The expansive force of comic laughter

"The Expansive Force of Comic Laughter" is a chapter about the physical effects of humor, in an essay on laughter by Henri Bergson. (You can search and download Le Rire, essai sur la signification du comique in English translation on Google.) Bergson is famous for writing theories of time and memory that influenced Proust, but he wrote about comedy, too.
 
Laughter, he wrote, is preceded by surprise.
 

Juno is surprising, in spite of any hype or preconceived notions that might cloud your vision; I saw it in its new wide release after over a year of anticipation about the script. Discussing her loftier goals as a screenwriter, Diablo Cody said "We need a female Holden Caulfield or a female Travis Bickle" (Minneapolis Star Tribune, "Artist of the Year"). She's working on it.

Some surprises in the movie are more touching than funny, especially in the "Spring" section that peaks while the soundtrack plays Cat Power's cover of "Sea of Love" (the song is much older than the Honeydrippers - the songwriter is Phil Phillips). The song in Juno's context disarmed me and so did the quietness of most of the movie. Laugh track-eschewing sitcoms like The Office might have cleared the way for Juno, which doesn't suffocate its audience with Mark Mothersbaugh string arrangements à la Wes Anderson. The viewer has more space, because the moviemakers don't work too hard to guide the audience towards any one reaction. Who else but Diablo Cody would depict a character, played by Jennifer Garner, interrupting herself to express impatience with this t-shirt?