Film Friday: Gillian Robespierre's 'Obvious Child' starring Jenny Slate

Comedy is at its best when it skewers a heavy topic and the target in Gillian Robespierre's first feature film, Obvious Child, is abortion. With a top-notch cast to deliver her words, Robespierre's 84-minute comedy treads the line between comedy and drama with relative ease.

Based on the writer/director's 2009 short of the same name, Obvious Child centers on Donna Stern (Jenny Slate), a standup comedian by night and a clerk at a closing bookstore by day. At the start of the film, Donna's longtime boyfriend breaks up with her, since he's tired of her joking about their private life. Oh, he's also sleeping with another woman. That same night, she meets Max (Jake Lacey) and they have a one-night stand. A few weeks later, she discovers that she's pregnant and decides to have an abortion.

Now, this could just be the foundation for a super-serious, typical indie movie about a girl trying to rediscover herself in the hustle and bustle of New York City. It could have just been a pale imitation of Lena Dunham's completely unfunny work. But Robespierre found the funny bone in this story and hits it right on target each time. It's not that she doesn't take the subject seriously – Donna's divorced parents serve as the film's serious center. Instead, there's a kind of naturalism to the film's structure. Finding humor in a situation is stress relief, especially for a comedian. Perhaps if Donna didn't work nights as a comedian, the film's comedy would seem off-putting, but it feels more genuine than it would be if Robespierre tried to make this a complete drama.

What also helps is the film's incredible cast. Slate never comes off as grating or annoying. Instead, she's a loveable presence, displaying a comfort level both on stage and off that is quite remarkable. She doesn't need dialogue to be funny – just seeing her shiver outside her ex-boyfriend's building can make an audience burst into laughter. And she plays drama well too, an ability that should help her stand out as her career progresses. One of her best moments in the film is when she is completely vulnerable as she confesses to her mother. Then there's an entire scene with Jake Lacey in which she's sitting in a box that's pure gold. It's visually funny, but the awkward conversation is the point of the scene.

Robespierre filled out the supporting parts with some fine actors who show brilliant chemistry with Slate. You get the feeling that she and Gabby Hoffman have been friends for years. Richard Kind and Polly Draper are perfect as Donna's parents. David Cross also has kind of a creepy bit part. Lastly, Lacey has clearly survived his shoehorned-in role on The Office's final season and plays the awkward scenes well with Slate.

It's also important to note that this isn't really a “comedian's comedy.” Yes, the art of comedy and show business is discussed, but Robespierre clearly doesn't want to alienate the audience from Donna. We're supposed to empathize with her. We see how well she connects with an audience when's she's on fire and it helps that the character is open about her life onstage.

Obvious Child probably could use a bit more meat, but brevity is comedy's best friend, especially in this case. While Donna does eventually reconnect with her one-night stand, the film's ending doesn't betray the audience or the story. In that sense, it's a unique romantic comedy, one that ends with a main character even lamenting about how she doesn't like rom-coms. Obvious Child is often hilarious, but not forcefully so, making it a wonderful little comedy worth your time.

Obvious Child is now streaming on Amazon Prime.

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