Sneak Peek: "Juno"

Lindsay Weir, Angela Chase, Daria Morgendorffer...meet your big screen counterpart.

Unless you've been living in a pop culture vacuum for the past few weeks, you've probably heard the buzz about Jason Reitman's follow-up flick to "Thank You For Smoking," a high school-based dramedy called "Juno."
It's my favorite movie that I've seen this year, and I've watched a boatload of amazing stuff. Here's why (and it doesn't include the adorable Michael Cera in his golden little shorts):

Ellen Page: As Juno, she's a breath of fresh air—what I imagine Ally Sheedy in "Breakfast Club" could have been if she'd told Molly Ringwald's character where she could shove that headband in the magical makeover scene. There are rumors that her performance could score Ellen an Oscar nom, but when asked about it at the press day, she just rolled her perfectly made-up eyes. She also went off on the reporter who kept trying to steer the convo toward the movie's take on abortion. Love her.

Kimya Dawson: Thank Ellen for introducing Jason to this indie folk goddess; when he asked her what kind of music Juno would listen to, she hopped on his computer played a few songs. "[Kimya Dawson's music] is really unique and it's quirky and all of those things, but it has heart to balance that," she has said. "I loved how it was just bare-boned, and I feel like that is similar to Juno, the film in general and the character. She has a sarcastic wit that she hides behind, but she's also just an extremely genuine, honest, says-what-she-thinks human being, and I feel the film's like that as well."

Diablo Cody: This is a woman who really loves words, which explains why the film's sharp, quotable dialogue is so much freaking fun. She's also a woman with a feminist agenda; as a former stripper, Diablo revealed that she plans to infiltrate Hollywood by posing as a guy's gal and then take the old boys club out at the knees. "The attitude toward women in this industry is nauseating," she has said. "There are all sorts of porcine executives who are uncomfortable with a woman doing anything subversive. They want the movie about the beautiful girl who trip and falls, the adorable klutz." Juno, who strides through this fictional world like she owns the joint, is anything but.

"Juno" hits theaters nationwide on December 14th. Click here to watch the trailer.

- Caroline Stanley

Labels: Moooovies...