Juno

Over the last year or so, I have made a decision to ignore hype wherever possible. There have been too many crushing disappointments, despite months of anticipation and glowing reviews. When something you have followed obsessively over the last few months of gestation turns out to be disappointing, it can be crushing.

However, I forgot my own morals and fell victim to the Juno curse. When I watched the trailer a few months ago, I thought it looked promising, although feared it could fall apart under a tidal wave of clichés and sentimentality. Then the reviews started flooding in, and I got excited. Roger Ebert called it film of the year - Roger Fucking Ebert. Probably the most respected film critic in America, his passionate endorsement of a quirky American indie comedy (a genre I often claim to be my major cinematic weakness) was enough to help me board the hype train. And when I accidentally discovered the truly wonderful soundtrack while randomly browsing online one day, I was officially infatuated with a film I wouldn't see for a month or two. I was setting myself up for disappointment, like so many times before.

But I emerged from Juno this evening in a state of bliss. Despite all odds, this little film that could emerges as one of the best films in years.

For those who don't know, Juno stars Ellen Page as the brilliantly named sixteen year-old Juno MacGuff. As all of the promotional material helpfully points out, Juno is pregnant. The film follows her trials and tribulations as she deals with this unplanned pregnancy. It is quite a basic story - with a typical Hollywood structure, romantic subplots and so on. Yet the film transcends these norms to provide an experience that is tender, hilarious and culturally aware - and it all feels damn fresh to boot. It is everything an intelligent indie film should be, and more.

Centre stage is the adorable Ellen Page. After impressing in Hard Candy and X-Men 3, she creates a character that is instantly likable, sassy and strong. She is a sixteen year old kid who tries her strongest to create an aura of independence, and yet is not afraid to show her emotional side when events dictate a more - shall we say - teenage response. It is a top rate performance, and the girl deserves kudos - and lots of them. She is backed up by a stellar supporting cast - Michael Cera once again impresses as a likable geek, while the adults - including Jason Bateman, J.K. Simmons, and even Jennifer Garner - maintain the quality threshold. Every character feels like someone you'd like to know, which is not an easily achievable feat by any stretch of the imagination.

Scriptwriter Diablo Cody has been receiving a lot of praise, and it isn't hard to see why. The script sparkles with cultural references, slang, witticisms and honesty. Many of the lines are as quotable as the most vintage comedies, and Cody frequently impresses with sly and effective allusions to all realms of popular culture (from McSweenys to The Goonies to Sonic Youth). Perhaps the greatest success of all is that the script manages to go all sentimental on us in the final act without feeling cloying or manipulative. It is a film that is just so immensely radiant that it is almost impossible for the open minded audience member to feel any ill will towards it.

Of course, we can't ignore director Jason Reitman's input. Thank you for Smoking showed a lot of promise, but this cements his position as 'one to watch'. His careful compositions and visuals (including a very effective use of seasonal imagery, which not only structures the story but also provides some beautifully atmospheric shots) are unobtrusive and impressive. Little visual flairs add a lot to this film, most notably the amusing and recurrent appearance of red and gold glad joggers.

I mentioned the soundtrack before, but I will again, because it is down right terrific. Featuring tracks from the likes of Belle and Sebastian (a current favourite of mine), The Kinks, Sonic Youth and Mott the Hoople, the more well known tracks are great. However, it is the input of Kimya Dawson which impresses most. She has a number of songs on the soundtrack, all of which are deceptively simplistic numbers that ultimately emerge as very quirky, clever and touching songs. The use of her old band The Moldy Peaches' duet 'Anyone Else But You' is inspired. Her music not only provides some excellent songs for your MP3 player, but enhance the entire experience in terms of both emotion and atmosphere.

Juno is one of those films I just can't bring myself to criticise. Sure, a cynic could go in and rip it apart if they really wanted to. But for everyone else Juno is guaranteed to provide an astonishingly feel good hour and a half. Myself and my friends all emerged with smiles on our faces, and for me anyway it is still there. Juno is simply one the happiest, most endearing films I have had the pleasure to sit through, and will certainly be up there with the likes of Garden State, My Neighbour Totoro and Kikujiro as a film I will turn on when feeling a little down in the dumps.

So does Juno live up to the hype? I think when all is considered, there is only one answer to that question: fuck yeah it does.