Juno

Teen comedy doesn’t have to be a dirty word

Whenever I read the word ‘quirky’ in the pre-release publicity for a film, a shudder runs through me. My mind begins to conjure up repressed memories from the myriad indie comedies that have self consciously tried to differentiate themselves and come of looking fake, shallow and generally lame (Garden State, Little Miss Sunshine etc.) Luckily in this case the term was misused. Title character Juno is weird, but an authentic kind of weird. She’s the girl you remember from the back of class, bored by the everyday stuff of school life and a little too clever for her own good. In this case she also happens to be pregnant which is where the fun begins.

This movie is a tap dance on the head of a pin, maintaining a constantly dry, hilarious tone, whilst exploring themes including abortion, infertility and divorce - without ever cheapening those issues or pulling its punches. For that alone it has to be admired. It’s also nice to see teen pregnancy represented in 3D rather than as a lazy cautionary tale. All of this means that you walk out of Juno with a smile on your face that comes from more than the fact that you’ve been laughing almost constantly for 90 minutes. One of the comedies of the decade so far.

5/5

Synonyms: Igby Goes Down, Ghost World