Laughter from Pain

Obvious Child finds the funny in an unlikely topic

Movies are so homogenized in the 21st century that it counts as a shock when a film takes a true risk. That is certainly the case with Obvious Child, a comedy that dares to broach a hot-button issue — and is all the more funny because of it.

The film follows Donna (Jenny Slate), a stand-up comedian who, in short order, gets broken up with and loses her day job at a soon-to-close bookstore. Rocked by the double dose of bad news, she turns to drinking, has a one-night stand with Max (Jake Lacy) and soon thereafter discovers she is pregnant.

Those who see the words “comedy about abortion” and shun it right away will be missing a heartfelt and truly funny movie.

So where’s the controversy? Well, Donna quickly and unflinchingly decides she wants to have an abortion, a choice that not only causes her no existential guilt, but is also one that writer/director Gillian Robespierre somehow mines for laughs.

To be fair, the film’s comedy isn’t about abortion itself, but it also never backs away from the topic.

The decision and the relative ease with which it is treated stand in stark contrast to how the subject is normally handled. It helps matters that the character who makes the choice is a comedian, giving the audience tacit permission to laugh at pretty much anything she does.

Also aiding in the laughs is Donna’s growing bond with Max, a guy who turns out to be a bit better than your normal one-night stand. By exploring whether or not Donna and Max want to give a relationship a shot with the impending abortion hanging over their heads, Robespierre has given the tired “will they or won’t they?” plot a welcome and inspired twist.

Slate, who also starred in the short film on which the feature is based, impresses greatly as Donna. She’s hilarious, vulnerable and charming, but more important, she sells the conceit of the movie without a hint of preachiness.

Also great is Lacy, who manages to come across as both humble and supremely confident at the same time. Previously best known for his role during the final season of The Office, this part has the potential to catapult him into movie stardom.

Special mention should also be made of Gaby Hoffman and Gabe Liedman as Donna’s two best friends, and Richard Kind and Polly Draper as her parents. Each brings real humor and honesty to his or her respective roles, which keeps the rest of the film flowing as it should.

There will be those who see the words “comedy about abortion” and shun it right away, but they’ll be missing a genuine, heartfelt and truly funny movie. Obvious Child is an apolitical film that cares only about people and laughs. Isn’t that refreshing?

Jake Lacy and Jenny Slate face an issue in Obvious Child that doesn't usually come up in rom-coms.

Jake Lacy and Jenny Slate in Obvious Child

Photo by Chris Teague

Jake Lacy and Jenny Slate face an issue in Obvious Child that doesn't usually come up in rom-coms.

Movie Review

Billie Eilish brings fans closer in immersive new 3D tour film

Billie Eilish in Billie Eilish: Hit Me Hard and Soft - The Tour Live in 3D

Photo by Henry Hwu/courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Billie Eilish in Billie Eilish: Hit Me Hard and Soft - The Tour Live in 3D.

In 2021, at the tender age of 19, singer Billie Eilish was already the subject of a documentary, The World’s a Little Blurry. At that point, she had only released one album, so the film threatened to feel too early for such treatment. The ensuing five years have only made her a bigger star, though, so in many ways that movie now feels prescient for the person on display in the new concert documentary with the unwieldy title of Billie Eilish: Hit Me Hard and Soft - The Tour Live in 3D.

Directed by Eilish and blockbuster filmmaker James Cameron, the film takes viewers inside Eilish’s 2024-2025 tour in support of her latest album, 2023’s Hit Me Hard and Soft. Filmed mostly at her series of shows in Manchester, England, the movie is a showcase for Eilish’s music, but it also serves as a smaller exploration of the type of person she is, as well as the impact she has had on her legion of fans.

The draw of the film is the use of Cameron’s beloved 3D technology, which he has employed in each of the three Avatar films. Unlike in those films, where the 3D has the odd effect of making the visuals too realistic for their own good, the technique brings an intimacy to the large-scale show that underscores the unique bond the singer has with her supporters.

Eilish and Cameron go back and forth between performances at the concert to behind-the-scenes sequences, detailing the enormous effort it takes to put on a show like that and how Eilish spends her time getting ready for it. As in The World’s a Little Blurry, this film continues to portray the singer as down-to-Earth, someone who yearns to maintain the connection to her fans that she’s had since she released her first single, “Ocean Eyes,” 10 years ago.

And as the many emotional songs in Eilish’s concert playlist prove, the feeling from the crowd is mutual. While Eilish has multiple bangers like “Bad Guy,” “Therefore I Am,” and the Charli XCX collaboration “Guess,” it’s the sad songs like “Everything I Wanted,” “Happier Than Ever,” and the Oscar-winning Barbie anthem, “What Was I Made For?” that hit the hardest. The depth of feeling emanating from her many sobbing fans singing along to crushing songs cannot be understated.

For audiences of the film, though, it’s the breadth of camera angles and shot choices that make it truly dynamic. There are cameras everywhere, including in the crowd, inside a cube at the center of the stage that rises and descends, following Eilish as she traipses every inch of the long, rectangular stage, and even a small one Eilish uses to bring an extra personal touch to the in-arena screen. Combined, they capture the complete energy of the concert, something that is not always the case in a film of this type.

Eilish has almost as many movies - two - as she does albums - three - which borders on overkill for a singer of her age. But both her music and the movies show her to be a person who knows the responsibility of being a celebrity, someone who understands that her fans are the reason she’s famous at all. Her career may go up or down from here, but it’s clear she’s already made a huge impact on those who love her most.

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Billie Eilish: Hit Me Hard and Soft - The Tour Live in 3D opens in theaters on May 8.

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