Finally, a star vehicle for Jenny Slate, a wonderfully funny comedian. And she's absolutely wonderful as a young woman who finds herself pregnant and dealing with the life-altering complications surrounding getting an abortion. Slate is phenomenal in this movie; she nails both the comedy bits, generally revolving around her being anti-social and awkward, and the dramatic moments, generally revolving around the torrent of emotion surrounding her unwanted pregnancy and impending abortion. Unfortunately, the film isn't very good. The first time writer/director, Gillian Robespierre, seems to want to gain cool points by being transgressive, but the humor, often revolving around poop and farts (seriously!) is only vulgar and unfunny. It's fine for the film to be un-PC; it is, after all, a film with a lot of comedy that's also focused on abortion. But this isn't transgressive or daring; it's just lame. There's about a half-hour in the middle where the comedy is genuinely hilarious and the drama is genuinely heartbreaking and somehow they balance perfectly. But the rest of the film is really a misfire, only sporadically decent at best. Occasionally, as during a sequence featuring David Cross, it's annoying and disgusting. Slate's performance nets the film a whole star on her own. She's the only reason the film is Above Average, instead of Below Average. ** 1/2 stars. Should see it? Slate's too good to recommend against; the movie's too weak to recommend for. Whatever.
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Je n'aime pas dans les vieux films américains quand les conducteurs ne regardent pas la route. Et de ratage en ratage, on s'habitue à ne jamais dépasser le stade du brouillon. La vie n'est que l'interminable répétition d'une représentation qui n'aura jamais lieu.