Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Obvious Child Blu-ray Movie Review

Unplanned parenthood.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 6, 2014

The comings and goings of various cast members on Saturday Night Live have become something of a revolving door parlor game for various entertainment themed websites and other media, as evidenced by Cecily Strong’s Instagram commentary when it was recently announced she would be replaced as Weekend Update’s co-anchor. Humorously, the guy named to replace her, Michael Che, got his own mock send off from his current gig, Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show, in a faux “retrospective” that attempted to make Che’s few months with the Comedy Central series seem like an era, playing into the media hoop-la that often accompanies these types of announcements. That said, no one really seemed to notice when Jenny Slate was axed on SNL after one largely inconsequential season a few years ago. Slate had contributed a couple of amusing characters but had never seemed to really find her distinctive voice on the sometimes overcrowded show. Though she garnered a featured role in the largely forgettable Alvin and the Chipmunks 3: Chipwrecked, Slate’s film work has similarly failed to really catch fire—until now, that is. Without a lot of fanfare, though with a rather remarkably consistent level of critical praise, Obvious Child started the year out at Sundance (after a successful Kickstarter campaign to get it there) and then went on to frankly less than stellar box office but a surprising uniformity of reactions from that usually curmudgeonly crowd known as film critics. Lump this particular critic in with that unseemly pot, for against all odds, I was struck with how distinctively original and even daring in its own small scale way Obvious Child is, a film that dares the audience to smile wryly if not burst out into guffaws about a most unlikely subject—abortion.

Slate plays a character named Donna Stern that some might initially say is little more than a slightly fictionalized version of herself, namely an acerbic young Jewish comedienne making her way in the wild and wooly world of stand up. Since that doesn’t pay the bills, Donna also works in an independent book store. The film opens with an intentionally discomfiting routine by Donna where she discusses female anatomy and the “impact” it has on underwear, a routine which then segues on to comedy centered on Donna’s boyfriend. After she leaves the stage, that very boyfriend confronts Donna in the (unisex) bathroom to inform her he’s taken up with a friend of hers and is ending their relationship. Soon thereafter, while still in a depressive funk about her relationship, her boss at the bookstore informs her their landlord is not renewing their lease and they’re all out of work.

From this unlikely concatenation of events, writer-director Gillian Robespierre begins to fashion a low key dramedy that finds Donna trying to weather her roiling emotions over having been dumped. The fact that she’ll soon be unemployed doesn’t really seem to even matter all that much, despite some occupational advice offered by her divorced parents, Jacob and Nancy (played by Richard Kind and Polly Draper). Donna at least has a good support system, including BFF Nellie (Gaby Hoffmann) and BGFF (best gay friend forever) Joey (Slate’s real life comedy partner Gabe Liedman), though even they can’t help very much when Donna goes off the deep end one night during her stand up routine, engaging in a cathartic but hardly “entertaining” rant about her situation in front of a shocked (and unlaughing) audience.

That very night however Donna emerges from the back room where her disastrous “comedy” routine fell flat into the main bar area, where she meets straight arrow business student Max (Jake Lacy), a preppie WASP-ish type who would seem to be exactly not what the extremely Jewish, sarcastic Donna would go for. A few too many drinks overcomes initial reservations (as well as some badly timed flatulence), and the two have a one night stand. Donna seems to realize she’s made a mistake when she wakes the next morning, and sneaks out of Max’s apartment without waking him.

And it’s at this point that Robespierre and Slate start to mine some very unexpectedly potent emotional material. Donna soon discovers she’s pregnant, seemingly the third straw on this particular trifecta of a camel’s back. She decides instantaneously to have an abortion, a decision completely supported by Nellie, but then Max re-enters the picture (repeatedly), making Donna start to question everything that has happened to her and her own decision making processes.

Obvious Child is an intimate, character driven film that is bolstered by pitch perfect performances all around. Slate is incredibly touching in a number of key scenes, including a great sequence where she confesses to her mother and another fine moment when she begins to realize that Max may indeed be that ineffable “nice guy” that women dream of but rarely seem to find. Saddled with somewhat generic roles, Hoffmann and Lacy are both wonderfully real and moving in key scenes.

The film does make a few odd missteps, including a really peculiar and needless scene involving Donna and her mentor at the comedy club, a smarmy guy played to perfection by David Cross. But Obvious Child is rather remarkable in presenting the “flip side” to the abortion debate that has been covered (pretty discursively at times) in other films like Juno or Knocked Up. There’s a refreshing lack of angst here, though that is not to suggest anyone takes the subject lightly. One of the most obvious if perhaps underappreciated facets that Obvious Child makes clear is that smart if discombobulated young women are perfectly capable of calculating the repercussions of their decisions. That’s a “stand up” of a different color, but Obvious Child ultimately makes Donna the unlikely heroine of her own convoluted story.

Obvious Child Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Obvious Child is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. Filmed in and around Brooklyn and Manhattan, Obvious Child looks good if not absolutely stellar in high definition. The image is suitably clear and stable, with very good to excellent fine detail in close-ups, but the palette here is somewhat subdued and contrast is variable at times, leading to quite a bit of murkiness in some of the darkest interior sequences (which includes the nightclub comedy moments). A lot of the film is bathed in a kind of syrupy amber color, something that gives the film a warm, lived in look, but which tends to minimize detail at times. There are no issues with compression artifacts.

Obvious Child Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Obvious Child's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix offers good surround activity courtesy of some busy cityscapes, including the interior sequences where Donna performs her stand up, as well as some well chosen (if perhaps too on the nose at times) source cues. Dialogue is very cleanly presented and is well prioritized. There are no issues with any damage, dropouts or other problems.

Obvious Child Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Gillian Robespierre, Producer/Co-Writer Elisabeth Holm and Actress Jenny Slate. This entertaining and slightly raunchy commentary covers a lot of ground in a very conversational and informative way.


• The Making of Obvious Child (1080p; 24:39) is an above average featurette with some good interviews and snippets from the original short film.


• Extended Scenes (1080p; 23:52)


• 2009 "Obvious Child" Short Film (1080p; 20:53) is an interesting "rough draft" of the final film, already showing the acumen of both Robespierre and Slate.

Obvious Child Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Obvious Child isn't a perfect film, and in fact Robespierre might have been better served had she developed some of the supporting characters more fully. That said, this is unavoidably Slate's film from start to finish, and she offers a stunningly varied performance here, one that feels real and smart without ever becoming too precious for its own good. Some of the writing here is very smart, and those who have wondered where a film championing choice might come along, your wait is over. Technical merits here are very good, and Obvious Child comes Recommended.