Juno (Jason Reitman, 2007)

As Juno continues to build box office earnings, buzz and undoubtedly works toward a couple of Oscar nominations, the talk of the internet has been of first time screenwriter Diablo Cody, and film's quirky dialogue. As many reviews, both positive and negative, have pointed out Cody's dialogue is, depending on the writer's point of view, either unique and eccentric or annoying and unrealistic. Roger Ebert has weighed in on the debate stating in his Answer Man column, "Movie characters don't talk like real people. If they did, they'd drive us nuts."

To take Ebert's point further, movie characters have almost never talked "realistically". From the tough talking mugs of classic gangster films, to the speed talking antics of screwball comedies and even to the level headed dialogue of political and police procedurals and dramas, dialogue is always stylized to both entertain and forward the plot. Even films or television shows which are praised for their "realism" are still stylized to a certain degree, highlighting linguistic elements to heighten comedic or dramatic effect. In the case of Juno, I saw neither brilliance nor contrivance. What Cody has done, admirably, is capture the rapid fire wit of a too smart teen within the milieu of her friends. I found it no different than the tangents my friends and I can run into which weave music references, inside jokes and off-color puns. Anyone who might overhear us might just have the same reaction they did upon the opening minutes of the film. And it is a reaction that I too had upon the first fifteen or so minutes of the film. But as the film progressed I fell into the rhythms of the dialogue and walking out of Juno I knew the next time I saw the film the dialogue wouldn't be an issue.

Oh yeah, but is the film good?

In short, yes. If the first two-thirds of the film are enjoyable, if somewhat familiar, Diablo Cody earns the various kudos she has received with the final act of her film. As the plot - which follows the path of a pregnant teenager who decides to give the child to a couple who can't conceive - rolls along with genuine laughs, it's the growth of Juno (played with alarming authenticity by Ellen Page) and the surprising depth Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner bring to their roles of the expecting, desperate parents that elevates the film. Cody takes makes some interesting, original choices with her characters in the final portions of the film that turns Juno from a comedy about pregnancy, into a film about parenting and how as we grow up, we don't get smarter, we just gain more experience. It's up to us to use that experience, to make smart choices. And if the dialogue isn't realistic, the heart of the film is, and that is what makes it a joy to watch.