The subtle American comedy is going the way of the dinosaur, everything these days has to be brash, obvious and forgettable five minutes after the movie is over. Why else would we pay to see the same jokes over and over again? You can only see a guy get hit in the nuts so many times before it loses its effect. I wasn't actually expecting a film so well crafted and realistic going into The Promotion. The trailer uses all the loudest jokes in the film, trying to sell it like every other comedy, but don't expect the usual brainless Sandler or Ferrell vehicle.

They try to sell it with the simplistic concept of two guys going after the same job, doing anything and everything to outdo one another, but the film really isn't about that. There are certainly those elements there, but the film digs much deeper. The Promotion is actually a love letter to the typical American worker. Not everybody has an exciting job that deals in fortune and fame, and I think that most movies don't bother to focus on these sort of everyday men. Who are heroes in their own right. The film portrays these guys as real people, there is no good or bad guy, they're simply men trying to provide for their families, dealing with the thousands of stresses of everyday life.

I've always liked Seann William Scott, he burst onto the scene as Stifler in American Pie, and got typecast as that sort of actor, but here he gets to show his range, and he has a nice quiet performance as Doug Stabler, assistant manager at a national grocery store. His battles with stock boys and parking lot security may seem mundane to an outside observer, but writer/director Steve Conrad brings us so convincingly into his world, that these are a heroes journey. When Richard Whelner, another assistant manager from the Canadian branch, shows up to work along side him, it rocks his world to the core. And it's very nice to see John C. Reilly back to playing a realistic character, I was getting sick of his Will Ferrell sidekick roles. Even Fred Armisen, who's never met a role he couldn't turn up to ten, convincingly portrays the store's head manager who stands between them. The women in these guys lives are also well drawn by Lily Taylor and Jenna Fischer. The whole film feels very natural, it's incredibly funny, while also working as a drama. Don't go into it expecting a laugh a minute, let it draw you into its world and I think this is a film that'll stick with you for a while. - Grade: A-

I'm writing this after the Academy Awards, even though I saw the film about a month before. (Yeah, I'm way behind.) I'm glad that all it won is Best Screenplay, I think Diablo Cody has a fresh new voice, so it was somewhat deserved. But I would have been seriously pissed if it had won best picture, I was mad that it was even nominated. Sure it's a cute little film, but it's not mind-blowing. What I'm worried about is all the Juno clones we can expect in the next few years; sassy girls, speaking hip, through some life changing situation.

All that aside, I enjoyed the film. I loved the cast. Ellen Page is amazing as Juno, she takes these mouthfuls of hipster dialogue and makes them seem natural; I really can't imagine another actress in the role. She's an amazing new talent. (Also see her in Hard Candy.) I've enjoyed Michael Cera since Arrested Development, though he's stuck in the so-nerdy-he's-cool roles, he pulls them off well. Jason Bateman and Jennifer Gardner are both wonderful as the adoptive parents; I was especially surprised by Jennifer, she showed a lot of range, and sensitivity that I didn't realize she was capable of. J.K. Simmons was a stand-out as Juno's father, it was great to see a supportive father, even though his little girl has done something very wrong.

The film is really well directed by Jason Reitman, who with this and 2005's excellent Thank You For Smoking steps out from under his father's shadow. He's now a director to watch for. It's reported he's working on another film with writer Diablo Cody. There's been a lot of hype about Diablo; how she's gone from stripper, to blogger, to Oscar winning screenwriter. I can't name the writer on 9 out of 10 films, and with her first film she's become a Hollywood star; it's all too much too soon, and it'll be all downhill for her from here. But she has my attention, I hope that she can keep up the good work and not get jaded or burnt out.

As if you didn't know, Juno is about a teenage girl getting pregnant, deciding to keep the baby, and give it up for adoption to a local couple she finds in the classifieds. This is Lifetime Network territory, but it's the way it's all handled is what makes it fresh. The film gracefully walks the line between real-life drama and hipster comedy; one minute you're laughing hysterically, the next you're tore-up inside as Juno must make another big decision. Everything about the film, from the opening animation, to the cooler-than-thou dialogue, to the hamburger phone, to the sensitive-emo-rock soundtrack scream "look at me!", but somehow they keep it low-key enough for us to relate.

Honestly in almost any other situation the film wouldn't work. I've seen a hundred other films that try very similar things, but don't hit on all cylinders the way Juno does. It's one of those magical films, that lucks into getting just about everything right. I enjoyed it more than last year's version: Little Miss Sunshine, but I'd put it lower than Rushmore and Election, which also dabbled in the highly stylized, cool-teen-nerd territory. I don't think it deserved the avalanche of attention it's gathered, but it's a nice little film, that just about anybody can enjoy; which is saying something.