214) Obvious Child (2014)
A twenty-something comedienne’s unplanned pregnancy forces her to confront the realities of independent womanhood for the first time.
5/10 – Jenny Slate is undeniably funny, but this film is not. I cracked a smile once or twice, but never once laughed. The stand-up material used in the film isn’t all that good and the chemistry on screen seemed lifeless and predictable. It could have been bolder, it could have addressed the issue more head on, and it could have at least thrown in a joke or two. I feel like I’m repeating myself, but a film about a comedienne pitched as a rom-com should bring about some laughs, especially given her previous work. But, humour is subjective and I can see why some would find this funny – just not for me.
Give it credit where it’s due, it was sort of original in it’s subject matter, think of it as a flip-side to Knocked Up combined with Louie (in terms of the Drama/Stand-Up combo), but Louie is funnier and so was Knocked Up.
It wasn’t all bad. When it wasn’t trying to be funny it demonstrated a certain underlying maturity, and as far as a pro-choice message goes, it plays it safe but to the point. It’s in these moments that it really excels by telling the truth and presenting what appears to be an honest portrayal of a woman teetering between confidence, insecurity and innocence. Despite the apparent lack of humour (from my interpretation) nothing should be taken away from the daring nature to tackle this subject matter at all, and expose to some extent the type of thoughts and emotions people go through when involved in this decision. It was careful, well thought out, enlightening and brave … but just not funny.
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