Obvious Child is a bit uneven and frankly the main character of Donna is a bit annoying, though I guess one could call her, and Jenny Slate’s performance, refreshing that she is a flawed person. Still, it’s not a movie for everybody with one core subject matter that will turn many off.
Obvious Child
(2013)
Genre(s): Drama, Comedy, Romance
Lionsgate | R – 84 min. – $24.99 | October 7, 2014
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MOVIE INFO: Directed by: Gillian Robespierre Writer(s): Gillian Robespierre (written by) Cast: Jenny Slate, Jake Lacy, Gaby Hoffmann, Gabe Liedman, Richard Kind, Polly Draper, David Cross DISC INFO: Audio: English (DTS-HD MA 5.1) |
PLOT SYNOPSIS
For aspiring comedian Donna Stern (JENNY SLATE), everyday life as a female twenty-something provides ample material for her incredibly relatable brand of humor. On stage, Donna is unapologetically herself, joking about topics as intimate as her sex life and as crude as her day-old underwear. But when Donna gets dumped, loses her job, and finds herself pregnant just in time for Valentine’s Day, she has to navigate the murky waters of independent adulthood for the first time.
As she grapples with an uncertain financial future, an unwanted pregnancy, and a surprising new suitor, Donna begins to discover that the most terrifying thing about adulthood isn’t facing it all on her own. It’s allowing herself to accept the support and love of others. And be truly vulnerable. Never failing to find the comedy and humanity in each awkward situation she encounters, Donna finds out along the way what it means to be as brave in life as she is on stage.
Anchored by a breakout performance from Jenny Slate, OBVIOUS CHILD is a winning discovery, packed tight with raw, energetic comedy and moments of poignant human honesty.
SPECIAL FEATURES – 2.75/5
This release comes with a matted slip cover. Inside is a redemption code for the UltraViolet Digital Copy.
Audio Commentary features Writer/Director Gillian Robespierre, Co-Writer/Producer Elisabeth Holm and Actress Jenny Slate
The Making of Obvious Child (24:33; HD) provides a behind-the-scenes look and features your normal interviews with the cast and crew expounding the plot, characters and such.
Extended Scenes (23:52; HD) – We get several scenes cut down probably for pacing issues.
Also included is the short film (20:53; HD) for which this was based upon.
VIDEO – 4.5/5
Obvious Child wakes up the following morning on Blu-ray presented in its original 2.35 widescreen aspect ratio and a 1080p high-definition (MPEG-4 AVC codec) transfer. As with other Lionsgate HD releases, this one is quite sharp with good detail levels but also has a warm glow to it but colors still are relatively vibrant.
AUDIO – 4.0/5
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is pretty basic but effective. Dialogue sounds loud, crisp and clear throughout and the choice soundtrack music and score makes the most use of the surround speakers. Given this is a romance/drama/comedy, there’s not a whole lot of range.
OVERALL – 3.5/5
Overall, Obvious Child is a bit uneven and frankly the main character of Donna is a bit annoying, though I guess one could call her, and Jenny Slate’s performance, refreshing that she is a flawed person. Still, it’s not a movie for everybody with one core subject matter that will turn many off. As far as the Blu-ray is concerned, it does have an engaging commentary track and the featurette isn’t completely EPK fluff. The audio and video transfers meanwhile are both quite good.
Published: 10/05/2014