Obvious Child
Starring: Jenny Slate, Gaby Hoffman, David Cross, Jake Lacy
Director: Gillian Robespierre
Rating: 4/5
Gillian Robespierre is back in the director's chair this week as she takes her short film Obvious Child and turns it into her feature film directorial debut.
Obvious Child is the story of unapologetic Brooklyn comedian Donna Stern (Slate), a twenty-something loose cannon who gets dumped, fired and pregnant in quick succession.
Better at cracking jokes about her flatulence and the contents of her knickers in her weekly stand-up routine than doing her taxes, Donna has a lot of growing up to do.
With her parents nudging her to take control of her life, Donna is forced to do just that when she falls pregnant following a one-night stand with clean-cut, sensible Max (Lacy) - a guy not remotely her type - and decides to seek the choice most responsible to her future.
With the support of her friends Nellie (Hoffmann) and Joey (Liedman), Donna learns how to be brave, honest, and vulnerable in real life; not just on stage.
Obvious Child is a movie that has been whipping up a storm on the festival circuit... and it is not hard to see why.
From start to finish, Obvious Child is both sharp and funny - Robespierre really has penned a wonderful script. Turning a short into a feature film is not an easy task but she really has achieved this beautifully.
This is a movie about abortion, and yet despite the rather risky nature, Obvious Child does feel like something incredibly refreshing: Robespierre has taken a rather tired genre and made it really and relatable.
Jenny Slate is fantastic in the central role of Donna Stern - I really think we are going to see her star rocket after this terrific performance.
Together Slate and Robespierre have created a great character: she is smart, funny, and honest. She may have screwed up, but you find yourself rooting for his character because she is just a character that is so real and warm.
Obvious Child is a movie that balances the comedy and the dramatic elements of the story so well, resulting in an offbeat comedy that is one of the best that I have seen this year.
This is the debut feature from Robespierre and I am excited to see where she goes next: I have my fingers crossed that she will team up with Slate again in the future, as they have made a terrific team on Obvious Child.
Obvious Child is out now.