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You won’t be pulling out a hanky and weeping over the sentiment in Babes. Unless you’re crying with laughter, because that’s highly probable, too. The hilarious and smartly written comedy is directed by Pamela Adlon, the brainchild behind FX’s superb series Better Things and the actress who brought a sense of fresh invigoration to the Showtime series Californication. She’s also a stellar voice talent, having lent her unique style to Bob’s Burgers, Rick and Morty, and King of the Hill, which is about to 2.0 itself and enter a growing sea of other reboots.
Adlon marks her first time directing a feature film here, but she is in great company. Even without it, her sharp eye and ability to keep the comedy grounded in reality have always been a strong point. It shows in this unapologetic romp about friendship and motherhood. Adlon joins forces with screenwriters Ilana Glazer and Josh Rabinowitz, the writing team from Broad City, the female buddy comedy series in which Glazer starred opposite Abbi Jacobson.
The female buddy dial is cranked up higher in Babes. The story follows inseparable childhood best friends, Eden (Glazer) and Dawn (Michelle Buteau), who are at different phases of adulthood – Dawn is about to have a baby; Eden is somewhat adrift. When Eden realizes she is pregnant from a one-night stand, she decides to have the baby, which initially triggers a major eye-roll from Dawn. In this curious crisscrossing of life paths, it’s here that the film delivers some wickedly fun comedy, making Babes a raw, raunchy, and brazenly foul-mouthed outing. And while the outlandish, in-your-face comedy ultimately overpowers the funny premise, Babes still manages to deliver a winning tale about female empowerment, friendships, life transitions, and adulting.
Babes Is a Tale of Two Friends at a Crossroads
4/5
Release Date May 17, 2024
Director Pamela Adlon
Runtime 1hr 49min
Pros
- Babes is laugh-out-loud funny throughout its runtime.
- The film holds up against other R-rated raunchy comedies, such as Knocked Up, Bridesmaids, and Bad Moms.
- Babes excels in exploring the female experience and empowerment.
Cons
- Even for a comedy, the plot seems to work itself out too easily with a lack of tension.
“Your vagina looks like it’s yawning,” Eden calmly muses. She’s more curious about that than wrought with concern, even though her very pregnant BFF Dawn is having a moment. You see, Dawn’s water broke at the movies, and in lieu of heading to the emergency room, Dawn insisted the two pop in for lunch on the way. That doesn’t go well, and everything from getting Dawn into a cab to how Dawn winds up actually getting into the delivery room is outrageously funny. And this is just in the first 10 minutes of the film.
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To be sure, co-writer/star Ilana Glazer doesn’t hold back, which becomes her crowning – pun intended – achievement. If you’ve appreciated the punch of Broad City, you’ll feel right at home here. Female anatomy/female experiences are fiercely observed and reported here, which is the point. Glazer hopes to open our eyes to previously unseen and unheard matters, perhaps to desensitize or claim victory for those XX chromosomes. As a result, she creates her own kind of estrogen pride parade, one that could benefit from a few more suspenseful bumps in the road – things tend to work out all too easily here – but still, this film is a total blast.
Things will change, however, for our two friends. This will be Dawn’s second child, and emotional wear and tear sink in. Meanwhile, after Eden meets a hunky stranger on the subway (Stephan James), their passionate one-night endeavor ultimately changes Eden’s fate. He ghosts her. She discovers that she’s pregnant. (There’s a great running gag with Eden’s doctor, played by the fabulous John Carroll Lynch, that should delight.) Dawn realizes she must support Eden, even though, deep down, she feels like she’s making a terrible mistake. Eden may be a groovy BFF – the duo text each other every “dump” – but she’s never passed Adulthood 101. These two are headed toward one helluva reality enema.
Babes Is a Cousin to Knocked Up, Bridesmaids, and Bad Moms
As the story plays out, we watch Dawn move through an emotionally challenging second time around with motherhood, even with her supportive hubby (Hasan Minaj) at her side. Spats with Eden occasionally dent their once unbreakable bond, but the film never lingers in these episodes all that long. It’s patched all too quickly, perhaps the only thing that could have warranted other possibilities. Ultimately, we’re taken through an uproarious and very candid pregnancy journey with the filmmakers unearthing all the things that the culture never talks about: body cramps, mood swings, and an insatiable sex drive.
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Adlon et al. pull all that and more out of the closet here. It never gets gross to the extent you must look away from the screen, but the scenes and the dialogue are enough to trigger the imagination, especially when somebody talks about giving their privates a good washing because, well, “she’s f***ing dank.” Adlon, who directed many episodes of Better Things, proves to be a worthy film director, somebody who shrewdly observes life – or, here, the female experience – and effectively sets up scenes that ultimately land well.
There’s a great bit toward the end of the film when Eden’s fantastical vision of having a prom birth extravaganza exposes the reality of her lingering immaturity. (Oliver Platt shows up as Eden’s frequently absent father, suggesting deeper layers of the genesis of her frenzied psyche.) Still, it’s some fine comedy all around in the vein of Knocked Up, Bridesmaids, and Bad Moms.
As Glazer’s script leads to an ultimate confrontation between Eden and Dawn, the verbal lightning strikes are fierce and real, but like any rainstorm, it offers a chance to clear the air and perhaps create a reset. Ultimately, the stork delivers. Babes is a knock-out, refreshingly fun, irreverent jaunt through motherhood and female friendship. Four diapers out of five. Babes opens in theaters on May 17. Watch the trailer below.
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