Film

Obvious Child

Name: Obvious Child
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Released: 2014
Cast: Jenny Slate, Jake Lacy, Gaby Hoffmann, Paul Briganti, Stephen Singer

Comedy

A sharp, messily funny film about a stand-up comedian facing an unplanned pregnancy. It treats the situation with warmth and specificity instead of melodrama, letting Donna be selfish and scared and hilarious all at once. For anyone who wants grown-up comedy that doesn't pretend adulthood is figured out.

TMDb rating

3.2

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like romantic comedy that treats a messy, uncomfortable decision with candor and warmth, where the laughs come from specific, awkward honesty rather than set-piece gags.

Skip it if you want a tidy, feel-good rom-com with a clear arc; this one stays loose and conversational, and its humor sits close to real discomfort.

What it asks of you: About 85 minutes, unhurried and talky, with long stretches of one person thinking out loud. It is more intimate than frantic, so you need to settle in and listen.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

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Amy Schumer plays a magazine writer sabotaging her own happiness with the same blend of crude humour and genuine vulnerability. Judd Apatow directs with real affection for messy, real women making real mistakes.

But The runtime stretches past comfort, and some jokes land softer now than they did on release. Sports cameos feel dated.

Broad City2014

Abbi and Ilana stumble through New York in episodes packed with specificity, weird digressions, and a refusal to make their characters palatable. The comedy comes from genuine friendship and genuine chaos.

But Seasons decline noticeably in quality. Early episodes hit harder; later ones feel like they're performing themselves.

Tiny Furniture2010

Lena Dunham's debut captures post-college aimlessness with the same wry, unsparing eye. It's about drifting and desire and the gap between who you are and who you thought you'd be by now.

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Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Obvious Child

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Never Rarely Sometimes Always2020

Both refuse the melodrama of abortion narratives—no tragic score, no moral hand-wringing. Both centre the woman's actual life, not the decision as event.

Eliza Hittman's film about a teenager traveling out of state for an abortion shares Obvious Child's refusal to sensationalize reproductive choice, but strips away humour entirely. It's a study in quiet endurance and female solidarity.

But The film moves slowly and says almost nothing. Long stretches contain almost no dialogue. It demands patience and will feel like deprivation if you're seeking plot.

Please Give2010

Nicole Holofcener writes characters who are trying to be good while being fundamentally selfish, and they're funny because of it, not despite it. It's warm without softening.

But The tone is muted. It asks you to sit with discomfort rather than resolve it quickly, which some viewers find frustrating.

Girlhood2014

Céline Sciamma's portrait of teenage female friendship is tender and unsentimental. It captures a specific texture of youth—sleepovers, competition, tenderness—without irony or condescension.

But It's a French film with subtitles and no traditional plot arc. If you're expecting narrative momentum, it will disappoint.

Lady Bird2017

Greta Gerwig's semi-autobiographical film about a teenager negotiating family, ambition, and identity with both comedy and gravity. It finds the real stakes in small moments.

But The mom-daughter relationship will hit differently depending on your own family wounds. Some find it too sentimental for what it's doing.

The Panic in Needle Park1971

Al Pacino and Kitty Winn's heroin-addicted couple is rendered with documentary-like specificity. It's about dependency and decay without preaching, unflinching without exploitation.

But It's bleak and deliberately paced. The film makes no concessions to comfort or conventional narrative shape. Watching it feels like work.

High Maintenance2016

New York City vignettes connected by a marijuana delivery guy. Each episode is a tight character study that finds the specific loneliness and strangeness in ordinary people.

But Episodes are short and episodic—there's no continuous plot to pull you forward. If you need serialized narrative, this will feel fragmented.