Review of Obvious Child (2014) by Chris L — 11 Jun 2014

Jenny Slate, who notoriously was booted from her one season stint on SNL for dropping an F-bomb in her first sketch, has been bubbling under the radar ever since. For me, she has knocked it out of the park (pun intended) with her wild, scene-stealing Mona-Lisa Saperstein character on PARKS & RECREATION. With her feature starring debut in OBVIOUS CHILD, Slate stakes her claim for stardom and seizes it in this adorable, natural if slight comedy.

As Donna Stern, a Brooklyn standup comic, she's just been dumped by her boyfriend and subsequently spirals out of control. Eventually she finds herself pregnant and considers not having the child, earning this film the nickname of "that abortion comedy". Wasn't that JUNO's thing?

Adapting the film from her 2009 short, writer/directing Gillian Robespierre plays fast and loose with the human interactions, drawing us into a very believable world of a struggling artist. I bought into the shitty apartments, the awful club bathrooms, and the camaraderie she has with her fellow comic, played perfectly by Slate's real life comedy partner, Gabe Liedman.

Slate instantly wins you over with her opening monologue and subsequent stand-up scenes. Even when melting down, she's gifted at conveying complicated feelings. I am reminded of a young Debra Winger, another actor whose emotions have always been emblazoned on her sleeves. Slate brings out the best in her co-stars, all of whom have a chance to shine, from Richard Kind and Polly Draper as her parents to David Cross and Jake Lacy as once and future boyfriends. In all her messy glory, I believed Slate had credible histories with each character. Her comedic timing and openness are refreshing and welcome.

Alas, it's not perfect. At times, the film felt like a feature version of GIRLS, with its NY hipster vibe, self-absorbed lead character, and...Gaby Hoffman, who surprisingly doesn't go full monty here. Donna may earn our sympathies, but she's a hair too self-involved. All I wanted was for her to ask one friend, "Hey, how are you doing?", but, alas, she's too busy being cared for to think about anyone else.

The soundtrack and general aesthetic of the film felt very 70's. I was waiting for a Roche Sisters song to appear somewhere, and I also found it odd to use the Paul Simon song of its title in the body of the film. It made this modern tale feel somewhat dated.

There's also a way-too-twee-for-it's-own-good moment in a bookstore where Slate plays the entire scene popping out of a moving box. It's as if the writer didn't trust her material enough, which is strong most of the time, to stay away from this gimmicky schtick.

Regardless, OBVIOUS CHILD is a refreshing wake-up call to Hollywood, demonstrating that quirky gals can captivate us moviegoers as much as, if not more so than the bland goddesses shoved down our collective throats. Here's a real woman grappling with a relevant situation. She stumbles and fails more often than not, making OBVIOUS CHILD much less obvious than you would suspect.