The story itself, as a premise, is mildly touching, as Juno (Ellen Page), a 16 year old high school student, discovers her pregnancy at more than the hands of her best friend, Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera). Juno quickly confesses to her father, Mac (J.K. Simmons) and stepmother, Bren (Allison Janney) in a conversation that comes far too easily to everyone involved. Juno, ready for an abortion quickly makes an appointment.

JunoÕs simple solution proves more than she can handle and now decides that she will keep her baby, but she chooses a couple to adopt her child at birth, all with no input from the babyÕs father or her parents. Her search for a couple ends with Vanessa and Mark Loring, played by Jennifer Gardner and Jason Bateman, who are too obviously anxious for a baby. Through the support of her parents and a fluctuating relationship with Paulie, Juno simply floats as life and consequences readjust and reconnect beneath her.

Despite Diablo Cody making a valiant debut as a storyteller, she loses touch with the heart of her film as she tries to pack it full of memorable moments and quotes that her studio will one day plaster on t-shirts, calendars and lunch boxes. She allows Juno a voice-over at three or four random times that add nothing to the story, but act more as a cliffs notes for the slower audience members. Michael Cera struggles to lose the soft-spoken, lost for words, character of George Michael on ÒArrested DevelopmentÓ. HeÕs funny, but too pathetic, and when combined with your pity is distracting enough for him not to matter.

Ellen Page, on the other hand, along with J.K. Simmons, are a formidable team that carry the film. After starring in ÒHard CandyÓ and doing well on such a claustrophobic set, Ellen PageÕs personality glows as she finds the perfect blend of sarcasm and love to make you take interest in anything the film may attempt to announce. Despite being surrounded by less than average personas, the writing for her character quickly rose to the top. Simmons delivers a great supporting performance as a provider and a source of encouragement to his daughterÕs choices.

ÒJunoÓ provides a few laughs and should do well to give high school students comebacks and jokes. The themes promote a healthy family atmosphere and the power of communication, but struggle to reach a deeper level with uninspired modes of story telling and characters that are visually present but fail to connect.