Juno was kind of that "shone in the face of adversity" films, because there are a couple of first timers here. Initially a comedy picture is more challenging to write than a drama. Diablo Cody's first screenplay, Ellen Page's first film as a lead actress (she was absolutely adorable in X3 btw), to which she did really well. Lots of comedians would agree that timing is the key part of comedy, and Page is quick, precise, and stops just short of going too far. The dialog was surprisingly witty (compare it to other recent films), and even though I also disliked the "jive" lingo Juno shares throughout, it's understood as part of her character (as others have said, not normal) and I grew to like her.
It's understandable why people would hate it, it's unconventional. Plenty were outraged at the endings of both No Country and Blood.
she should've had the abortion
"shone in the face of adversity"?
what da heck do you mean. this started off as a minor project by a major studio, so it's not like there was a danger of backlash from the beginning. it's also about two middle class white kids, and has a pretty undeniable pro-life message. this film is right in with mainstream american values, there's no adversity to be overcome here.
it's not unconventional in the slightest. it's a romantic comedy which throws an BIG ISSUE in the mix so it can milk the subject and get some good drama out of it. what this film is, is a major studio release dressed up indie with a precious soundtrack and precious names attached to it.