Juno

I have heard a ton of praise for this film, but I must say I didn’t like it very much. Or at best, I had mixed feelings about it.

I thought the supporting cast did a fantastic job and were all hilarious. I’ve been a big Michael Cera fan since Arrested Development (may it rest in peace) aired. The guy is brilliant, pure genius. As husband and wife, Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner play their characters very convincingly. And Juno’s parents, played by J. K. Simmons and Allison Janney, cracked me up.

That’s not to take anything away from Ellen Page who played the title character, Juno. Her acting was excellent, I thought, but her character suffered from insufferable dialogue. It’s just that every time she opened her mouth I sort of cringed at how hard the writer was trying to make hip, witty dialogue.

I had a bad feeling this was going to happen as soon as the animated opening credits started. Like Page’s character’s dialogue, it was the movie’s way of saying “Look how different and unique I am! Aren’t I cool?” But it all seemed unnecessary, if you ask me.

I spent most of the first half of the movie regretting buying my ticket, but it managed to partially redeem itself with a warm and fuzzy ending.

Update: Wouldn’t you know it: Diablo Cody won a Critics’ Choice Award for writing. Still, I stand by my position.