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The film, which is being described as a "comedy," stars Jenny Slate, who's biggest claims to fame prior to the film were voicing a talking shell on YouTube and infamously saying the 'F' word during the premiere of Saturday Night Live. Producers did not ask her to come back next season. In "Obvious Child," Slate plays Donna, a woman who has a one-night stand after being dumped by her boyfriend, gets pregnant and decides to have an abortion. Because most films even hinting at abortion opt for pro-life story lines, "Obvious Child"'s pro-choice stance has been noticed and heralded by the liberal media.
The Guardian describes Donna as “a girl who gets an abortion and lives happily ever after.” Variety called it "fresh and funny" and the New York Times even spent a night courting its main star.
The media has been gushing over the director as well. On MSNBC, Krystal Ball praised Robespierre for her film while making sure her audience knew that pro-lifers are "violent."
But of course, it wouldn't truly be a piece of pro-abortion beauty without Planned Paretnhood's endorsement:
Loved this scene in the amazing, funny, honest, touching #ObviousChild—can you figure out where it's set? :) pic.twitter.com/x3tsYgvkHZ
— Planned Parenthood (@PPact) June 17, 2014
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Robespierre and Slate seem to have no problem with the media and Planned Parenthood referring to their film as an "abortion rom-com."
Over at the Today Show, Slate told Hoda and Kathie Lee that the message of the film is, "Everyone, male or female, should make choices that are good for them." She never mentioned abortion, yet reiterated that the film is a "romantic comedy."
Robespierre concurred:
"I like stories like that too. About real people doing real things and handling them in a real way. Sometimes that means through a comedic lenses. Tragedy doesn’t necessarily mean sarcasm but tragedy can be funny. You can find funny moments in tragedy."
One instance of "humor" in the film comes when Donna is speaking to a friend at her comedy show the night before her abortion:
Before hitting the stage, Nellie tells Donna, “You are going to kill it out there.” Donna jokes back, “I’m actually going to do that tomorrow.”
While Robespierre may think this is a clever bit of humor, it’s important to note here that she is admitting abortion is murder.
At least not everyone in the media is laughing and playing along. NBC has
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According to Robespierre, her creation is a reaction against movies like “Juno” and “Knocked Up,” where the babies live: a “misrepresentation of women on screen when it came to unplanned pregnancy.” Rather, a “correct” representation, as told by “Obvious Child,” entails a casual abortion which jumpstarts a love story.
Abortion is normal – almost monotonous – in this film. After discovering she’s pregnant, Donna visits a Planned Parenthood clinic to request, “I would like an abortion, please.” She admits she sounds “insensitive,” like she’s ordering at a “drive-through,” but resolves “this is what I need to do.”
I asked Yoder to explain if she could the head scratching and perhaps ironic title:
“Obvious Child” has no “obvious” child," she told Townhall. "Donna is a grown woman responsible for her actions, her life, and the protection of another life inside of her. Treating her as a child dismisses her accountability as a woman and her decision to end the life inside of her."
“On the other hand, her child, her baby, is anything but obvious. The baby is treated as nothing in this movie where an abortion clinic is called a “drive-through.” At most, the baby is a burden, a problem, and ending his or her life is the solution to “empowerment” and true love. The film censors the depiction of the unborn as vulnerable little humans with hearts and souls.”
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These truths, however, don’t fit the script and agenda Robespierre had in mind.
There is, of course, the inevitable comparison to "Juno." In that Judd Apatow film, Juno also must deal with an unplanned pregnancy too, yet as she is heading to the abortion clinic, she turns around and decides to have the baby. For letting Juno choose life, Apatow has been criticized by pro-choice feminists.
There's a reason why most films with unplanned pregnancies in their plots end with a birth -- people don't want to watch abortions while eating popcorn.
"Obvious Child" is in select theaters everywhere June 27. Rent "Gigli" instead.
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