OK, I said I was not gonna do any more movie reviews. But I saw one more movie before my daughters went back to school and just have to share.

Juno
An excellent movie. Not great.
The movie tells the story of Juno, a 16 year old girl who has time on her hands, decides to have sex to see what it is like, and ends up pregnant. She then travels the road of telling her parents (a great scene), telling her "boyfriend," deciding whether to seek an abortion, finding adoptive parents in the classified ads, and eventually to birth.

The story is somewhat predictable by Hollywood standards. Women are remarkable, men are ne'er do wells. Men's roles are largely to supply sperm and then get out of the way, so women can soar as professionals and mothers. But the story does veer from the Hollywood template by actually

However, 2 things makes the movie excellent
1) Ellen Page. She plays Juno and is remarkable. She captures the attitude, language and demeanor of teenage girls with precision. Better yet, her humor and timing combine with an odd sense of innocence to give the movie a real warmth and grace. She is a very funny young lady.

2) The writing by and large is tremendous. Lots of good sarcasm (which I of course love) and occasional bits of poignancy to remind us that this is a weird combination - a 16 year old girl trying to figure out the world while she makes decisions of great significance. Not sure that the writers agree - but their script captures some of the sad reality that is American family life in 2008. Some will see that as mere reality; others will see that as commentary on how we have deconstructed the family, gender roles, and personal identity. Interesting stuff.

The movie is not great. BUt it is excellent. And, as my daughter observed, the music works nicely. She likes to be in these reviews.

So here is the final gradesheet for Allen's Christmas Forays into the theaters

Enchanted A
Atonement A-
Juno B+
Noelle C
Walk Hard D