Juno

The parallels between this and Little Miss Sunshine are interesting. They were indie flicks with some good character actors and some decent names; cute, very cute; quirky and funny, in the modern indie tradition; with good scripts by first-time writers. I also, however, though they had some flaws, and shouldn't have made the Best Picture race. Apparently, this will be in the running.

Juno has a lot going for it, from Michael Cera's face to Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner surprising you to the ubiquitous J. K. Simmons. Ellen Page is a great and smart actress at such a young age. Sometimes, however, the dialogue veers toward overkill, and the conflict comes and goes. Don't get me wrong, it's very good; it's just not on par with No Country for Old Men and the top films of the year for me. I would absolutely recommend it, though. It caught me off guard in places with dramatic turns, and the soundtrack was cheerily strange.