Obvious Child Blu-ray Review
Score: 77
from 3 reviewers
Review Date:
Obvious Child impresses with Jenny Slate's standout performance and smart writing, complemented by a strong HD presentation and engaging extras. Recommended.
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Disc Release Date
DTS-HD MA
Video: 77
‘Obvious Child’ features a 1080p/MPEG-4 AVC transfer in 2.35:1 aspect ratio, producing clear and stable images with very good fine detail, despite a subdued palette and occasionally murky contrast. Notably, black levels are solid, colors are accurate, and no compression artifacts are present, providing a satisfying visual experience.
Audio: 77
Obvious Child's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix delivers clean, well-prioritized dialogue amidst an engaging surround activity, particularly vibrant in club scenes and cityscapes, with dynamic range and effective bass during musical sequences, ensuring an immersive yet balanced sound presentation.
Extra: 67
The Blu-ray of 'Obvious Child' delivers a solid package: an engaging and informative commentary by Gillian Robespierre, Elisabeth Holm, and Jenny Slate, an insightful 'Making of' featurette, extended scene cuts, and the original 2009 short film that showcases the initial vision of the story.
Movie: 73
Obvious Child delivers a distinctively original, character-driven narrative with a compelling blend of humor and emotional depth, highlighted by Jenny Slate's exceptional performance and Gillian Robespierre's smart direction. The Blu-ray is presented on a 25GB Region A disc with trailers included.
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Video: 77
The Blu-ray presentation of "Obvious Child," courtesy of Lionsgate Films, delivers the film in a 1080p/MPEG-4 AVC transfer with an aspect ratio of 2.35:1. The image maintains a clean, defect-free appearance, demonstrating solid hues and accurate whites. Despite the subdued palette, colors such as the floral arrangements in a shop scene pop vividly within the frame. Overall, the picture boasts a clear and stable image, with excellent fine detail in close-ups, although some variability in contrast and murkiness is observed in darker interior sequences, particularly during the low-lighting comedy club scenes.
The film’s encoding ensures there are no compression artifacts or noise. Black levels are solid, contributing to satisfying contrast and good shadow delineation, especially noticeable in the club scenes with varying colored lighting. The clarity and detail are consistently strong, with textures in clothing and buildings well defined. While the film employs a limited depth of field to create intentional soft focus on background objects, foreground elements retain sharp clarity, enhancing visual engagement. The subtle amber tint across many scenes lends a warm, lived-in aesthetic that, although occasionally minimizing detail, underscores the film's low-budget charm.
Overall, the Blu-ray transfer of "Obvious Child" provides a pleasing visual experience, effectively balancing the softly lit cinematography with impressive detail and depth for an immersive viewing experience. The subdued color palette is well-represented, ensuring that flesh tones and various textures are rendered with satisfactory detail and texture. The nuanced handling of lighting and color accentuates the narrative’s atmosphere without compromising on visual quality, making it an appealing high-definition presentation for the audience.
Audio: 77
The Blu-ray of "Obvious Child" delivers a robust DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix, demonstrating remarkable clarity in dialogue, crucial for a dialogue-heavy film. All spoken elements are crisply conveyed and remain well prioritized throughout the film. There’s no evidence of audio damage, dropouts, or inconsistencies, ensuring an immersive experience for listeners.
The surround channels add depth to the film's urban backdrop and the intimate interior scenes where Donna performs her stand-up routines. Key musical pieces, such as Paul Simon's "Obvious Child," are enriched through the surrounds and augmented by the subwoofer, particularly during emotionally charged sequences like the pregnancy test scene. Despite this, the dynamic range is expansive yet devoid of excessive loud moments, adhering strictly to the narrative's needs.
Technically, the lossless track is nuanced, with moments of subtle bass enhancement and effective use of ambient sounds to maintain a consistent mood. The imaging throughout these soundscapes is precise and balanced. Overall, while the audio track may not challenge advanced sound systems, it adeptly supports the film's essence without overwhelming the viewer.
Extra: 67
The Blu-ray extras for "Obvious Child" provide a comprehensive and engaging look behind the scenes, delivering significant value for fans of the film. The Audio Commentary brings together writer/director Gillian Robespierre, producer/co-writer Elisabeth Holm, and actress Jenny Slate for an informal, yet insightful dialogue that delves into the filmmaking process and their creative synergy. "The Making of Obvious Child" stands out as an informative featurette filled with perceptive interviews and behind-the-scenes tidbits. Additionally, the disc includes Extended Scenes, offering longer versions of select segments that, while not essential, provide interesting context. The highlight is the 2009 Obvious Child Short Film, a compelling prototype showcasing the vision and storytelling prowess that would define the feature-length film.
Extras included in this disc:
- Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Gillian Robespierre, Producer/Co-Writer Elisabeth Holm, and Actress Jenny Slate: Energetic and informative dialogue on the filmmaking process.
- The Making of Obvious Child: In-depth featurette with interviews and insights.
- Extended Scenes: Longer versions of key segments.
- 2009 Obvious Child Short Film: Early version demonstrating the story's foundations.
Movie: 73
Gillian Robespierre's "Obvious Child," adapted from her original short film, delivers an unflinchingly original and engaging narrative. The story revolves around Donna Stern, played with remarkable nuance by Jenny Slate. Donna is a near 30-year-old stand-up comic, whose life is sent into disarray when her boyfriend breaks up with her and she loses her day job at an independent bookstore. The film’s unique charm lies in its realistic portrayal of a young woman's struggle, creatively melding humor with the sobering topic of unplanned pregnancy and abortion. Robespierre’s direction ensures that each scene, whether it’s Donna's discomfiting stage routine or the awkward yet believable one-night stand with Max (Jake Lacy), remains engaging and emotionally potent.
Slate’s performance is undeniably the heart of the film, bringing a blend of sharp wit, vulnerability, and authenticity to her character. Her comedic timing is impeccable, particularly in scenes where Donna's attempts at stand-up blur with her personal turmoil, making audiences both cringe and laugh. Jake Lacy’s portrayal of Max adds a sincere and grounded dimension to the film, providing a refreshing counterbalance to Donna’s chaotic life. Gaby Hoffmann and David Cross excel in their supporting roles, providing depth and complexity to the narrative. While certain scenes, notably involving a sleazy comic played by Cross, feel somewhat superfluous, they don’t detract significantly from the film’s overall impact.
"Obvious Child" transcends traditional romantic comedy tropes, leaning more towards a coming-of-age story. It navigates the serious topic of abortion with a deft touch, avoiding melodrama in favor of a more straightforward, thoughtful approach. The screenplay’s strength lies in its dialogue and character development, making Donna's journey towards self-acceptance both compelling and relatable. The film’s ability to inject humor into traditionally taboo subjects while maintaining emotional resonance makes it an essential watch. The Blu-ray release by Lions Gate ensures that this beautifully crafted film can be appreciated in high-quality audiovisual format, providing an immersive viewing experience.
Total: 77
"Obvious Child" comes forth as a charming and thought-provoking film that not only showcases Jenny Slate’s remarkable talent but also exhibits Gillian Robespierre's prowess in handling delicate subject matter with wit and grace. Slate's performance is the undeniable highlight, presenting a character that feels genuine and relatable without becoming over-sentimental. Both the smart script and nuanced direction contribute to a film that manages to champion choice with subtlety and intelligence.
From a technical perspective, the Blu-ray release of "Obvious Child" impresses with its high-definition presentation, offering crisp visuals and clear audio that enhance the viewing experience. Additionally, the supplementary features included provide valuable insights into the film’s creation, making it a comprehensive package for enthusiasts. This edition boasts solid technical merits and includes enough extras to satisfy those keen on exploring the film's background and production process.
In conclusion, while "Obvious Child" could have benefited from more development of its supporting characters, the film remains a testament to Jenny Slate's versatility and Gillian Robespierre's directorial flair. It’s a film that resonates well with its audience, thanks to its engaging performances and intelligent writing. The Blu-ray release is highly recommended, providing both a rewarding viewing experience and commendable bonus content.
Blu-ray.com review by Jeffrey KauffmanRead review here
Video: 80
The image is suitably clear and stable, with very good to excellent fine detail in close-ups, but the palette here is somewhat subdued and contrast is variable at times, leading to quite a bit of murkiness...
Audio: 80
Obvious Child's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix offers good surround activity courtesy of some busy cityscapes, including the interior sequences where Donna performs her stand up, as well as some...
Extras: 50
The Making of Obvious Child (1080p; 24:39) is an above average featurette with some good interviews and snippets from the original short film....
Movie: 70
Without a lot of fanfare, though with a rather remarkably consistent level of critical praise, Obvious Child started the year out at Sundance (after a successful Kickstarter campaign to get it there) and...
Total: 80
Some of the writing here is very smart, and those who have wondered where a film championing choice might come along, your wait is over....
High-Def DigestRead review here
Video: 80
A limited depth of field results in intentional soft focus of objects in the background of some scenes, but foreground objects appear with sharp clarity....
Audio: 80
The subwoofer augments the song's percussion and later it rattles to the point of distortion as the seconds slowly tick by in a thunderous manner while Donna waits for pregnancy test....
Extras: 60
The Making of 'Obvious Child' (HD, 25 min) – The writers and talk about creating the film and expanding the original short film....
Movie: 80
It offers a smart, realistic story about the struggles of a modern-day young woman, which seem typical, yet are presented in a compelling way because of the quality of the writing and acting....
Total: 80
'Obvious Child' will surely be on my year-end list of films that deserved to be remembered from 2014 because of its smart script and engaging performances....
Why So Blu? review by Aaron NeuwirthRead review here
Video: 80
The level of detail is very pleasing throughout, with a number of nicely presented surfaces, costumes, and other elements that come through just fine....
Audio: 80
Given that the more spread apart sound moments are based in mood, a fine job is done with the balance, even if there is not a ton of audio factors to keep track of....
Extras: 70
The best inclusion in this section, as this was obviously the ‘proof of concept’ for making the full feature....
Movie: 70
Total: 80
It makes a good case for Jenny Slate’s career as a solid actress in either comedies or dramas, while also handling various tropes of a film focused on relationships with some nice touches....
Director: Gillian Robespierre
Actors: Jenny Slate, Jake Lacy, Gaby Hoffmann
PlotDonna Stern is a sharp-witted, struggling comedian in New York City, turning her personal life into material for her stand-up routines. Her world crumbles when she is unexpectedly dumped by her boyfriend and simultaneously loses her job at a local bookstore. To cope, Donna drowns her sorrows in drink during an impromptu comedy set where she meets a nice guy named Max. They share a tipsy night together that later becomes the catalyst for more significant changes.
Shortly after their encounter, Donna discovers she is pregnant. Navigating this sensitive situation, she decides to have an abortion. The story follows Donna as she confronts her fears, the societal stigma around abortion, and her shifting dynamic with Max, who remains oblivious to her predicament. At the same time, she relies on her close-knit friends and supportive family to help her process this complex chapter of her life. The film blends humor and heartfelt moments to explore themes of responsibility, independence, and emotional growth without shying away from honest and relatable hardships.
Writers: Gillian Robespierre, Karen Maine, Elisabeth Holm
Release Date: 27 Jun 2014
Runtime: 84 min
Rating: R
Country: United States
Language: English