17th Jan 08

What:
Juno

When:
Opening January 17

Where:
Kino Dendy
Cinema Nova
And yeah, even Hoyts:

Watch the trailer:
Here

Win:
We have one double pass, valid for the season, to give away. To enter, email win@threethousand.com.au with the subject line 'terrifying charisma'

Ellen Page's role as 16-year-old mother-to-be Juno MacGuff guarantees that every vaguely alternative boy in the western world is now in love with her, and critics everywhere seem equally powerless to resist Juno's quirky assault.

(Her frankly terrifying charisma is also helped by the fact her romantic interest is played by Arrested Development's Michael Cera. Remember: Impossible Is The Opposite Of Possible.)

Juno is written by the awesomely-named Diablo Cody, whose script crackles with whip-fast pop-culture rhythms that make the dialogue a joy. However, when Juno mentions that after listening to Iggy and the Stooges all other music sounds a little "precious," she accidentally provides the perfect word to describe how there's maybe something too easy, too calculated, in the film's name-dropping of McSweeneys and Thundercats for cultural cred.

Juno is so big-hearted, well-acted, and damn enjoyable that it gets a free pass on any major criticisms. Still, don't you think it's time for a pro-choice comedy? Picture it: the protagonist has an abortion in the first ten minutes; she goes on to have various, unrelated highjinks; the abortion is never mentioned again…

By Martyn Pedler

By Martyn Pedler

Format: Cinema

Mood: Whimsical