‘Obvious Child’ breaks ground on tabooed subject

Refreshingly real and hysterically clever, Obvious Child takes viewers on a journey of a lifetime with a story about the decision to end one. 

Donna Stern is a crass, aspiring comedian whose humor manages to be raw but relatable. After she is broken up with and loses her job, she finds herself hooking up with a stranger. When her drunken romp ends up in an unwanted pregnancy, she is faced with the decision of whether to continue the pregnancy or have an abortion.

Refreshingly real and hysterically clever, Obvious Child takes viewers on a journey of a lifetime with a story about the decision to end one. 

Donna Stern is a crass, aspiring comedian whose humor manages to be raw but relatable. After she is broken up with and loses her job, she finds herself hooking up with a stranger. When her drunken romp ends up in an unwanted pregnancy, she is faced with the decision of whether to continue the pregnancy or have an abortion.

Mistakenly categorized by some as an abortion comedy, this is really a romantic comedy that happens to involve an abortion. It shows that a woman’s decision does not negatively define her as a person. 

Her choice to terminate the pregnancy is portrayed in a light that is not condescending. Void of judgment, the plot allows for healthy dialogue about abortion, which has been riddled by stigma. It is ground breaking in that it navigates the topic in a way that employs humor without playing the matter down. Providing comic relief to an issue of this magnitude did not cheapen it. Having a character who was able to cope with the situation did not glamorize the matter made it realistic.

Hitting the ground running from the opening scene and not stopping for breath, the performance by Jenny Slate was phenomenal. Her ability to make an audience feel comfortable was needed for this subject. Through her quirky demeanor, she established familiarity without being abrasive. With unkempt hair and an eclectic wardrobe, her physical appearance added a factor of believability. 

Although the comedy aspect was spot on, it fell short on the romantic side. The relationship between her and Max, the stranger she slept with, blossoms despite setbacks throughout the movie. While this idea is not unfathomable, what is his character. His attitude was supportive in a way that felt insincere. Their relationship seemed to be an attempt to draw weight from the heavy subject. 

To her benefit, Stern had a solid support group comprised of friends and family, some of them having had abortions themselves. While this may not be the case for every woman in her situation, it opens doors for this to be an issue that over time can be covered more broadly and authentically in the media.

Having consulted Planned Parenthood for fact checking, this film is well informed without being bogged down. It finds a balance between accuracy and comedy. Stern, and many other women, have been faced with the decision of how to deal with an unplanned pregnancy and due to lack of information are not aware of the process or price of an abortion. Some do not know it is an option. Others are afraid of the social consequences. If anything, this film will create conversation on a topic that has been deemed as taboo.