Obvious Child (2015) MPAA Rating: R Entertainment: +1 Content: -4

enny Slate, Jake Lacy, Gaby Hoffmann, Polly Draper, Richard Kind. Comedy/drama. Written by Gillian Roberspierre, Elisabeth Holm, Karen Maine. Directed by Gillian Roberspierre.

FILM SYNOPSIS: Jewish standup comedian Donna Stern (Jenny Slate) has been dumped by her boyfriend and lost her job in the same 24 hours. So, how to deal with it? Get drunk, of course. Then she meets this sweet, gentile college grad after way too many drinks and sleeps with him (the night they meet). You’ll never guess what happens to her next. Oh, sure you will. She gets pregnant. Now what? Say goodbye to the fetus. Because literally everyone she knows, including her mother, agrees the 20-something-year-old should have an abortion. And by golly, she does.

PREVIEW REVIEW: We all want the same things in life: to be fed, to be warm, to be loved, to be respected, to find our place; these desires we all share. But there are differences. Some look for contentment through spiritual means. Others cynically believe they will find life’s meaning just about anywhere else. And like most of today’s romance comedies, Obvious Child searches for a diamond of good within a whole lot of grime. It may best appeal to those who love their humor direct from the sewer and their view of life a reflection of their own narcissism.

I never thought I’d see a film where the female lead actually has an abortion, because no matter your stance on the debate, the portrayal of the act in a story makes the woman look selfish. But looking around at today’s society, one sees that the time is ripe for selfish desires to take center stage in a person’s life. “Ask not what your country can do for you…” has been replaced by “What have you done for me lately?”

While many reviewers are finding it “honest” and “real,” I found Obvious Child to be crude and profane, sad and misleading.

DVD Alternatives: Waitress

Juno.

Preview Reviewer: Phil Boatwright
Distributor: A24