“Juno” is a movie that feels like a warm hug. It is super quirky (for some people probably a bit too much) but also honest, funny, heartwarming, and entertaining. The film is a feel-good coming of age comedy and a very empathetic tale about growing up, self-discovery, family, love, and making mistakes and learning from them.

I love how non-judgmental the film is. It´s clear that Juno (and her boyfriend) made a mistake but she is owning up to it and tries to handle the situation the best way possible, and everyone supports her. It´s always refreshing to see movies without antagonists or assholes that instead feature “good” people who try to help each other (“The Martian” would be another example that comes to my mind). Maybe Jason Bateman´s character could be described as problematic but at least he realizes himself in time that he is not ready to have a child and unhappy with his marriage (two things that are pretty clear from the beginning). I still think he is a good guy at heart, just overwhelmed with the situation. The rest of the characters are definitely loveable. Jennifer Garner is a cutie, Allison Janney is the opposite of the evil stepmom trope, Michael Cera is his adorkable self, and J.K Simmons plays the most wholesome role I have seen from him. The star of the film is without a doubt Ellen Page as the title character Juno. Her amusing way of talking and chill “take life as it comes” attitude as well as her hidden vulnerability make Juno a very endearing character and Page´s charismatic and entertaining performance perfectly brings this character to life.

Other highlights include the vibrant colors, aesthetically pleasing visual style, fantastic pacing, great indie rock soundtrack, and the brilliant dialogues. All in all, “Juno” is a fun, poignant, and character-driven coming of age comedy that made me laugh, hit me right in the feels, and quickly made its place in my heart.

I mainly watched “Juno”, because I am excited for Jason Reitman´s upcoming movie “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” and wanted to become more familiar with his filmography. Based on this film and “Thank You For Smoking” (the other film of his I have seen), he is very good at balancing humor, heart, and characters, which makes me optimistic for Ghostbusters.