Babes - Review

Rating: 4 out of 5

PREGNANCY comedies can tend to be quite laboured as they gloss over the messy stuff and opt for schmaltz, last minute dashes and a generally warm glow (think What To Expect When You’re Expecting, Bridget Jones’ Baby, Life As We Know It et al). It’s refreshing to find one, therefore, that isn’t afraid to go for broke (a la Knocked Up).

Babes, co-written by and co-starring Ilana Glazer, is a messy, funny, full throttle comedy that does just that. Yet, it has heart too. And some important things to say about the way friendships can evolve and life can hurt.

Glazer plays Eden, a single yoga teacher from Astoria, Queens, whose lifelong best friend, Dawn (Michelle Buteau), gives birth to her second child as the movie begins.

While on her way home from the birth, Eden hooks up with a wannabe actor named Claude (Stephan James) and enjoys a passionate night of bonding and sex. But she’s alarmed to find herself pregnant (despite being on her period) not long afterwards and that Claude has since passed away.

Eden must therefore contemplate becoming a single mother, while Dawn struggles to bring up two children, manage her best friend’s needs and get back to work.

Glazer’s film, which also marks the directorial debut of f Pamela Adlon (co-creator, director and star of the US comedy series Better Things), walks a delicate balancing act between bawdy comedy and difficult emotion and doesn’t always get things right.

The reveal about Claude’s demise is genuinely odd and blunts the emotional effect the news has on Eden, while some of the gags feel over-played. Eden, by her own admission, is also “a lot” as a character and some of her more outrageous elements may become tiring to some viewers.

But for those willing to forgive the film its flaws, there is also plenty to admire - not least in its desire to be as outrageous as it is honest.

The comedy is often laugh out loud funny, with a prolonged opening sequence involving the breaking of Dawn’s waters both successful in setting the tone and being genuinely laughter inducing.

Thereafter, a sequence involving the friends tripping out in mushrooms also hits the comedy sweet spot, as does a gag involving Eden, a spot of babysitting and an inappropriate horror film.

The movie also feels emotionally authentic, too, with the central friendship believable throughout. There are some harsh truths about growing up, the toll of motherhood and expectation versus reality that will surely resonate with many viewers, while some of the more fractious moments between Eden and Dawn showcase the dramatic chops of both stars, providing audiences with plenty to think about beyond the gross out.

If the ending opts for feel good optimism over keeping things too grounded, then Babes just about gets away with it, given that this is both an ode to motherhood and friendship that exists to be funny, first and foremost. The accompanying messiness is just a nice bonus.