SPOILER ALERT

Like Pretty Woman (1990), Juno (2007) prettifies a grave woman's issue. The Julia Roberts film makes a fairy tale out of prostitution; Juno trivializes teen pregnancy.

Juno McGuff (Ellen Page) is a 16-year-old high school student who exists on the edges of teen popularity, rather like a Goth among the Gap set, although her two best friends, Leah (Olivia Thirlby) and Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera) seem to belong to the popular group. That's the first unrealistic detail.

When Juno becomes pregnant by Bleeker, her first impulse is to keep the information from her parents and abort the baby. A brief encounter with abortion clinic picketer Su-Chin (Valerie Tian) and the discomfort of completing the paperwork inside the stifling clinic send Juno back outside, determined to go through with the pregnancy. That's the second stretch of the likely.

With Leah for moral support, Juno breaks the news to her parents, Mac (J. K. Simmons) and stepmother Bren (Allison Janney). In a charming scene played for laughs, the parents react to the news calmly and supportively, modeling the parents that every daughter could wish to have for her own. That makes the third unrealistic item in the set-up. Parents like the MacGuffs, both employed and aware of their child's academic and economic potential would, I think, express more anguish when hearing the news. But then, Juno is a comedy.

The strength of the film is in the acting. Every character, not just the principals, but those that appear in just one or two scenes, like the punky receptionist at the clinic (Emily Perkins), the ultrasound technician (Kaaren de Zilva), Bleeker's mother (Darla Vandenbossche), the no nonsense attorney Gerta Rauss (Eileen Pedde) and the defensive boyfriend in the science lab (Steven Christopher Parker) provide unforgettable cameos.

Jennifer Garner as Vanessa Loring, a wealthy, controlling woman who has everything to complete her image except a child conveys nerve-taut desperation. One can only fear for the psychological health of a child placed in her care. Jason Bateman as Mark, her repressed rock star husband, is extremely likable in his charming irresponsibility.

The film has the feel of a made-for-television movie and I wouldn't be surprised if somewhere down the line there's a TV spin-off. The opening credits and the big labels to convey the passing of time contribute to the sense of watching a television show on a big screen. The narrow glimpses of the poster-decked rooms of Juno, Leah, and Bleeker add to the feeling. And then there are the two actors whose faces are burned into our minds if we've ever watched TV at all: J.K. Simmons (50 appearances as Skoda on Law and Order and its spinoffs) and Allison Janney (as C.J. in 155 episodes of West Wing).

In the end Juno has the baby, gives it away and goes back to being a care-free teenager with her boyfriend and guitar.

Juno is an entertaining film, but it has the power of sinister repercussions. It conveys the idea that teenage pregnancy is no big deal.

Apart from the health risks for both mother and child--which are considerable--enormous social and economic evils for women stem from teen pregnancy.

Unlike Juno, most teen mothers drop out of high school. Barely-educated teen mothers have a hard time finding work. According to March of Dimes figures, more than 75% of unmarried teen mothers go on welfare within five years of the birth of the child.

The picture is not pretty for the children of these child-mothers. Seventy-eight percent of the children of teenagers live in poverty. And when they grow up they become school drop-outs in their turn.

Juno may have garnered a lot of honors for director Jason Reitman (Oscar nominations for Best Director and Best Picture), star Ellen Page (Best Leading Actress), and writer Diablo Cody (Oscar for Best Screenplay), but if it makes even one teenaged woman think that getting pregnant is no big deal, then it is a very bad film indeed.