It sounds corny, but it's true - only when faced with the tough situations of life do we know not only what we're capable of but who's willing to stand beside us as we deal. Juno is about believable, richly portrayed characters forced to make the decision to stand or run and it's a brilliant look at the unpredictability of life. Juno opens with the instantly classic title character, Juno MacGuff (Ellen Page), realizing that she's pregnant after an intimate evening with her friend Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera). Juno first plans to have an abortion but she rethinks that and decides that she'll be a surrogate mother for two yuppies (Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner) who haven't been able to have kids of their own. Sounds simple enough, right? And for the first two-thirds of Juno, it is a very funny comedy, one of the most laugh-out-loud of the year, but the already award-winning screenplay by Diablo Cody takes a sharp turn in the final act and becomes significantly more. Without giving anything away - you really should experience all of the joys of Juno for yourself - Juno reminds us that age is just a number and that you can't force maturity on anyone. Juno is one of those comedies that would be great if it was just for laughs, but Cody and Reitman delicately move the material into a final act that will almost undeniably produce tears and it never once feels manipulative. It's one of the best movies of the year.

Diablo Cody's admittedly excellent screenplay has already garnered a lot of attention, but Juno wouldn't be anywhere near the great film that is without the stellar direction by Jason Reitman and one of the best ensembles of the year. Ellen Page gives the best actress performance of the year in the title role, a turn that should instantly make her one of the most sought-after actresses of her generation. Juno is the kind of girl who uses sarcasm and humor to put up a shield between herself and true emotion but the situation she's now in forces that defense mechanism to falter. So many actresses would have oversold both halves of Juno MacGuff - the hard, sarcastic teenager and the vulnerable, pregnant girl - but Page never hits a wrong note. And her castmates lift their games to her level. Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner give the best performances of their career and the always-great J.K. Simmons and Allison Janney practically steal the movie with just a few crucial scenes. And do I need to tell you how great Michael Cera is in everything he does? If I do you haven't seen Superbad and you didn't watch Arrested Development. Shame on you.

When an entire ensemble is this good, you have to look at the accomplishments of the director and Jason Reitman, while getting a few mentions, hasn't been getting nearly the acclaim he deserves. The gigantic leap forward in restraint and ability from the good-not-great Thank You For Smoking to his sophomore effort is remarkable. Where Reitman often winked a bit at the camera in Smoking, his direction in Juno is understated and reserved. It's a perfect decision. A lot of directors would have taken their clever heroine and tried to be just as clever a director, but Reitman wisely realizes that the script and the actors should be the focus of Juno, not anything he does behind the camera. He does so much, by doing very little. Like the characters in his excellent film, he realizes that it's the little things like the way a baby kicks when someone's near, the reaffirming words of a father, or the way someone reminds you of your past that lead people to make the big decisions. Make the decision to see Juno.