Juno

A very above average movie about teenage pregnancy. Starring Ellen Page as the eponymous Juno, and Michael Cera as the surprised father Bleeker. The film opens with the feisty (almost aggressive) Juno finding out she is pregnant after a very much pre-planned one night stand with Bleeker - who is extremely geeky and nerdy and obsessed with running. Juno is like a whirlwind. She tells her father & stepmother (the wonderful Allison Janney) rejects the abortion route and then sees an advert by childless couple Mark (Jason Bateman) and Vanessa (Jennifer Garner), and decides they will adopt her baby. In many ways this couple mirror Juno and Bleeker - Mark has his head in the clouds and isn't ready to grow up Vanessa is desperate to be a real adult - and a mother. Juno is 16 going on 35, Bleeker is 16 going on 10. Juno is like a whirlwind in this couple's lives, and the pregnancy is smooth from Juno's viewpoint, but far from straightforward for Mark, Vanessa, Bleeker,and Juno's father and stepmother.

I'm not surprised this film has been lined up for so many awards - it is quirky, but thoughtful and is sensitively drawn - without the sentimentality usual for American films about teenagers and their families. Rating? 8/10