Juno

I was worried walking into Juno that the filmed might have been ruined before I had seen it. That is had been over hyped and there was no way it could live up to it, or that it would be too clever, trying too hard to be "indie". I can honestly say I was wrong on all fronts. This is a simple, straight forward movie that has loads of style and never produces a wrong note. It's a real movie, if that makes any sense.

Everything you have read or heard about Ellen Page's performance is true, she is fantastic in this. So is everyone else though. J.K. Simmons, Alison Janney, Jason Bateman, Michael Cera, and Jenifer Garner are all just as good. These are 3 dimensional characters, fully formed by writer Diablo Cody. They act like real people, they drive cars that look like real cars, they live in houses that look like real houses. The whole movie is like an anti-cliche.

I don't want to spoil the experience of seeing this by revealing any of the films surprises or witty one liners. The film is not only about the plot but insights into the characters, their lives, with feelings that are just beneath the surface. When these feelings are revealed they seem inevitable, there was no other path for these characters to take.

Juno also has just about the most perfect ending of any film this year. Then again, everything about it makes it one of the years best films.