You may have to wait a long time to see a performance that’s anywhere near as charismatic as the one given by Ellen Page (the Bright Young Thing from paedo-revenge flick Hard Candy) in this year’s sleeper hit Juno. When she finds herself knocked up after a fumbling encounter with Michael Cera (Superbad) this incredibly hip, whip-smart teenager sets out to find a ‘perfect’ set of parents for her child.
Mark (Bateman) and Vanessa (Garner), a nice affluent suburban couple, seem to fit to bill perfectly but Juno’s journey into adulthood entails finding out about all kinds of sticky, messy details. A wonderful screenplay by current Hollywood darling Diablo Cody is jollied along by naturalistic profanities and idiosyncrasies that are smiled on but never mocked.
More importantly, this is just the antidote we needed against the Deadly Shrew Girl virus that seems to be infecting all contemporary American comedies. Never mind the incoming baby. It’s Juno that’s a bundle of unadulterated joy.