BABES (B+) - Two engaging leads elevate a script that is the messy, raunchy embodiment of childbirth in Pamela Adlon's comedy about best friends going through pregnancies. Ilana Glazer co-wrote the rat-a-tat screenplay and riffs through it with Michelle Buteau.
The two of them get a long leash from Adlon, and they do not abuse the privilege. Glazer plays Eden, a fairly unserious 30-something who enjoys a one-night stand with a man she met on the subway and with whom she had enjoyed a Thanksgiving dinner of sushi while commuting (it's a very New York film and this is an endearing scene). Meanwhile Buteau is Dawn, who starts out the film about to burst with her second child and who is much more advanced in adulting than Eden is.
Eden ends up pregnant, with the father out of the picture, and her self-centered nature goes into hyper-drive, to the irritation of Dawn, whose post-partum experience and strained marriage leaves little room for the antics of her childhood BFF. How they endeavor to work that out is part of the charm and even a level of gravitas that probably owes a debt to Adlon, the former "Louie" actress who went on to create the acclaimed cable TV series "Better Things" and makes her big-screen debut here.
What she and Glazer (and co-writer Josh Rabinowitz) have created here is a modern gal-pal rom-com. Glazer (who made her cable TV bones as one half of "Broad City") jumps into the fray of gross-out chick flicks that have evolved since "Bridesmaids." Eden and Dawn's connection is so intimate that there are no gynecological barriers between them; they're not afraid to get all up into each other's plumbing when the other is in crisis. It's certainly a fresh take on motherhood.
The one-liners zip by nonstop, in keeping with the Tina Fey shotgun approach of comedy by volume. Glazer and Buteau rifle through some improv moments and seem to have workshopped the script to a fine point. Glazer is generous in scattering the funny to a talented supporting cast. John Carroll Lynch ("Fargo," TV's "The Drew Carey Show") has a blast as Eden's OB-GYN who suffers through embarrassing phases of hair-loss strategies. Twins Keith and Kenneth Lucas (HBO's "Crashing") perform their deadpan shtick in stereo. Oliver Platt is the right kind of loopy as Eden's arm's-length, emotionally stunted father. And Stephan James (who has portrayed Jesse Owens and John Lewis on screen) oozes appeal as Eden's fleeting love interest.
It is sloppy at times, and its vulgarity can occasionally feel a little forced, but this is a cohesive film with a rather poignant story to tell about love and friendship (and loss). Everyone has a good time telling a funny and touching story.
BONUS TRACKS
The film bops along to a peppy soundtrack. The closing credits feature Bloods with "Thinking of You Thinking of Me":
And there's always room for Le Tigre, with their go-go ode to the subway, "My My Metrocard":
No comments:
Post a Comment