Juno

Ellen Page is Juno, a 16-year old who gets pregnant by her boyfriend Paul, played by Michael Cera. Juno isn't ready to be a mom so she's going to give up her child for adoption by a couple played by Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman. The movie is about Juno's relationship with Paul, with her dad & stepmom, and with the adoptive couple. In general, this movie works pretty well. I think I liked it more the first time I saw it but it's still pretty good on a second watch. It feels fairly authentic though Juno's dialogue is often really rude and is disaffected youth to the extreme and ends up being grating and annoying frequently. There are a lot of funny moments and the cast is terrific. Page and Cera were basically made for their roles and the supporting folks (Garner, Bateman, JK Simmons, and Allison Janney and a great cameo from Rainn Wilson) are all fantastic. Anyway, this one is pretty good, right at the Tabedoza line - 7/10.

Bad Words

Jason Bateman is a foul-mouthed warranty proofreader who apparently never finished 8th grade. For reasons unknown, he decides to enter a national spelling bee for 8th graders. He's attracted the attention of a reporter who's writing his story (and sponsoring him - and screwing him) and the ire of parents. He makes friends with a competitor and, in-between racist insults and jokes, shows him the ways of the world a la Bad Grandpa. In the end, what could have been a really funny premise ends up being just wasted potential. There's some funny lines but the payoff at the end is weak and goes nowhere. There aren't enough laughs and it just ends up disappointing. I was bummed - really wanted to like this one. 4/10.