Obvious Child Review (1 Viewer)

... your typical romantic comedy would bring together our two leads and have them go through a whirlwind courtship before they boldly embark hand-in-hand on the journey of unplanned parenthood (à la Knocked Up). But instead of zigging, Obvious Child zags.

Robespierre and Slate ground both it and the character with a believable awkwardness — the kind that would naturally arise out of the corresponding real-world scenario — as they invite us to bear witness to Donna's fumbling attempts at finding her way out of her predicament. And in that sense, the story registers less as a straight-up rom-com and more as a coming-of-age tale with a romantic twist.

Just don't construe that as equating Obvious Child to, say, a Lifetime movie-of-the-week. In fact, it's the farthest thing from. Robespierre's dialog is sharply-written, filled with hilariously keen observations and crude jokes laced with profanity, and Slate, Hoffman and Liedman bring it to life with their glib and giddy delivery. On the flip side, Jake Lacy, Richard Kind and Polly Draper are handed the more traditional rom-com roles as the would-be suitor and Donna's supportive, divorced parents. They bring a certain sweetness to the story that softens its snarky edge, but in a film that already has plenty of bite, having a little heart doesn't hurt it one bit.

Click to expand...