Juno

Blessed with a wonderfully tart Oscar-winning script (penned by former part-time stripper Diablo Cody), directed with pitch-perfect sensitivity by Jason Reitman, and beautifully acted by an outstanding cast headed by talented newcomer Ellen Page, Juno was one of 2007's most pleasant surprises. Juno MacGuff (Page) is a bright, witty 16-year-old who becomes pregnant after a one-night stand with her nerdy quasi-boyfriend (Superbad's Michael Cera). After informing her surprisingly supportive working-class parents (J.K. Simmons and Allison Janney) about her condition, Juno decides to carry the baby to term and then give it up for adoption. Settling on a well-to-do yuppie couple (Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman), Juno is confident that everything will work out for the best—until the would-be parents break up, throwing her well-laid plans out the window. Although some of Cody's dialogue is a bit too precious, Juno is graced with well-drawn characters—especially the titular protagonist, a preternaturally self-aware teen whose commonsense approach to her plight makes her exceptionally endearing. A warm and funny film, Juno is highly recommended. [Note: Available in either a single-disc version or two-disc special edition (with a digital copy for portable media players), DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director Jason Reitman and writer Diablo Cody, 23 minutes of screen tests, 11 deleted scenes with optional commentary (20 min.), an “Honest to Blog! Creating Juno” making-of featurette (13 min.), a nine-minute “Diablo Cody is Totally Boss” featurette on the writer (9 min.), a nine-minute “Way Beyond Our Maturity Level: Juno-Leah-Bleeker” character featurette, a “Jason Reitman for Shizz” featurette on the director (8 min.), a five-minute gag reel, a three-minute “Cast and Crew Jam” music video, and trailers. The Blu-ray version also features two exclusive Fox Movie Channel featurettes: “World Premiere…Juno” and “Casting Session: Juno.”Bottom line: an excellent extras package for one of 2007's best films.] (E. Hulse)