Witty, Charming, Fantastic! Three Cheers for "Obvious Child"

The other night I had the opportunity to divulge in Obvious Child, a romantic comedy starring Jenny Slate and written and directed by Gillian Robespierre. This witty, biting, and absolutely out of the ordinary romantic comedy is by far my favorite I have seen in 2014. Complete with crude fart jokes delivered with relaxed ease from Slate, I found myself listening to an hour and 23 minutes of my own laugh track.

The film follows young comedienne, Donna Stern, who spends her nights dropping raunchy and socially inappropriate jokes at a local night spot and her days packing up the book store she works at because it is going out business. All of this comes upon her break-up with her boyfriend, which is dealt with with lots of wine, some horrible comedy, and a one-night stand.

What is so great about this film is that it speaks to today’s generation in such honest means of comic relief. As much as we want to deny that many nights are spent drowning sorrows with bottles of red wine or in a dark dingy bars with subpar beer, we can’t. We often escape many pains through alcohol, or sex, or both. It might be something that we are ashamed of or love, that I will let you decide, but this film does a great job at remaining candidly charming and obnoxiously clever in the midst of keeping twenty year old’s real and funny, when we can be most annoying.

Slate’s character, Stern, is just looking for stability in comedy, at work, with family, and through life. She is faced with some tough decisions. The toughest coming with her shocking, unexpected pregnancy after her one night stand with Max (Jake Lacy). One part that had me bursting with laughter is when she tries so hard to recall what exactly the condom was used for that faithful night. The scene is brutally honest and completely hits home to how I will often try and recall moments when I was foolish. 

Stern handles the situation with casual ease as she understands that she is unable to take care of a baby at this point in her life and opts for the abortion which is set for none other that the infamously overrated Valentine’s Day. Though some might chastise the film for its lackadaisical approach to abortion, I applaud it. Often a taboo subject, we get the opportunity to see a women exercise the right that is given to her and it is refreshing. Robespierre pushes boundaries by on top of that, turning this challenging decision into a comedic romp. Applause all around!

Though the film finishes in classic “rom-com” fashion, it doesn’t spare us any laughs along the way. Slate gives a delicious performance that makes one want to jump on the stage and give her a hug right in the middle of her set. Thank you for this refreshing take on life as a twenty something. Thank you for finding ways to push boundaries. And thank you for again reminding me I am not the only loser out there.

Watch the trailer for Obvious Child here.