When couples say, “We’re pregnant!” they’re not. She is. Unless you’re Billy Crystal in “Rabbit Test,” guys have it easy. Pregnancy books are somewhat useful, but they should incorporate trigonometry as women discover the importance of angles when it comes to getting comfortable. If you really want to know what to expect during pregnancy, watch the realistic and hilarious (bonus!) “Babes” from Pamela Adlon (“Better Things”) making her feature directorial debut. The story of best friends and expectant moms (Ilana Glazer and Michelle Buteau) tackles childbirth, friendship, and relationships with a humor that’s so relatable, it’s like they’re telling your own pregnancy story. Sidesplitting funny with cameos by various bodily fluids.
Ilana Glazer (“Broad City”), who co-wrote the screenplay with Josh Rabinowitz, plays Eden, a single, free-spirited yoga instructor living in Queens, rarely seen without a bag of chips in her hand. Her best friend since grade school is Dawn (Michelle Buteau), a dentist who resides on the Upper West Side with her husband Marty (Hasan Minhaj) and their four-year-old son Tommy (Caleb Mermelstein-Knox).
Dawn is pregnant with her second child, due any day now, but that doesn’t stop the best friends from their annual Thanksgiving tradition of dinner and a movie. In the opening scene, the two forgo the flick after Dawn complains that each seat in the theatre is wet. Eden points out that the problem could be Dawn, which calls for a quick under-the-dress inspection (what are best friends for?), with Eden confirming that her bestie’s water has broken. The two decide to get in a quick dinner at a fancy restaurant before heading to the hospital, leading to a heaping helping of physical comedy that may have you in tears.
Eden unexpectedly gets pregnant after engaging in a one-night stand with Claude (Stephan James), a stranger she met on the subway; the two bond over $500 worth of Sushi. After undergoing over 30 home pregnancy tests, Eden gets tested by identical twin doctors who finish each other’s sentences (played by Kenny and Keith Lucas, comedians collectively known as The Lucas Brothers). They confirm her pregnancy, and after consulting her BFF, Eden decides to keep the baby, seeing the child as destiny or, as she puts it, “Destiny’s Child!”
Motherhood is at the forefront of Adlon’s comedy, but there’s a strong friendship undercurrent that rises to the surface, taking precedence over the mommy-to-be theme. “Babes” is about the difficulty of maintaining a lifelong friendship as life intervenes and priorities shift. Dawn’s priority is her family and job. Eden is a woman-child breezing through life under the notion that she and Dawn have the same kind of relationship as kids. Her character arc is akin to an adult coming-of-age journey.
The supporting cast includes wonderful character actor John Carroll Lynch as an OB/GYN dealing with hair loss (the perfect straight man to Glazer’s fireball comedy), Elena Ouspenskaia as a doula named Dragana (yes, it’s just as funny as you think), plus cameos by Sandra Bernhard as Dr. Shirley and Oliver Platt in a touching scene as Eden’s estranged father.
Like comedies by Judd Apatow and Paul Feig, “Babes” blends laugh-out-loud moments with poignant scenes meant to stir your emotions. Ilana Glazer and Michelle Buteau make a great comedy team. The dialogue features amusing one-liners, while the physical comedy features a few outrageous scenes, including a breast milk sketch inspired by Monty Python.
Better than any book or podcast about pregnancy, “Babes” doesn’t beat around the bush as it portrays the ups and downs of childbirth in all its messy glory. The only thing Glazer and Rabinowitz left out is the Terminator-strength grip felt by the expectant mother’s partner while feeding her ice chips during labor.
(3 ½ stars)
Now showing in theaters
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