'Obvious Child' A Review

Obvious Child is an offbeat romantic comedy about a young comedian on the rebound getting pregnant and having an abortion. At the opening of the film we see Donna Stern(Jenny Slate) on stage doing stand-up. After her set her boyfriend dumps her in the scummy co-ed bathroom. Donna is devastated. In the process of getting over her ex Donna has a drunken hook-up with nice, affable, business guy Max(Jake Lacy). She leaves the next morning before he wakes up and a couple weeks later discovers she is pregnant. She decides to have an abortion and at the same time she begins running into Max who gently pursues her.

Jenny Slate as Donna gives an incredibly nuanced, brave, and emotional performance which happens to be very funny. Classifying Obvious Child as a comedy is somewhat limiting due to its authenticity and depth. Slate carries the film, committing fully to complex moments which are both darkly comic and heartrending. The supporting cast brings humor and gravitas in equal measure creating authentic people in an authentic New York. The film takes only one small misstep with David Cross as a lecherous older comedian, but that scene is blissfully brief.

What's shocking about the film is not the subject matter but the ease, patience, and amusement with which it is handled. The abortion is secondary, the film is really about a young woman finding her way through a difficult time in her life- confusion, unemployment, heartbreak, love- something we can all relate to.

Obvious Child finds the sweet spot between the somewhat sophomoric and naive Knocked Up and the pretentious and trite Frances Ha. It's genuine and funny.

See It.