Movie Review: Juno

Juno
Directed by Jason Reitman
Written by Diablo Cody
Starring Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Allison Janney, J.K. Simmons, Rainn Wilson
Rated PG-13

Juno: A Very Happy Accident

“Michael Jordan plays ball. Charles Manson kills people. I talk. Everyone has a talent.” -- Nick Naylor from Thank You For Smoking

“Nah... I mean, I'm already pregnant, so what other kind of shenanigans could I get into?” -- Juno MacGuff from Juno

“No, I mean, like, for real. 'Cause you're, like, the coolest person I've ever met, and you don't even have to try, you know..."-- Juno MacGuff from Juno

Nepotism can only get you so far. If you want to stay in the game, you better have some talent of your own to get past the famous last name that got you into the great game. Talent is in the Coppola and Kasdan genes. Jason Reitman has gotten the directing genes from his father, Ivan Reitman -- the director responsible for such iconic and subversive comedies as Meatballs, Stripes, Ghostbusters, and Dave to name a few. Jason Reitman made an excellent debut with an adaptation of Christopher Buckley’s Thank You For Smoking in 2005 featuring a career defining performance by Aaron Eckhart. With Juno, Reitman has taken Diablo Cody’s first screenplay and turned it into something memorable and magical. There is no sophomore slump with Reitman, who has given wonderful life to Cody’s inventive and fresh screenplay. Diablo Cody’s own story is the stuff that movies are made of. This year has been a terrific year for first-time screenplays being turned into excellent films. Sidney Lumet’s Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead written by Kelly Masterson is another excellent example...continue reading this review at Geeks of Doom!