Film Review: Babes

5 Stars

At the center of the terrifically funny new comedy Babes is a story of a lifelong friendship between best friends. Around the edges of the 1 hour 44 minute film is a deeper story of motherhood, modern love, and maturity that may leave you in tears. That’s because actors Ilana Glazer (Broad City) and Michelle Buteau (First Wives Club) have created an onscreen duo with such palpable chemistry that it elevates a simple narrative into an expansive human expedition.

Set in New York City and using the unique city as background, this coming-of-middle-age story begins when long-time besties Eden and Dawn meet for an annual friends weekend just as they have for years. But a lot has changed, too. Dawn is pregnant with her second child, and could give birth at any moment. And when that moment comes early in the movie’s first act, Eden will be there no matter what.

And so ensues a delightful romp of two friends with flipside lives who try to hold their relationship together as life forces them to change yet again. Dawn’s focus is drifting more and more to her husband and kids and their complex lives. Eden feels marginalized and left out, watching her friend Dawn growing up and leaving her behind as she struggles with loneliness and a revolving door of relationships without meaning.

But life throws Eden a major surprise when she suddenly finds herself pregnant, and she must decide how to navigate single motherhood and her codependency on her lifelong friend.

While there is nothing technically new in this contemporary comedy about pregnancy and parenting, there is a refreshing authenticity to the film’s energy and raw insights into the quest to become selfless. Perhaps it’s the improvisational honesty of Glazer’s performance as Eden (the 37-year-old actress was actually pregnant during filming). Or maybe it’s the edginess of Buteau’s portrayal as a mother-mentor with flaws (something the 46-year-old with twins might relate to).

However the talented comediennes channeled their chemistry, the result is a heartwarming movie directed with a keen eye by native New Yorker Pamela Adlon (a career actress herself who stepped behind the camera here for her feature debut). Released by NEON and rated R, the fierce script was developed by lead Glazer and written with her Broad City collaborator Josh Rabinowitz. Fans of the Comedy Central show will recognize Glazer’s speedy wit and style here, and Babes is another story of female friendship in that tradition.

Rounding out the cast with memorable cameos are John Carroll Lynch as Eden’s OBGYN, Oliver Platt as her neurotic father, Sandra Bernhard as a delightful dentist, and Hasan Minhaj as Dawn’s husband (normally seen doing stand-up on Netflix).

Babes has a sort of wild and infectious confidence featuring over-the-top physical and emotional comedy Glazer honed in her early days with the Upright Citizen’s Brigade improv troupe. It’s filled with heart and relatability and soul. With characters that look and sound like real people. With real struggles, real absurdity, and a real love for one another. Imagine that!

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