Indie Gems: Juno

Whoa, dream big!

Juno was the surprise smash hit of 2007. It sky-rocketed indie darling Ellen Page's career and reminded everyone that Jason Reitman makes some damn good movies.

Juno (Ellen Page) is a teenager that finds herself pregnant with her best friend, Paulie's (Michael Cera) baby. Her parents, played by J.K Simmons and Allison Janney are surprisingly supportive and approve of their daughter's decision to give the baby up for adoption. They pick Mark and Vanessa Loring. (Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner) Juno's relationship with them is eventually leads into some unexpected territory.

The acting in this movie was fantastic, Ellen Page deserved her Oscar nomination, even if it has slightly type-cast her since. I'm a bias Ellen Page fan so I obviously don't care, she's great in everything. Simmons, Janney, Batemen and Garner are all at the top of their game. We're introduced to the fresh presence of Oliva Thirlby, who plays Juno's blunt friend, Leah and Michael Cera is as far off from being Michael Cera as he's been in any film.

I loved this movie right away, but the media blitz that followed it hurt it. In my opinion, what I thought was originally fresh dialogue created by Diablo Cody ended up feeling full of itself and became overused. Suddenly everyone was quoting it and t-shirts with "Gosh Banana, shut your freaking gob!" were everywhere. Bottom line is: It got overrated. I hadn't watched the movie in years until I popped it in recently, and I was happy to have the original feeling I had towards Juno back. It is clever and cute when hipsters everywhere aren't trying to copy it's every word.

Recommended: Yes

Grade: A-

Memorable Quote: "I'm a sacred vessel, the only think you have in your stomach is Taco Bell." - Juno (Ellen Page)