Juno

The title character, Juno MacGuff (Ellen Page), is a witty, semi-punk 16-year-old who gets knocked up after a single encounter with her equally nerdy friend Bleeker (Michael Cera). The film follows as her pregnancy progresses and she goes out in search of adoptive parents (she chooses the decidedly better-off couple played by Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner). Teen pregnancy is anything but charming, but the way Juno handles the situation and how the film depicts her relationships—with her parents, classmates, friends—changing, make the story more about coming of age than loss of innocence. Innocence, in fact, is decidedly not lost in Juno. It’s her innocence that allows her to look at a situation that makes most adults (parents in particular) cringe and see the good that can come of it in the bigger scheme of things. Director Jason Reitman keeps a steady pace throughout the film, with witty banter aplenty, but allowing real emotions to shine through—no matter how much the characters try to hide them.