Sometimes a film can have its heart completely in the right place, but still not be as enjoyable as one would hope. Such is the case with the new comedy “Babes.”
At the beginning of the film the audience is introduced to Eden (Ilana Glazer), a single woman who’s spending Thanksgiving with her pregnant friend Dawn (Michelle Buteau) at a movie theater, which is their tradition. It’s interrupted, though, when Dawn goes into labor.
While Dawn has experience being a mother, with this being her second child, Eden is on the opposite side as a single woman who doesn’t intend on being a parent. That is until she has a one-night stand and ends up getting pregnant herself. After some consideration, she decides to have the baby and become a single mother.
“Babes’ is a paradoxical film. The look and feel of the movie has all of the hallmarks of an indie dramatic comedy, from the way it’s structured, to how it’s shot and the overall vibes it gives off. It has a similar atmosphere to last year’s “You Hurt My Feelings” or 2022’s “Cha Cha Real Smooth.”
The writing, though, is entirely different. It’s a script that comes off as much raunchier and even juvenile in some aspects. As a result, the freshman directorial effort by Pamela Adlon never properly gels well with the writing by Glazer and Josh Rabinowitz. It’s really a shame because it seems like with some more balancing this could be a much stronger feature.
As it is, there are some laugh-out-loud moments, but the comedy for the most part just usually falls back on jokes about pregnancy, sex and drugs, with some punching up to make it raunchier here and there. It ends up undercutting some of the dramatic moments of the film because it’s kind of hard to take seriously.
Another detriment is the main character. Eden just comes across as too naïve and even aloof at times, whether it’s about how much time her friend has to help her out or the burden that having a child will be. To make matters worse, it doesn’t really feel like she has much of a character arc where she grows and takes the matter more seriously.
Glazer does have comedic abilities and there certainly are moments where they shine here. Whether it’s her writing or her acting, she gives “Babes” a few really funny sections and some emotional scenes. Yet as a whole, her performance and character aren’t a net positive.
Another comedic performer, Michelle Buteau is fine on screen. Dawn is a loving parent but is also quite exhausted and Buteau’s skills allow her to pull off the humorous elements of her current stage in life. She does have a good chemistry with Glazer, too, allowing for some good back-and-forth.
John Carroll Lynch as Eden’s doctor is also, not surprisingly, quite good on screen. There’s a recurring gag about his thinning hair that’s hit or miss, but the rest of his appearance is enjoyable. Less so is Oliver Platt, who portrays Eden’s father. The character is oddly written, and somewhat wastes Platt’s talents.
It’s one of many examples where the script doesn’t quite work. “Babes” has the cast in place to thrive but it really needed more of a balance in tone when it came to the writing and direction. Unfortunately, it’s a disappointing experience. 2.5 out of 5.
Matthew Liedke on Film 