Movie of the Week: Obvious Child

Alexa: I chose “Obvious Child” as this week’s movie because I remember hearing a lot of buzz about it when it premiered a few years ago and I love Jenny Slate. She’s so often a scene-stealing supporting player and I was curious to see her anchor a movie, and I was not disappointed. She’s still funny and charming as usual but also exhibits a sense of depth she hasn’t been afforded the opportunity to explore in other projects. The movie boasts some solid supporting performances from Donna’s parents and friends. Jake Lacy is affable enough as the romantic lead, if a bit underdeveloped as a character. But perhaps what makes “Obvious Child” stand out more than anything else is how deftly and honestly it handles a sensitive and divisive issue. I wouldn’t say the movie tackles abortion in an objective way necessarily, but it doesn’t delve into any moral or political opinions about it. The movie doesn’t sugarcoat it by any means. It’s clear that even though Donna thinks this is ultimately the right thing to do at this juncture in her life, she does struggle with the decision. But this choice also doesn’t define Donna as a character, nor does it define her relationships with everyone around her. “Obvious Child” treats abortion as the significant issue it is, but also unapologetically weaves in comedy in a way that feels true to Donna’s character. And I think the film’s abrupt ending is so effective. It’s not “and now Donna and Max will live happily ever after.” It conveys that these two just met, they’ve now gone through a pretty heavy experience together, and their relationship may turn into something or it may not. Uncertainty drives “Obvious Child” in many ways, and the ending perfectly encapsulates that.

Chris: I had my doubts about this movie going in because to me, as hilarious as she is in other things, I wasn’t sure how I was going to respond to Jenny Slate as a lead. Those doubts were quickly put to rest as she was able to show plenty of emotional range rather than just being a comedian trying really hard to be funny for the entire movie like I suspected was going to happen. This is a new and interesting take on how abortion is handled in film because usually it occurs because of a strong dislike for whoever the partner they had sex with but in this movie, it’s happening because it’s (eventually) the right person but just at the wrong time and under the wrong circumstance. Also the morality of whether or not the abortion should take place is never discussed like it is with most movies, it’s just accepted that it will happen and the characters move on to other aspects surrounding their situation. All of those aspects make it sound like this movie is darker than what it is but it really is light and enjoyable.

Jason: This one made me uncomfortable. Maybe it was her obsession with gross body humor. Maybe it was her laissez faire attitude toward abortion. I’m not going to get into the morality and politics of the issue because the movie doesn’t. The whole movie had a sense of humor that just didn’t sit well with me. I never got behind the “gross humor” thing as a kid. I never watched Beavis and Butthead or Ren and Stimpy. Never really thought that stuff was funny. This movie felt like an adult version of that style. I was excited when David Cross showed up but then he ended up being another unlikable character. I did appreciate that the ending just sort of happened. There was no overly dramatic fight or fallout. She did the thing and that was that. It was kind of unexpected. And when a movie can surprise me, that’s a good thing.