उपयोगकर्ता समीक्षाएं

Gillian Robespierre makes an endearingly funny film about unplanned pregnancy and abortion with Obvious Child. Don't believe us? Watch it! Obvious Child, written and directed by Gillian Robespierre, is the breakout indie comedy that swept up audiences hearts at both Sundance and SXSW festivals.

Obvious Child follows a stand up comedienne named Donna Stern, played by Jenny Slate. Donna was recently dumped, and not just dumped, but had her heart ripped out and stomped on by her now ex-boyfriend and needless to say she is going through a rough patch. What does one do when one is heartbroken? Well, dancing in her underwear to music, one-night stands and maintaining a certain level of drunkenness seems to be the remedy for her. Unfortunately for Donna this leads to further complications when she finds her uterus fertilized which forces her to address aspects of her life she's been avoiding.

It is incredibly difficult to tell where Donna Stern ends and Jenny Slate begins in Obvious Child. All the characters written by Robespierre are realistic, engaging and fully formed, especially Donna's best friend Nellie (Gaby Hoffmann) and straight-laced paramour Max (Jake Lacy). Whether it be from the actors' talents or the superior writing, either way, Obvious Child is a fast-paced film with entertaining and intellectual dialogue.

Obvious Child is not a film for everyone. If you gripe about the sanctity of marriage and have considered or participated in a pro-life rally then this film is probably not for you. You've been warned. Obvious Child is definitely slanted toward the liberal agenda and lucky for this film, so am I.

Please check out our WEBSITE for all the REVIEWS of recent releases, indies and awards contenders.

Making a movie that seems authentic is hard in this day and age considering what films make money and what films don't. Most of the time audiences don't feel like watching a film deal with real issues when they can just watch a summer blockbuster, but Obvious Child is an incredibly effective real film.

Jenny Slate gives an incredible lead performance of a woman who is a struggling stand up comedian and dealing with personal issues to go along with it. After going through a break up she has a one night stand with a complete stranger, who also happens to be a charming and genuinely nice man. Slate and Lacy have great chemistry together on screen, even if it's dependent upon dirty and crude humor. Speaking of dirty, if the films opening doesn't have you laughing than it's probably not for you. The jokes can be a bit much at times but that speaks to the bond these two strangers have built over a short period of time.

It also treats abortion with care while never really leaning to one side of the spectrum or the other politically wise. Comedically it's on par with a lot of straight up comedies, but it separates itself by having true moments of drama. Props to the entire cast for creating these real characters who everyone can relate to. I think Jenny Slate will be a powerhouse in comedy if she chooses the right roles for herself. Obvious Child is a great short little indie film that's definitely worth watching.

+Slate's star making performance

+Real characters

+With real dramatic situations

+Good mix of comedy and true emotion

-Humor a bit over-the-top at times

8.4/10

Obvious Child delivered 84 minutes of witty dialogue , excellent performance (Jenny Slate)and humor mixed with light drama . It's ingenuity forces the viewer to feel the attractiveness of the actors even when conventional beauty is scarce . There are no super models in Obvious Child , no flashy implants , and no forced nudity , but the movie draws a constant smile on your face from beginning to end credits.I'm no big fan of rom-coms but this movie changed my mind. Yes a lot will discuss the morals of the movie (abortion) and take sides (with or against) but the value of this movie , in my humble opinion, is outside that debate . its fun and warm and deserves a double watching experience .did I say that Jenny Slate was wonderful ?

When asked about my 20s, I tell people it's a decade-long roller-coaster of mayhem, mistakes, memories and maturity. The decade where you learn about the real world, learn from one's actions and its consequences. Oh, and learning that ex-boyfriends don't really pine over you for the rest of their lives.

This is where we find Donna Stern (Jenny Slate) in OBVIOUS CHILD. Fidgeting at the gates of the dirty thirties, Donna's in an emotional crisis right now. Her boyfriend just dumped her for her girlfriend (whom he had been seeing behind her back). The bookstore where she works is closing down, placing her in the unemployment line and she's worried about not being able to afford her rent. In addition, the relationship with her mother Nancy (Polly Draper) is still complex but luckily, Donna's relationship with her dad Jacob (Richard Kind) keeps her balanced. And last but not least, Donna's recently discovered she's pregnant. With Max's (played by Jake Lacy) baby. He's the one-night-stand 'piss-farter' she met at the bar where she's performs her stand-up comedy routine.

As a way to figuring out everything in her life right now, Donna talks about these relationship issues with her friends both on and off stage. And like any irrational, insecure woman who has recently been dumped, Donna also tortures herself by drunk dialing her ex-boyfriend and 'stalking' his house to see if he'll exit with her ex-friend. 'Just one more sip' she says after each sip of her coffee until Ryan (Paul Briganti) emerges with said friend in tow.

Donna finally turns the maturity corner after inadvertently meeting preppy nice guy Max following her disastrous stage performance, and subsequently falls pregnant from their one- night-stand. The surprise pregnancy steers the film in a more controversial direction when, after carefully considering her circumstances, responsibility and readiness to be a mother, Donna decides to abort her pregnancy.

Don't think this subversive rom-com makes a mockery of abortion. It doesn't. In fact, first feature director Gillian Robespierre handles the abortion plot point with finesse: placing it in a relatable context that seriously considers the consequences of the protagonist's actions whilst weighing it against the reality of responsibility and unstable circumstances. And despite the stigma surrounding such a decision, Slate's character remains resolute in her choice throughout the rest of the film. It strengthens the ideal that it is okay to make such difficult decisions particularly when it's in one's own best interest.

It's not often one has an opportunity to watch a film about abortion that is so refreshingly candid, yet comically relatable, that you can't help but praise Robespierre and her perspective of a late 20s woman whose life so far, isn't turning out quite the way she thought it would. Literally. And like Donna's temporary spiral out of control in OBVIOUS CHILD, that's okay because eventually, you'll manage to steer yourself back on track.

In a nutshell, OBVIOUS CHILD is a sharply written comedy that unashamedly addresses real life issues with a walk down memory lane moment in there for everyone.

'OC,' was a great heartwarming film. The realism in the bits and dialogue felt very fluid. There was not a single time I felt the cringe bug. Makes you think. In a good, happy-emoting way.

Over the years, the film industry has churned out plenty of comedies about the perils of dealing with unexpected pregnancy, but never has the subject been approached from such a refreshingly different point of view than in Gillian Robespierre's Obvious Child.

Donna (Jenny Slate) is an aspiring stand-up comedian whose relationship with her long-term boyfriend has just come to a screeching halt, courtesy of his philandering. Angry and despondent, Donna unleashes her frustration onstage, crashing and burning in front of the audience before finding solace in genuine nice guy Max (Jake Lacy), with whom she shares a few drinks - and a bed.

When Donna discovers a few weeks later that she's pregnant, her life is thrown into upheaval. A child certainly isn't on her list of desired acquisitions, and after evaluating her options with best friend Nellie (Gaby Hoffmann), she elects to have an abortion. There's just one problem: Max, the one-night stand who also happens to be the sweetest, most courteous person Donna has ever met, and is obviously interested in more than just a casual fling.

Obvious Child differs from other pregnancy rom-coms by approaching a uniquely feminine issue from a decidedly feminine point of view. This is Donna's story, and while the film is most definitely a comedy, it treats the subject matter with respect and dignity. It's also a standout performance from Slate, who runs the full gamut of the emotional spectrum, gleefully reveling in Donna's raunchy stand-up act one moment, and losing herself in a tearjerking scene between Donna and her overbearing (but not unloving) mother in the next.

Obvious Child will likely bear the unfortunate distinction of being known as "the abortion movie," but to oversimplify the film and marginalize it in such a manner is a huge disservice. Yes, it deals with abortion, but more importantly, it deals with womanhood in a way that few films have ever dared. It's an authentic, emotional, and yes, hilarious portrait of a young woman trying to find her way, and should be considered a landmark achievement in feminist filmmaking.

-- Brent Hankins

I don't think that this is a ground-breaking film by any means, but it's certainly more interesting what what its plot summary makes it sound like. I guess it's very straight-forward, but there's a lot of good comedy in here, some witty banter and some strong characterization from the lead character. The performances are also really good, and they do feel lived-in, both realistic yet unique to the screenplay's voice. In many ways, this film reminds me of a more grounded Frances Ha, if maybe less funny and with a more likable female protagonist. Overall, this isn't anything amazing, but it certainly gets the job done, definitely recommended.

One of the many ingredients that so many romantic-comedies are missing today is the element of truth: truth in the dialogue, truth in its characters and truth in the scenarios the characters are put in. If there is one thing that is obvious about Gillian Robespierre debut feature film Obvious Child, it is that the truth be the guiding light for characters in the film and the film itself.

Obvious Child could best be described as the anti-romantic-comedy, but its roots are very much brooding in the realm of the girl-centric, highly profitable genre. Yet, there is nothing highly alluring to Robespierre's truthfully crude comedy where a young comedienne shares the embarrassing exploits of her life, her bowel movements, her crusty underwear and her insecurities as a young twenty-something living in a desolate, hipster filled New York City.

Jenny Slate, whom I only know from the HBO show House of Lies, plays the twenty-something young comedienne. Slate wouldn't seem to fit the role by simply reading the script, but from page-to screen, Slate does a surprisingly great job as a young, lost independent, creatively misunderstood soul unleashing herself to the world and the loved ones around her.

The beginning of Donna Stern's (Slate) problems begin with her smelly, cheating boyfriend Ryan (Paul Briganti) dumping her and also admitting to her that he has been cheating on her with her best friend. Donna, who reacts almost like anyone else would, consuming a crap load of alcohol, moaning to friends and family and being miserable in any way possible, cinematically makes the break-up a lot more dramatic that it needs to be, especially since the foundation of Ryan and Donna's relationship is never seen or bonded with its audience. The break-up scene is literally the second scene in the film, so we don't empathize much with Donna. Sure enough, what's the best way to mend a broken heart? Sex! And what better way to get back with your ex than to hook up with Max (Jake Lacy), the most straight laced, squared-jaw guy anyone would find at a scuzzy bar in Brooklyn. Robespierre's dialogue does tread the line between originally inventive and subliminally juvenile, as the two's meet-cute begins by noticing each others "pee pee missiles", but hey, someone must have liked that line. Like any good drunken, dumped sex scheme, things don't necessarily go to plan, and a few weeks later, Donna's discomforting boobs lead to a pregnancy test with positive results. Perhaps not so positive for Donna.

Abortion comedies are a very sensitive topic for me, seeing that one of my favourite comedies of all time, Knocked Up, dealt with the topic and the disastrous results of unwanted, drunken hook-ups. Although the film was funded and aided with the help of a big studio, the film dealt with the realities of people trying to make things work, when things aren't obviously working around them. The beauty about a film like Obvious Child is that such a small, indie film never gets the pressures of big studio execs breathing down their throat, therefore, the film is able to venture off into very crude and appallingly real, taboo territory of female sexuality, cleanliness and comedy.

For the most part, Slate is excellent as Donna, a character whose journey of self-discovery and female empowerment begins the moment she gets up on the stage. One of the most obviously enjoyable parts of the film are Donna's stints of comedy on-stage. Her truthful, almost confessional type comedy is the basis of Robespierre's feature success, and brings up some of the most laughs for its audiences. It was a nice touch to see a new director handle stand-up comedy scenes gracefully and adequately edit them into the troubled world of a young girl who knows nothing about life. Donna's best stand-up scene is when she confronts the revelations of that fateful night, which turns into a therapeutic lapse into the epic non-prophylactic judgement of two people and the issues they must face or would face for the rest of their lives.

Donna's life is the basis of her comedy, and although her life is nothing to really roll on the ground, dying of laughter, her take on the realities of everyday life allow for the film to take small, hysterical turns for a relatable brand of female humour. Women all over the theatre were unable to contain their laughter. But although the film barely runs ninety minutes, one cannot help but notice how much the use of awkward silence and awkwardness accounts for the comedy, which at times took me away from the film. I am no fan or avid-watcher of Lena Dunham's Girls, but if a feature film of the popular HBO series were to be made into a movie, I am pretty sure it would look something similar to Obvious Child.

The uncomfortable realities of independent womanhood are the basis of Obvious Child's success as an independent feature. With an underlining motto of being "unapologetically yourself" despite your off-timing and overly crude jokes, the film is a mantra for the many urban women whose beaten up life in the city offers heartfelt laughs into raw comedy. Energetic, spunky and never dull, Slate brings new life to likable female characters whose delivery of crude comedic truth may turn off some, but inspire many.

"Creative energy sometimes comes from the lowest point in your life."

Based on her short film Gillian Robespierre writes and directs her first feature length film about a comedienne who has recently been dumped by her boyfriend. It is a rom-com that has received a lot of praise for the way it tackles the issues of womanhood and abortion. The main character in this film is played by Jenny Slate and she is going through some rough patches in her life. Not only has her boyfriend recently dumped her for her best friend, but she is about to lose her job because the bookstore she works at is closing down, and she also gets pregnant after meeting a nice guy at one of her shows. Her comedic routine isn't actually working either because it is based on her everyday experiences and lately it seems to be more depressing than funny. Her brand of humor is mostly self- deprecating, but I had a difficult time finding it funny. I'm in the minority here considering most people have found this film funny, but I didn't find the humor in it. Slate basically plays a woman-child who is struggling to cope with the fact she has to become an adult. The comedy tries to be raw and honest, but I simply didn't find it interesting or funny. The romance also feels conventional at times. The film doesn't make a big deal out of abortion and that is why it has received much praise for the way it underplays the controversial issue. The film relies entirely on Jenny Slate's performance and unfortunately I never found her humor funny so that is the reason why it didn't work for me. There are way too many fart jokes in this film as well.

Obvious Child is a film that relies entirely on the screenplay and its cast because there is nothing special in the visual department. Unfortunately I found the screenplay and the main character a bit annoying. I already mentioned how the comedic aspect of the film didn't work for me, but I will give it a little more credit for the romantic side of it. It might be clichéd in some parts, but there is chemistry between Slate and Jake Lacy, who plays the sweet and patient guy who she meets during one of her shows. The film works best when the two are together, you get that uncomfortable feeling from both when they first meet or when they want to communicate something to each other. Richard Kind and Polly Draper play Slate's parents who are separated (and you can see why when you meet both of them separately in the way they treat their daughter because they feel like oil and water). Then you have Gaby Hoffmann playing the best friend role and sharing several scenes with Slate. None of these performances really stood out for me but they weren't bad either. I just didn't find Slate's character all that interesting or funny, and at times she really annoyed me. I am glad that the film is short because those 80 minutes still felt a bit tedious considering I was never able to connect with the characters.

Oh to be twenty-something. I'm approaching those turbulent days now. It's a tough topic really, especially if it's intended to be approached authentically. It can be utter self-indulgent trite. Obvious Child is close enough to getting it right. It suffers from a lot of familiarity in its beats, but it's well-handled enough to make it work without being overly quirky to compensate. It's mostly thanks to Jenny Slate's great performance. I only recognise her from her silly one- note part on Parks and Recreation, but here she shows off her potential. She handles the humour and drama with ease, confident with the vulnerability of her character. It has a thoroughly endearing dark wry sense of humour to go with it. However, sometimes it toes a fine line with its creative flourishes and contrivances, such as when Slate is waiting for her pregnancy test and David Cross' whole character, but it's not enough to derail the whole film. Obvious Child is small but entertaining and emotionally engaging film.

7/10

Jenny Slate plays a twenty-eight-year-old by the name of Donna Stern in Obvious Child, who makes a living working in a bookstore and performing irregularly at some of Brooklyn's seediest comedian clubs. Her humor reminds of Sarah Silverman, as its punchline, regardless of the joke, is that a woman can be just as crass and dirty as a male comedian can. The problem is it results in little that is actually funny and more of Slate, and writer/director Gillian Robespierre, pushing the envelope and seeing how far they can go with their jokes in order to achieve something that is allegedly funny. It's not that Slate isn't a gifted performer - she's sly and has mastered the art of being able to throw herself in a plethora of different situations and remaining believable throughout all of them - but that consistently tries to be funny by using excessive vulgarity and sexually-explicit scenarios that are ineffective and lifeless.

Obvious Child, however, is more than just my brief summation; it's actually a millennial romantic comedy with a shockingly nonchalant and comedic look at abortion. Donna winds up being dumped by her longtime boyfriend, who finds their relationship stagnant and her jokes about their love-life quietly offensive, as he hopes to turn over a new leaf with the woman he has been cheating on Donna with. On top of that, she loses her job and gets pregnant by sweet and well-meaning Max (Jake Lacy), whom she had a one-night-stand with in light of her breakup. With this, Donna, a free-spirit and a fly-by- the-seat-of-her-pants woman, is forced to seriously contemplate single motherhood in a way she never had to before. She schedules an abortion and, ironically, gets scheduled for February 14th, further plunging her into a realm of contemplation she never foresaw herself entering.

Obvious Child plays a lot like Lena Dunham's directorial debut Tiny Furniture, but doesn't find itself as incessantly artificial as it. The film is corrupted because it takes the annoying traits of its characters and makes a film that functions like one of them, as well, including being mixed with frustrating conversations that reveal nothing about the characters, dodging and weaving through motivations and internal-thoughts of the characters, empty attempts to humanize these people outside of the quintessential idea of a liberal millennial caricature, and making every other character in the film besides Donna a faceless soul.

What results is a film that lacks any form of engagement to the audience. A film where abortion is taken in a simultaneously comedic but contemplative light is ripe for a wealth of intriguing commentary (Juno toyed with the concept and did a fairly nice job), but Obvious Child exercises the idea in a way that I find indistinguishable. I cannot tell if I'm supposed to sympathize with Donna, or scoff at the way she can write off big life decisions or simplify their significance.

This is the same issue I took with the aforementioned Tiny Furniture; I'm unable to tell if I'm supposed to recognize that the world created in that film was artificial or regard it as an accurate depiction of contemporary Brooklynites. Was I supposed to be inherently detached from the main characters of the film or was I supposed to try and form some sort of connection to them as their asinine lives unfolded. While Obvious Child at least finds itself with an idea it wants to execute - the comedic or, at very least, light-hearted portrayal of abortion - despite not finding an adequately funny or thoughtful way to explore it. For a film proclaiming a character in it to be "obvious," I strangely found the film to be anything but.

Starring: Jenny Slate and Jake Lacy. Directed by: Gillian Robespierre.

It's amazing when a director's first movie is as nearly perfect as this one is. It's a marvel. It's richly funny and touching and entertaining, but it's also exactly what we as a society need right now.

Until I saw this, I hadn't noticed the extent to which the conservative nuts have turned abortion into something so vile that even its supporters are afraid to talk about it as anything but an evil last resort. It's unbelievably refreshing to spend an hour and a half in a world in which abortion is not only an acceptable alternative to childbirth but the healthy and valuable medical procedure it is in fact.

Thank God for Gillian Robespierre and the wonderful people who helped her make this movie. Jenny Slate (obviously) and Gaby Hoffmann, whose strength as an actor grows with every movie she makes, deserve special praise for their fantastic performances.

The trouble with conservative Christians is that they don't believe their own religion. If they did, they would have no objection to abortion, because it delivers the unborn child from this painful and dangerous world directly into the arms of their loving Father forever. Christians preach that God, but they don't really believe in him.

If Christians believed their own religion, they would not reject or judge anybody; they'd embrace everybody, because that's exactly what Jesus did. Jesus welcomed everybody who came to him, especially sinners; he judged and excluded nobody. He preached love and healing, not judgment and condemnation. Christians have traded their loving God (the only true god) for a false god of vengeance and terror who's no better than Allah or Kali.

Romantic comedies aren't exactly my favorite genre, but occasionally one comes along that transcends the clichés and is rather watchable. This is one of those movies. Although it could have been a little more substantive, it was refreshing to have a movie tackle such a serious subject with a level head and some aplomb. Jenny Slate plays Donna, a young stand-up comedian who, while not financially successful, has a future ahead of her and a good sense of humor about herself (which she metaphorically bares on-stage). However, after being broken up with by her boyfriend, her life goes into somewhat of a downward spiral. Along the way, she meets a nice guy named Max, with whom she ends up having a one night stand. However, to her chagrin, she ends up getting pregnant and decides to have an abortion. The problem is, if at all, how should she tell Max? The biggest strengths of the movie are with the characters, who seemed very natural and closer to real people than is the case with most movies like this. Despite the short running time, Max and Donna are able to develop a believable relationship even if it's based on something a lot of people consider horrible. Also, to the movie's credit, it is rather funny and inspired at times. Still, for me at least, there were some comedic bits, particularly in the stand-up scenes, that just didn't hit for me. Also, I felt that the movie could have gone more into depth with some additional social commentary. Not that it should have been preachy, but for a film that tackles such a controversial subject this one played it rather safe. Still, it was worth it to have the subject of abortion broached at all. Overall, this is a comedy that won't be for everyone, but it is worth watching for those open-minded enough to give it a try.

Donna Stern (Jenny Slate) is a comedian. Her boyfriend Ryan breaks up with her. Her job is going away as the book store is closing down. Her best friend Nellie (Gaby Hoffmann) tries to lift her spirits. Her parents (Richard Kind, Polly Draper) are apart. After a real bad set and a drunken night, she has an ill-advised one night stand with Max (Jake Lacy).

It's a single gal comedy with a lot of inappropriate humor. It has some funny moments with one hilarious scene by the insanity of David Cross. As a rom-com, the com is great especially if you like Jenny Slate's brand of inappropriate humor. The romance needs time and space. The story doesn't allow Max to have enough time with Donna. I almost feel like the romance is coming after the movie ends. They could have a great romance but it can only really start in this story.

This movie was incredible. Jenny Slate is wonderfully relatable and real, and the film somehow managed to dodge every romcom trope I had expected of it. The premise didn't really grab me, a young female comedian finds herself pregnant after a one night stand. Meh, I assumed it would avoid any real commitment into discussing the reality of abortion, or the terror that can often come with the discovery of having a potential human inside of you.

But man, this was a really honest look at what it would be like to have to make this kind of decision. And somehow, while being frank and beautiful and impeccably acted, it is also hilarious. In a way that some people you know are hilarious, not in a joke-joke-punchline-punchline Seinfeld episode kind of way. The stand-up scenes fit seamlessly instead of feeling forced or tacked on. The relationships feel established and multi-faceted, and there are some real emotional themes without it ever feeling too heavy.

And let's face it, the "Rom-Com Abortion Dramedy" isn't exactly an established genre, it took some guts to make this kind of movie. It's a gem, truly, and in my opinion, a really important film.

I have mixed feelings on the film- it's both honest and unrealistic. I feel it tackles an important reality, and Jenny Slate's character is refreshingly honest, but I felt some of the romantic interactions were unrealistic.

I liked that it tackled the reality of unwanted pregnancy, which is that many women have early-term abortions. As I am a 28-year-old woman, I found Donna honest and pretty relatable. The humor was crude for the most part, but I laughed out loud at several points. The chemistry wasn't dynamite, but Jenny Slate and Jake Lacy were funny and endearing together.

On the other hand, while the film tackles a very real subject, I thought the interactions between Donna and Max see-sawed between totally relatable and really unrealistic. I didn't like how the film glosses over all the actual communication that would have to occur between a couple like Max and Donna. It just didn't seem real to me.

Jake Lacy is adorable, but I also didn't feel he met the script's requirement that he convince us why this straight-laced MBA guy was so head-over-heels with the crude jokester Donna.

Some reviewers seemed to have missed this, but the film is pro-choice (obviously). The film's heroine has zero doubt that abortion is what she wants. The film does not even mention the other options by name; there is zero discussion about them. So, this is a partisan film. (Which is not necessarily bad- but I think we should recognize it for what it is.)

Also, the title makes little sense to me. Is the Donna the "Obvious Child" because she's honest? Is her decision obvious?

Got a chance to catch a free screening of this last night, and Jenny Slate floored me.

Yes it's crass (which I enjoyed) and it was even more enjoyable for the fact that its strong female lead was the source for most of it. Her character, Donna, is equal parts adorable and flawed, which makes this a very different and subversive rom-com from what most folks are conditioned to expect out of the genre.

That, and it's absolutely hilarious. I truly don't understand how any of the folks reviewing this could have sat through an hour and a half of it without laughing.

What one likes? It is to follow his ideals everywhere in whatever circumstances are introduced to world known to him. To follow the rules which do not keep him away from pleasures of life, neither put him into any trouble.

There are certain situations that occur, certain mistakes that happen. What one must do in such situations is called as right thing to do even if it appears unethical. This is why critics have appreciated the movie so much. Darkness can be ended with light and not more darkness.

Just keep in mind even if you are different, there will be situations available that fulfill your destiny.