Obvious Child – Review

Raunchy stand-up comic Donna (Slate) spends her time on stage happily relaying her comedy. Her jokes are in your face, self-deprecating, intimate, and silly, somewhat similar to the real-life comedienne playing the main character. She tells on stage of her life, her boyfriend Ryan (Briganti), general sexual observations and her very Jewish features, and more, before winding up very unhappily single after that very show.

As she begins drinking more, leaving bad voice messages, and adjusting to the single life, she spirals a bit downward. Her friend Nellie (Hoffmann) tries to help her through the rough time, but her day job at a bookstore hangs in the balance as the landlord is evicting the business. Even her comedy sets take a turn for the dark and depressed.

Her single dad Jacob (Kind) and mom Nancy (Draper) provide additional support, but her world is fully set on edge as she winds up unexpectedly pregnant after a drunken one-night stand with Max (Lacy). As she scrambles to get her life back on the tracks, Donna has to reconcile with changes and what may be best for her going forward. The film is mostly a sweet take on usual hurdles of breakups, job losses, emotional crises, and surprise pregnancy.

While Obvious Child has some typical romance tropes, the jokes are steady throughout the short runtime, and the characters come across as fairly authentic. The script is solidly balanced, and the direction is sound. The cast overall has fun with their roles, and the comedic drama never gets too serious despite the life issues presented.

Even though it focuses on a young woman and her current life troubles, there is a lot to empathize with throughout the tale, and plenty of the feelings and themes presented are common for people of any age or sex.