Juno - Leah

Diablo Cody's breakout screenplay, Juno, about twee teen pregnancy starring Ellen Page is a refreshingly non-judgmental and non-preachy movie about growing up and making mistakes.  While some reviewers found the language precious and the pop culture references tedious and verging on obnoxious, but being of the Gilmore Girls generation when it was released, I appreciate the quick, witty banter.  There are a lot of interesting relationships in this movie: Juno and Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera), Juno and her dad and step-mom (J.K. Simmons and Allison Janney), Juno and the adoptive parents (Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner), and last and pretty much least, Juno and Leah (Olivia Thirlby).  From Tic-Tac fueled fornication to tearful post-push snuggle, Juno and Bleeker seem to share a very innocent and naive love, and I like that they seem able to move on with their youth relatively unscathed after the trauma of pregnancy and birth.

I'm not sure what the attraction is between Juno and Leah, but seeing as Leah is the first person Juno calls with news of the pregnancy, there must be some history of friendship between them.  Leah's a cheerleader in lust with a math teacher, while Juno's a guitar playing, artsy, alterna-chick.  They're equally sarcastic and do have a fun rapport, they just don't seem to have much in common.  Leah is Juno's partner in crime on occasion, helping her stage romantic gestures.  She is also a pretty strong pillar of support, advising Juno on finding adoptive parents and acting as back-up when breaking the news to Juno's parents.  Leah goes with Juno to her ultrasound appointments and is there to coach her through labor.  This isn't something just any 16 or 17 year old would do for a friend, especially when you look at MTV's 16 and Pregnant.  She may not have a lot of speeches, but Leah is good supporting character.  She's got an interesting perspective and never abandons Juno because of her condition.

Stats
Screen time: 16 minutes and 30 seconds
Memorable quotes: "Honest to blog?"  "Phuket, Thailand!"  "You know heavy lifting can only help you at this point."  "So what was it like, humping Bleek's bony bod?"  "Desperately Seeking Spawn... It's totally legit"  "Hey, you know you can go into early labor sucking face like that!"