Obvious Child

This indie sensation is some surprising/welcome summer counter-programming. It follows Donna (Jenny Slate), a mid-20s stand-up comic whose boyfriend breaks up with her after she shares too much in her act. She has a one-night stand with Max (Jake Lacy, Pete from The Office) and ends up pregnant. She schedules an abortion (for Valentine’s Day) and in the interim finds out that she actually likes Max. Advice appears in the form of parents (Polly Draper and Richard Kind, excellent in their few scenes) and friends (Gaby Hoffman!) and one gross David Cross cameo. Writer-director Gillian Robespierre, expanding on her 2009 short, has a tight handle on her subject, though the New York references may skip over some heads. Slate is a revelation as Donna, subverting every weird outsized performance we’ve seen from her previously and presenting a very real, very relatable artsy contemporary woman with big decisions to make. A sensitive, bawdy delight. —Tara Thorne