Has Hollywood hit a new low? This weekend, a new movie genre premieres: abortion comedy.
“Obvious Child” tells the story of a young comedian facing the typical struggles of young adulthood. Like any classic turn of events, a girl meets a guy and becomes pregnant. Usually, the story follows the character’s self-discovery and the joys of motherhood or adoption.
This movie goes in another direction. NewsBusters reports that the focus of the movie is female empowerment and being “unapologetically” yourself. Evidently, that involves terminating a pregnancy. The movie’s website says, “Donna’s drunken hookup – and epic lapse in prophylactic judgment – turns out to be the beginning of a hilarious and totally unplanned journey of self-discovery and empowerment.“
Director of the film, Gillian Robespierre, suggests this movie is a reaction to other happy-go-lucky films in which the pregnant protagonist decides to keep her child or embraces adoption. According to a piece in the New York Times, Robespierre said other films often misrepresent the realities of unplanned pregnancy.
“That’s the formula we were fighting against,” Ms. Robespierre said. “We’re just so brainwashed to believe that’s what a happy ending is.”
The film has received an incredible amount of support from feminists blogs like Jezebel and even Planned Parenthood.
Feminist blog Jezebel said the film was, “cute romantic comedy featuring an abortion.”
One can get a feel for this in the movie trailer. The main character’s presumed father tells her that, “creative energy sometimes comes from the lowest point in your life.” The film also seems to poke fun at other aspects of traditional views. “He’s like, so Christian,” Donna says. Her friend replies, “So be the angel on top.” “I’m not the angel on top. I’m the Menorah on the top of the tree that burns it down.”
The film seems to be another Hollywood attempt to reinforce their idea of female empowerment. In this case, it includes one night stands and abortions.
Star of the film, Jenny Slate, says the movie is not taking abortion lightly. The New York Daily News revealed that both the actress and director wanted the movie to reflect the reality of a guiltless decision-making process. “We wanted to show something that was straightforward — a woman not conflicted about having an abortion,” Robespierre said.
Both Slate and Robespierre claim abortion is not the only point of the film. They declare they take abortion very seriously, but the New York Daily News also unmasks a short dialogue in the film where that seems like anything but the case. The night before her abortion, Donna prepares for her comedy act. Her friend tells her she’s going to “kill it up there.” Donna replies, “No, that’s tomorrow.”
Gallup reports that only 28 percent of Americans think abortions should be legal under any circumstances. The weekend premiere will reveal if these sentiments are reflected in the box office.