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| Photo Credit: Obvious Child / A24 |
In the leading role, Jenny Slate is entirely natural in giving a beautiful and unadulterated portrayal. She owns the show by exuding such a raw vulnerability with both comedy and when her character is in a true crisis. It's one of my favorite performances in recent history.
Matched with Jake Lacey as her more composed and quieted counterpart, their relationship is an oddity in the romantic genre. Their companionship takes their one night stand and gradually grows into an unexpected crossroads. They both have great charm and wonderfully easygoing chemistry.
The relevant debate on abortion, pro-life, and pro-choice aren't funny nor does the film make Stern's circumstances out to be humorous, though Slate is downright hilarious. The script and story aren't necessarily new, but the film is funny, thoughtful, and poignant while touching on a widely debated issue.
Not everyone will agree on Stern's choice, but many women will connect with her unplanned pregnancy and the choices afterward as well as couples and young adults. The story is approached in a personal, realistic, and unaffected way that makes the film memorable and light-hearted enough to be considered a comedy more so than a drama. In a very impressive feat, director and writer Gillian Robespierre successfully creates a much raunchier, slightly mature Juno for the 20-something crowd.
Rating: ★★☆
Have you seen Obvious Child? What are your thoughts?
Great review! I liked this movie quite a bit, and it really bothered me that so much of the conservative media wrote it off without actually seeing it. I had a friend who went on this massive rant about it on fb, and when I pointed out that the actual abortion scene isn't played for laughs, at all, he was just like "Oh, I haven't seen it." I get judging movies from trailers, we all do it, but he actually accused the movie of making a joke out of abortion and that wasn't the case.
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