Simon Dillon reviews the film

The pro-life movement in America has been plagued by criminals who plant bombs in abortion clinics, perceived hypocrisy among members who are anti-abortion yet pro-death penalty, not to mention general hysteria (for instance shouting hateful messages at those seeking abortions). However, their cause will have been given a tremendous boost by the Oscar nominated Juno, a smart, sharp, funny and touching film about a pregnant teenage girl who decides to give up her child for adoption. I have often argued that a good story has more influential power than a thousand political speeches, and Jesus himself recognised this by using parables to illustrate his points. Juno is a superb parable which will undoubtedly give the teenagers who see it plenty of food for thought.

When Juno MacGuff (brilliantly played by Ellen Page) finds herself pregnant by her boyfriend Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera), she at first considers abortion, but a solitary pro-life protestor outside the abortion clinic (who is played for laughs) changes her mind when she points out that eight week old babies "have fingernails". Juno then finds herself with the daunting task of telling her parents she is pregnant and finding a couple who would be suitable to adopt the child.

If this sounds heavy and depressing, I must stress most emphatically that it is not. Jason Reitman's quirky direction and Diablo Cody's wise and witty screenplay make this a hugely entertaining story with razor sharp one liners and edgy, believable characters that keep sentimentality firmly at bay. Everything from the choice of music to the superb performances is nothing less than inspired.

As Juno, Ellen Page stands a serious chance of winning this year's best actress Oscar. I have yet to work up the nerve to watch her previous film Hard Candy (though at some point I will take the plunge), but here she is a revelation; cynical, funny, intelligent, yet vulnerable and wise beyond her years in that she comes to realise she is dealing with issues beyond her maturity level. She is a truly wonderful character the audience can't help but fall in love with (and speaking purely as a film buff, any sixteen year old who has heard of Italian horror film maestro Dario Argento immediately becomes someone I will root for).

The other main characters are fully developed over the course of the film. Juno's stepmother Brenda (Allison Janney) is initially well-meaning but patronising. However she eventually comes to the defence of her stepdaughter in a hilarious scene during an ultra-sound scan. Her father Mac (JK Simmons) is brash, cynical, and arguably too often played for laughs, but towards the end has a very touching scene with Juno where he tries to reassure her that lasting love between a man and a woman is possible.

Mark and Vanessa Loring (Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner) are the prospective adoptive parents who at first appear to have the perfect marriage, job, house and so on. But Vanessa is paranoid that Juno will not go through with the adoption plan for reasons later revealed. Juno also develops a friendship with Mark because of their shared passion for music. However, again this reveals hidden depths in Mark that indicate he might not be the ideal father after all.

This latter point subplot provides an interesting additional theme; just what constitutes a good father? The audience is left with serious doubts about Mark, yet ironically Juno's sixteen year old boyfriend Paulie, who jokes about being unable to grow a moustache, has far more maturity (and one suspect's parental ability) in spite of the fact he agrees with Juno that they are not ready for parenthood and should give up their child for adoption. The larger issue of broken families is understated but important, and at one point Juno rants about how just for once she wants a child (hers) to grow up with parents who actually stay together. Her passionate speech reflects the heart cry of a generation for whom such brokenness has become the norm.

It's interesting to note that some critics have said those reading pro-life into the film are incorrect, since this was not the intention of the filmmakers. Perhaps it wasn't, but Juno is nevertheless an extraordinarily entertaining and persuasive pro-life statement by default.

On the other hand, certain Christian critics have complained about the frank (and funny) sexual references and how the characters sexual morality is not overtly criticised. For such critics, the film is not "wholesome" enough, which brings to mind an amusing scene where Juno refuses to consider a particular couple as prospective parents because they have advertised themselves as "wholesome". I know exactly what she means. "Wholesome" often has prudish connotations of avoiding facing up to the edgier issues in life; issues which cannot simply be brushed under the carpet.

At any rate, such criticism misses the point. True, Juno is not a film that tackles the issue of sexual morality. It is a realistic reflection of the attitudes and choices made by today's American teenagers who are reportedly seeing abortion as less of a desirable option. That is something that should give Christians hope and I believe it represents a turning point in the debate. Juno's parents are from the generation who fought for abortion, yet when Brenda asks her stepdaughter if she thinks a termination would be best, she refuses point blank. Instead, Juno is an extremely brave character who acknowledges her mistake and faces up to the consequences with wit, humour, and immense likeability. For that alone, this film is to be highly recommended.