DESPITE a lengthy track record of films dating back more than a decade, this is surely the breakthrough film for 21-year-old Ellen Page whose last big screen outing was in a very different guise in the X-Men franchise.

The other “star” of a very satisfying movie is the writer, Diablo Cody, who rightly won an Oscar for a funny, razor-sharp script that just dances off the screen.

Sixteen-year-old Juno MacGuff (Page) is the type of girl who marches to her own beat and doesn’t really care what others may think of her. She learns that she’s pregnant from a one-time sexual encounter with her best friend, Paulie Bleeker (Cera).

Faced with an unplanned pregnancy, she makes an unusual decision regarding her unborn child and opts to find adoptive parents.

With the support of her ex-Army heating and air-con specialist Dad, Mac (A.K. Simmons) and nail technician stepmom (Allison Janey) – both of whom are brilliant in their roles – Juno continues her high school education as her bump becomes “a planet” and her relationships go through a series of ups and downs.

Allied to the sparkling script, an excellent supporting cast ensure this is a true ensemble effort. Page convinces as a 16-year-old and has the pregnant “waddle” down to a T.

Despite being a comedy the film deals sympathetically with a sensitive issue and – a real bonus – boasts a cracking soundtrack and lots of band references that indie music buffs of a certain age will be sure to enjoy. It is also proof positive that you can tell a great story in an hour-and-a-half on the big screen. Highy recommended.

Juno is being screened at Eden Court Cinema until Wednesday.

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