Juno...

Yep, a late-comer to this as well, and like before I did so to specifically avoid the various hype surrounding it - especially the whole Oscars thing.

So now, with that out of the way, I was able to check out this charming and entirely involving indie-vibed treat from Jason Reitman. Much like with Thank You For Smoking, this is an intriguing story filled-out with witty, individually crafted characters. There's a sweetness to Juno (both film and protagonist), that makes this a rewarding watch.

Each character has their own tweak, reinforcing their individual identities amidst the joyously witty dialogue, which fortunately never strays into glib self-knowing parody. Indeed, this isn't as straight-forward a flick as the basic premise might suggest, the ending may still be rosy, but certainly not in the Hollywood tradition.

Praise indeed should go to Diablo Cody, a colourful character herself, who managed to produce something which ticked all the feel-good boxes, while striding confidently through more original pastures.

Considering the all-round success of Juno - the bulk of which is owed to the script itself (with praise also to the direction and performances) - it's a real shame, and hard-to-understand situation, that Hollywood isn't doing more to seek out such original and entertaining stories. Sure we all need a clutch of explosions and tits to dazzle our eyes, but even such films drown amidst the stickiness of youfail.org when there's no story to back it up.

What we have with Juno, is a charming tale. Entertaining, sweet natured, intelligent, witty ... I could go on, but it'd just delay you in checking out this superb film.