Obvious Child

 ( 2014 Romantic Comedy-drama Films ) 

Posters for the film advertised it as an "abortion comedy". Gillian Robespierre said that she found the descriptor reductive, but also said that she was pleased that the word "abortion" was being used on the film's poster and in headlines about the film. Writing for Entertainment Weekly, Emily Blake speculated that the film's lack of recognition in mainstream award circles may have been due to its label as "the abortion comedy". NBC drew criticism for requesting that the word "abortion" be removed from an online advertisement for the film; it apologized after a petition circulated by Planned Parenthood accused the network of censorship. The film was marketed in conjunction with the abortion-rights organization NARAL Pro-Choice America.

The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray in North America on October 7, 2014. Extra features include an audio commentary with Robespierre, Elisabeth Holm and Jenny Slate, a featurette about the film's production, a collection of extended scenes, and the original 2009 Obvious Child short film on which the feature was based.

Peter Travers described Obvious Child as "uniquely special" in Rolling Stone, while The Washington Post Ann Hornaday described it as "one of the most startlingly honest romantic comedies to appear onscreen in years". Ty Burr of The Boston Globe found the characters sympathetic and realistic, and enjoyed the humor. The New York Times chief critic A. O. Scott praised the film for striking a balance between humor and sentimentality, writing, "It's both funny and serious without trying too hard to be either, and by trying above all to be honest." Peter Debruge described Jenny Slate as "wildly funny" in Variety, while Marc Mohan called her performance "endearing and real" in The Oregonian. The Hollywood Reporter Todd McCarthy was also impressed by Slate's performance and opined that the supporting cast members were equally impressive.

Numerous critics praised Obvious Child for its portrayal of abortion, including Dana Stevens of Slate, who wrote that the way Donna's abortion was portrayed was humane and politically neutral but also that the film, "for all its lightness of tone, is radical". In a review for The Guardian, Xan Brooks described the film as "fresh and funny and really rather brave" for handling a controversial topic that other filmmakers routinely avoid. New York critic David Edelstein called Robespierre "brave enough to be ambivalent" in choosing not to include a blatant political message in the film. The San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle similarly concluded that "If the movie has a political statement, it's a subtle one"; he also praised the film for treating the topic sincerely while still maintaining a humorous tone.

Conversely, Michelle Golberg suggested in a review for The Nation that the film's popularity with critics was not due to its quality but rather its taboo subject matter: "If the ordinary drama of abortion were more regularly represented in the movies, Obvious Child wouldn't be much more than an amusing hipster diversion." Kate Taylor of The Globe and Mail expressed a similar sentiment and opined that many of the film's jokes were crude and lacking in humor. USA Today Scott Bowles also found Obvious Child unfunny, describing the characters as "so morbid and whiny that the jokes don't work, even as irony".

The film was criticized by a variety of conservative and anti-abortion groups and publications. In an article for The Human Life Review, Mary Rose Somarriba dismissed the film as "obvious propaganda". Katelyn Beaty, meanwhile, who reviewed Obvious Child for Christianity Today, wrote: "While I ultimately disagree with Robespierre's political aims, at the least she has provided a sometimes funny, often tender portrait of many (though not all) women who face an unplanned pregnancy."