great effect as a potential parent for Juno�s baby. Songs from Kimya Dawson perfectly capture the film�s tone with the music�s sweet, smart, and funny sounds. [www.rottentomatoes.com]

That smart, hip, human comedy you've been waiting for all year? The one with dialogue like a sugar rush and performances like grace notes? It's called Juno and it just arrived in theaters. Go forth and multiplex.
      -- Ty Burr, Boston Globe. Read this review.

2007 Academy Award Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director (Jason Reitman), Best Actress (Ellen Page), Best Original Screenplay (WIN!)