Every once and awhile, a film comes along that restores your faith in mankind. Wow, that’s high praise. But what you’ve heard from the reviewers so far, this is almost exactly the Earth-shaking proclamation you get the impression of when people talk about Juno. Honestly though, it really is one of the best movies released in 2007, an ingenious and unconventional comedy that is bittersweet as well as belly-bustingly hilarious. With a sharp-tongued script from former stripper Diablo Cody and with the solid comedy directing chops of Jason Reitman, Juno is the can’t miss movie of the winter season.

Juno (Ellen Page) is the name of a high school junior who lives in an average town in the Midwest. Much to horror, she discovers that her one and only sexual encounter with her high school crush Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera) has ended in pregnancy. Scared away from having an abortion, Juno decides to give the baby to a wanting couple and finds upscale yuppies Mark and Vanessa (Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner) in the local Pennysaver. With surprising support from her plumber father (JK Simmons) and her stepmother Bren (Allison Janney), Juno proceeds through her pregnancy with head held high as she tries to come to terms with love, life and going through high school while having a baby.

Oddly enough, things really don’t get more complex than that, the movie doesn’t follow a typical arc other than the fact that the pregnancy is nine months and it seems to happen over the better part of a school year. The only journey is the characters’ experiences, all tucked away in their small town. Nothing happens the way you think it’s going to, at least in moving writing terms. Sure the dialogue-style is accelerated; Juno sounds like she got her Ph.D in 1976, but the reactions and the character interactions feel genuine with no hyperbole and melodramatic over reaction. “Not Hollywood”, I think is the quick, two-line description I’m looking for.

Ellen Page deserves all her accolades. Playing Juno she’s irresistible, she’s so funny and self-deprecating, it’s easy to see why Paulie Bleeker likes her so much and it’s hard to understand why so many other guys don’t. Speaking of Bleeker, Michael Cera continues his typecasting trend of uncomfortable, teenage characters. But on closer inspection, it’s easy to see that Paulie has his act together in a much more significant way than Arrested Devopment’s George Michael or Suberbad’s Evan. Given that the movie begins after the Juno and Paulie have sex, it seems kind of odd that their romance is so staid and chaste, but it works and you’re rooting for them all along to get together.

On the other end of the age range of the cast there’s great supporting acting by JK Simmons and Allison Janney as the put upon parents. They’re supportive and though not necessarily approving, they’re there to back Juno up. There’s one great scene where Janney’s Bren sticks up for Juno in front of a disapproving nurse, it’s both touching and hilarious. Bren is far from the typical “step-monster”. The film also deconstructs the perfect suburban couple archetype with Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner doing great work as the seemingly got it together Mark and Vanessa. Bateman is good as always but it’s Garner that really stands out bringing an element of insecurity to the perfect Matha Stewart wife role.

A marvel of simple storytelling, Juno serves complex characters trying to lead their lives despite obstacles. It’s a touching portrait of family, but don’t make the mistake of thinking that this is a family movie. It’s touching, hilarious, witty and ingenious, all the things a really good movie should be. So why aren’t you going to see this yet? Or going again as it were?