Obvious Child (2014)
83%RT Audience Score: 72%
Awards & Nominations: 10 wins & 29 nominations
Tackling a sensitive subject with maturity, honesty, and wit, Obvious Child serves as a deeply promising debut for writer-director Gillian Robespierre
Obvious Child is the kind of movie that makes you laugh, cry, and feel all the feels. It’s a raunchy sex farce that never feels like it’s preaching to you, but also manages to represent a moderate position about a hot button topic. Jenny Slate is a winning companion and carries the emotional weight of the story while still providing the lion’s share of laughs. It’s a film that is confidently vulnerable and genuinely honest, and Slate’s Donna feels grounded in something incredibly relatable and real. Plus, it’s just plain cool to watch. What more could you want?
Production Company(ies)
Paramount Pictures, Lucasfilm,
Distributor
A24
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for language and sexual content
Year of Release
2014
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:1h 23m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jun 6, 2014 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 7, 2014
Genre(s)
Comedy
Keyword(s)
starring Jenny Slate, Jake Lacy, Gaby Hoffmann, Gabe Liedman, Polly Draper, Richard Kind, directed by Gillian Robespierre, written by Gillian Robespierre, comedy, R rating, box office gross $3.1M, reviewed by Jordan Hoffman, Candice Frederick, Richard Corliss, Kate Erbland, Guy Lodge, Sam Adams, Christopher Llewellyn Reed, David Bax, Richard Crouse, Richard Propes, Elisabeth Holm, A24, unplanned pregnancy, abortion, stand-up comedian, graduate student, adulthood, sensitive subject, maturity, honesty, wit, promising debut, identity politics, humor, moderate position, hot button topic
Worldwide gross: $3,325,417
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $4,155,931
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,225
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 453,209
US/Canada gross: $3,123,963
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $3,904,164
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,877
US/Canada opening weekend: $77,315
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $96,624
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,947
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Jake Lacy – Max
Gaby Hoffmann – Nellie
Gabe Liedman – Joey
Polly Draper – Mrs. Stern
Richard Kind – Mr. Stern
Elisabeth Holm – Producer
Gillian Robespierre – Director, Writer
Director(s)
Gillian Robespierre
Writer(s)
Gillian Robespierre
Producer(s)
Elisabeth Holm
Film Festivals
Sundance, South by Southwest
Awards & Nominations
10 wins & 29 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (168) | Top Critics (62) | Fresh (152) | Rotten (16)
Beyond the identity politics and humor, Obvious Child goes the extra mile to represent a seldom voiced, moderate position about a hot button topic.
January 4, 2018
Jordan Hoffman
Times of Israel
TOP CRITIC
It doesn’t overtly try to be anything more than what it is, which makes it that much more cool to watch.
September 2, 2017 | Rating: B+
Candice Frederick
Reel Talk Online
TOP CRITIC
Robespierre’s direction of the many fine actors she assembled is assured, her sense of pacing nicely loose-limbed.
January 5, 2015
Richard Corliss
TIME Magazine
TOP CRITIC
It’s bold, but it’s not a film that’s just trying to be bold; it’s just trying to be real — and it is.
January 5, 2015 | Rating: A-
Kate Erbland
Film School Rejects
TOP CRITIC
This generous, hilarious character study suggests Jenny Slate has more still to offer.
January 5, 2015 | Rating: B
Guy Lodge
HitFix
TOP CRITIC
Slate, who had a brief and unremarkable tenure on Saturday Night Live, proves a winning companion; it’s a hang-out movie, and she’s fun to hang out with.
January 5, 2015 | Rating: B
Sam Adams
Philadelphia City Paper
TOP CRITIC
In its refusal to judge Donna even as she struggles to earn our respect, OBVIOUS CHILD may just be the most radical film of 2014. Of course, it’s also a raunchy sex farce which never feels like it’s preaching to you. What more could you want?
May 19, 2022
Christopher Llewellyn Reed
Hammer to Nail
Obvious Child is as successful a comedy as it is an argument for its cause.
March 4, 2021
David Bax
Battleship Pretension
Slate does the heavy lifting, appearing in every scene and carrying the emotional weight of the story, while still providing the lion’s share of laughs.
February 1, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Richard Crouse
Richard Crouse
A film that is confidently vulnerable and genuinely honest while acknowledging the masks that we so easily wear in our daily lives.
September 18, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4.0
Richard Propes
TheIndependentCritic.com
Slate’s Donna feels grounded in something incredibly relatable and real, as does the movie’s handling of its hot button plot points. Slate and Lacy have so much effortless charm and chemistry that they’re hard to resist.
March 10, 2020 | Rating: 3/5
Karl Delossantos
Smash Cut Reviews
[A] lot of potential that obviously isn’t realized.
December 14, 2019 | Rating: 2.5/5
Debbie Lynn Elias
Behind The Lens…
Plot
An immature comedian must navigate adulthood after an unplanned pregnancy resulting from a fling with a graduate student in Obvious Child.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Nothing to add here about Obvious Child.
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