“Juno”

I’ll be honest. I only watched this movie because I heard it was written by a former stripper turned screenwriter. I honestly didn’t think it would be good, but amazingly, the movie did have its redeeming qualities, and I think it is a great first effort for a new writer.

The story is about a young teenager, Juno, who is facing an unwanted pregnancy. At least this teen realizes that she can’t properly care for a baby, so she sets about trying to find the perfect set of parents to provide a home for the unborn child.

The movie is filled with lots of comedy, as the couple Juno finally settles on have some of their own issues that need to be worked on before introducing a newborn baby into their lives. The film has a lot of levity, as well as some sensitive parts. It also has a happy ending, though a predictable one. Everyone’s problems get worked out, Juno has her baby, and the couple have the child they always wanted but could not have on their own.

The ending seems almost too predictable, and I guess I would have been happier were there some twist thrown in that the moviegoer wasn’t expecting. Something like a dark secret uncovered in the lives of the selected couple that would have made them less desirable as parents than Juno had originally thought they were.

Like I said, this is a good first effort for former stripper turned screenwriter, Diablo Cody, but I think she has lots of room for improvement in the future. I enjoyed the film but found the ending to be somewhat disappointing and totally predictable.