New Houston Library Exhibit Keeps Rocking Items from Pimp C and Other Stars

Being pregnant has been handled in so many different ways throughout cinema history that it could be considered one of the most malleable plot elements of all time. It can be a blessing or a curse (or a blessing that turns into a curse). It could be a happy accident, a long-standing struggle, or a complete surprise. And it can be adapted into several different genres, from comedy to drama to horror (action seems to be missing from the list, but that day is probably coming soon).

Girls joins the long line of comedies based on a pregnant woman, but because it comes from the mind of writer/producer/star Ilana Glazer, the approach isn’t as sentimental as other films. Eden (Glazer) is the best friend of Dawn (Michelle Buteau), who gives birth to her second child at the beginning of the film. On her long subway ride home from the hospital, Eden has a cute encounter with Claude (Stephan James), and the two end up having a one-night stand that gets her pregnant.

Even if she does not seem prepared to live life as a single mother, Eden nevertheless continues her pregnancy. Expecting Dawn to help her every step of the way given their long-standing friendship, Eden is surprised when family and work stress in Dawn’s life takes over from accompanying Eden to appointments at her home. doctor. However, Eden’s free-spirited nature helps her roll with the punches even as the pregnancy progresses.

Directed by Pamela Adlon and written by Glazer and Josh Rabinowitz, the film – despite the pregnancy at the center – is more about female friendship, self-discovery and dealing with the changes life throws at you. Eden and Dawn’s relationship is as tight as it gets, with each woman unafraid to visually check how dilated the other is, or to be brutally honest if the situation demands it.

Like everyone who watched Glazer’s sketch Big city will know, she does not know a situation that she will not try to defuse with bawdy humor. The film is therefore full of profane conversations, some of which work well, but unfortunately just as many which don’t. Eden uses a certain feline term for her vagina with Dawn. And with her gynecologist, a lack of situational awareness that demonstrates her unfiltered nature, but which seems strange in a film that is otherwise supposed to be grounded in reality.

What’s really strange is that this is Glazer’s second pregnancy-themed film in a row, following 2021’s. False positive, which she also co-wrote. This film was a (supposed) thriller about a woman who might be hallucinating while pregnant, and while this film has a rosier view of pregnancy in general, it also deals with fears about what being pregnant can bring. have a child. Glazer, who had her first child in 2021, clearly has a lot of thoughts on the effects of pregnancy, even if neither film is entirely successful.

Glazer is comfortable in the realm of comedy and remains an engaging performer even if not every situation turns out as well as she might have hoped. Buteau isn’t as well known, but she ably joins the party with Glazer and shows good chemistry with Hasan Minhaj, who plays her husband. John Carroll Lynch shows up for a supporting role as Eden’s doctor, and Oliver Platt doesn’t register as Eden’s father at all.

Even though there are funny moments, Girls I could have used a little extra polish to be more entertaining. Glazer and Buteau get along well, but ultimately the connection their characters forge doesn’t rise to the level of the best cinematic friendships.

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Girls will open widely on May 24.