Juno Knocks Out Knocked Up for Best Film About Unexpected Pregnancy

My exercise in Oscar awareness has proved to be enormously successful this year. The latest addition to my list of noteworthy films is Juno, which leaves me with only one of this year's Best Picture nominees yet to see. I can't claim to be too intrigued by Michael Clayton, so I might just stop with the Jason Reitman-directed tale of teen pregnancy. What a pleasant way that would be for my Oscar preparations to end...

I've seen a lot of good movies in the theater since Christmas, but with the exception of VeggieTales, they've all been pretty dark, full of wanton acts of death and destruction. After all that, Juno was such a breath of fresh air. Not a single person dies or even suffers significant injury. There is no violent content, and for a movie about teenage pregnancy, there's not even a whole lot of hanky-panky on display. In fact, I went into the movie late, just before the opening credits, and I didn't see more than about five seconds of steamy footage.

My brother, who loved the movie, seemed to indicate that I didn't miss anything too provocative. There's some dubious discussion in some of Juno's (Ellen Page) internal monologues, but her quirky observations are part of what make the movie so much fun. Diablo Cody gives her the perfect brand of artsy teenspeak, creating dialogue that is both memorable and very real. She's such a delightful mixture of spunk and empathy that I'll even give her a pass for her random mid-movie jab at my favorite hobbit.

Besides, dear old Samwise Gamgee is hardly the only target of her withering slights. Juno's wit is so searing, she could go head-to-head with Simon Cowell in a battle of the barbs. But like Simon, she's a pussycat at heart who strikes me as sort of a cross between Lindsey from Freaks and Geeks, who she resembles, and Joan from Joan of Arcadia. Her one fateful amorous encounter is with Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera), a sweet, gutless geek who adores Juno in all her strangeness. Not since 13 Going on 30 have I seen such a tender display of teenage friendship blossoming into love.

When Knocked Up came out, it got a lot of attention and even a hint of Oscar buzz. Months later, it's been nearly forgotten, while this gentler, less crude but still wickedly funny film picks up the accolades. They're both movies about unexpected pregnancy, but while Knocked Up largely concerns the efforts of a schlubby one-night stand to step up and be a father, Juno takes the narrative in a different direction.

While Juno considers abortion, a trip to the clinic quickly convinces her that carrying the child to term is the right path, even if it wreaks havoc on her life. But she doesn't feel remotely ready for the responsibility of caring for a baby, so she immediately begins seeking adoptive parents. When she finds Mark (Jason Bateman) and Vanessa (Jennifer Garner), it seems her prayers have been answered, and thus begins her unconventional relationship with the future parents of her unborn child.

Page brings the quirky Juno to life wonderfully. An oddball with a hamburger phone, an extensive music collection and a lexicon all her own, she's used to getting funny looks from her peers, except for the adorably awkward Paulie and her silly but supportive best friend Leah (Olivia Thirlby), who has an unfortunate habit of flirting with teachers. Allison Janney brings just the right mix of sternness and concern as Juno's not-so-wicked stepmother Bren, while J. K. Simmons is hilarious as her doting, dry-witted dad. Bateman's Mark has a great rapport with Juno, and Garner makes it clear how very much Vanessa wants to be a mother. Other notable performances include Rainn Wilson as a sardonic convenience store clerk; Valerie Tian as Su-Chin, the nerdy teenage abortion center protester who helps convince Juno to go through with the pregnancy; Darla Vandenbossche as Paulie's hobbitish mom; and Kaaren de Zilva as a patronizing ultrasound technician.

One of the film's most notable traits is its off-beat, folkie soundtrack, mostly featuring lyric-intensive music by the Moldy Peaches and Kimya Dawson. Particularly prominent is Dawson's rambling but infectious Tire Swing, which plays at both ends of the movie. You might just find yourself humming it as you leave the theater, and possibly craving some orange Tic-Tacs, thanks to some pervasive product placement.

Juno is an insightful, refreshing film that doesn't pretend life is perfect but shows how beautiful it can be anyway. Keep an eye on Page and Cody when those Oscars get handed out; something tells me they may have shiny new adornments for their rooms before too long...