"I Hate Those Kind of Movies. I Can Never Relate to Them."
Obvious Child has mastered the art of the bait-and-switch. From the first fifteen minutes, you’d be led to believe it’s a break-up story. The next ten minutes make it seem like an offbeat love story. By the time you’re halfway through the movie, you’re startled to realize that it’s all of these things as well as something you’ve never seen before.
If there’s one thing Obvious Child has going for it, it’s its sense of specificity. The movie is about a volatile subject matter (abortion), but it never tries to make any political or emotional statement about the decision the character makes. This is very much the story of one woman’s experience with abortion, a woman who knew what her choice on the matter would be as soon as she had to make it. Because of this, the movie avoids a lot of the traps it could have fallen into. Our main character Donna (played by Jenny Slate) is a character who is totally in charge of her own story and fully aware of her own flaws. She’s self-centered, immature, and completely unapologetic for herself, and these characteristics are what make the film work. Because Donna takes such full responsibility for herself and her actions, we in the audience have an easier time seeing this experience through her lens, and understand fully why her internal debate is NOT “should I keep the baby?” but “should I tell the guy I bumped uglies with that I’m aborting his baby?”.
Unfortunately, the film’s strength is also its greatest weakness. Donna’s readiness to have an abortion is a refreshing notion in terms of character development and women in film, but it doesn’t do much for the story. What this film is missing is CONFLICT. There are the seeds of conflict; Donna’s relationship with her mother, Donna’s relationship to her stand-up career, and the entire effing premise of the movie could have all led to some really interesting shit on screen. Everything comes pretty easily to this character. She gets dumped, then finds a new guy, then gets pregnant, but makes her decision with everyone’s full support, thinks she scares off her new guy then finds out he’s more supportive than she knew. This is all nice for Donna, but makes the film seem like one big waiting game. It makes sense, since in fact the main events of the film take place during a long waiting period until the Big Day, but it’s not always engaging on its own merits. The cast and the crisp dialogue help a lot; without these elements, the film may have been one long mélange of wishy-washy relationship talk. As it is, it comes off more like a stream-of-consciousness diary entry read as poetically as possible.
Obvious Child is absolutely worth seeing, but not if you’re expecting a comedic romp with abortion. It’s much more introspective than it lets on. Also, maybe don’t see it on a first date. Or do. There are no real rules.
Drink:
A Bloody Mary?
Ohhhh God, I'm going to Hell.
Possible Rules:
-Drink whenever Donna launches into her stand-up routine.
-Drink for misunderstandings
-Drink when someone gives someone a compliment
-Drink whenever abortion is referenced.
-Drink for potty humor.
Obvious Child is produced by Rooks Nest Entertainment, Sundial Pictures and Votiv Films. It is rated "R" with a run time of 84 minutes. Obvious Child is running with a limited release.
Unfortunately, the film’s strength is also its greatest weakness. Donna’s readiness to have an abortion is a refreshing notion in terms of character development and women in film, but it doesn’t do much for the story. What this film is missing is CONFLICT. There are the seeds of conflict; Donna’s relationship with her mother, Donna’s relationship to her stand-up career, and the entire effing premise of the movie could have all led to some really interesting shit on screen. Everything comes pretty easily to this character. She gets dumped, then finds a new guy, then gets pregnant, but makes her decision with everyone’s full support, thinks she scares off her new guy then finds out he’s more supportive than she knew. This is all nice for Donna, but makes the film seem like one big waiting game. It makes sense, since in fact the main events of the film take place during a long waiting period until the Big Day, but it’s not always engaging on its own merits. The cast and the crisp dialogue help a lot; without these elements, the film may have been one long mélange of wishy-washy relationship talk. As it is, it comes off more like a stream-of-consciousness diary entry read as poetically as possible.
Obvious Child is absolutely worth seeing, but not if you’re expecting a comedic romp with abortion. It’s much more introspective than it lets on. Also, maybe don’t see it on a first date. Or do. There are no real rules.
Drink:
A Bloody Mary?
Ohhhh God, I'm going to Hell.
Possible Rules:
-Drink whenever Donna launches into her stand-up routine.
-Drink for misunderstandings
-Drink when someone gives someone a compliment
-Drink whenever abortion is referenced.
-Drink for potty humor.
Obvious Child is produced by Rooks Nest Entertainment, Sundial Pictures and Votiv Films. It is rated "R" with a run time of 84 minutes. Obvious Child is running with a limited release.
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