Juno

It’s hard to like a movie that was written by someone who would name herself “Diablo Cody,” but in spite of the preciousness that implies, Juno manages to be one of the best films of the year. Ellen Page (Hard Candy) stars as Juno, a supernaturally hip teenager who—when she isn’t talking about how great ’70s punk rock was, or perfectly zinging the football players and cheerleaders, or generally acting as a stand-in for any nerd-girl who wishes she’d had the verbal skills of Christopher Hitchens when she was still covered in pimples and pubescent shame—somehow manages to get pregnant. Page shines in the lead, despite the fact that she’s the least believable of the characters. Her supporting cast members, including future comedy superstar and—no doubt—frequent future rehab visitor Michael Cera, are amazing, but what makes Juno work is the script, which delivers an endless series of razor-sharp lines. It’s odd to see a film do comedy in a way that builds character and advances plot, but “Diablo Cody” somehow manages it. Now, if only someone would tell her that stripper names are not only no longer cool; they were never cool to begin with.