'Obvious Child' Takes A Less Obvious Path
By Staff in Arts & Entertainment on Jun 6, 2014 8:30PM
Juno, Knocked Up, What to Expect When You’re Expecting—movies about unplanned pregnancy have conditioned audiences to expect the hook up, the romance and the couple running off into the sunset with their new baby as a romantic ballad plays lightly in the background. But the new film, Obvious Child, by director Gillian Robespierre introduces the other option, a storyline less explored.
“We wanted to tell the other choice,” said Robespierre about the comedy during a Q&A in Chicago last Wednesday at the AMC River East theater. “It felt like the unspoken choice, in film at least.”
The 83-minute film, based on a short film by Robespierre, stars Jenny Slate (Parks and Recreation, Bob’s Burgers) as Donna, a recently “dumped-up with” comedienne. After hooking up with a stranger, she realizes after a few weeks that she’s pregnant with his child. Having lost her job and her boyfriend, she must now figure out how to deal with it all.
“Most films just try to blow you out of the water, but this one lets you swim in it,” said Slate of the film.
In addition to Slate, Obvious Child also stars a number of well-known actors and writers including Gaby Hoffmann (Girls), Gabe Liedman (Kroll Show, Inside Amy Schumer) and Jake Lacy (Better with You, The Office.)
The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January and again for Chicago audiences in May at the Chicago Critics Film Festival at the Music Box. Obvious Child officially opens in theaters today, June 6.
By: Megan Daley