Juno (2007)
Directed by Jason Reitman. Starring Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Allison Janney, J.K. Simmons, and Olivia Thirlby.

Thank you Diablo Cody for composing this delightfully quirky coming-of-age film about a girl! In case you haven't already noticed, there is a serious shortage of quality films that depict the trials and tribulations of growing up from a female perspective. Of course, one could make the argument, "Well, what about every movie Molly Ringwald has ever made?" Sure, it's true that coming-of-age film guru, John Hughes, schmeared Molly Ringwald paste all over most of the angsty teen movies of the 1980's, but c'mon, as classic as films like "Sixteen Candles" and "The Breakfast Club" are, the femmes deserve better. "Juno" tells the tale of a teenage girl who accidentally gets her "eggo preggo" after a one-night romp in the arms of her best friend, Paul Bleeker. To cope with the turmoil of the ensuing events, Juno must draw on a mature, inner strength, which forces her to shed her naïve adolescent skin and to grow up fast. Diablo Cody's masterful screenplay and Ellen Page's adept and charismatic rendering bring to life an incredibly amiable, albeit unlikely, heroine in this quirky, indie dramedy making "Juno" an instant classic in the coming-of-age movie genre.

Image © Fox Searchlight Pictures