• Home
  • Classic Reviews
  • 2015 Reviews
  • 2016 Reviews
  • 2017 Reviews
  • 2018 Reviews
  • 2019 Reviews
  • 2020 Reviews
  • 2021 Reviews
  • 2022 Reviews
  • 2023 Reviews
  • 2024 Reviews
  • 2025 Reviews
  • Movie Talk
  • Fan Fictions
    • Ed, Edd n Eddy: The Ultimate Ed-Chronicles >
      • The 'Beginnings' Saga >
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy: The Rise of Maleficent >
          • Ed, Edd n Eddy: The Rise of Maleficent Full Movie
        • Transformers: Legend of the Black Cauldron >
          • Transformers: Legend of the Black Cauldron Full Movie
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy meets the Penguins of Madagascar >
          • EEEMTPOM Full Movie
        • The Eds and Iron Man: Dawn of the Blowhole >
          • The Eds and Iron Man Full Movie
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy: The Fast and the Furious >
          • EEE: The Fast and the Furious Full Movie
        • The Eds and Kung Fu Panda: Battle for China >
          • The Eds and Kung Fu Panda Full Movie
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy and the Lion King: The Full Circle >
          • Ed, Edd n Eddy and the Lion King Full Movie
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy meets Thumbelina: Revenge of the Shredder >
          • Ed, Edd n Eddy meets Thumbelina Full Movie
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy: Journey to Neverland >
          • Ed, Edd n Eddy: Journey to Neverland Full Movie
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy: All Tangled Up >
          • Ed, Edd n Eddy: All Tangled Up Full Movie
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy's Frozen Adventure >
          • Ed, Edd n Eddy's Frozen Adventure Chapter One Full Movie
          • Ed, Edd n Eddy's Frozen Adventure Chapter Two Full Movie
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy's Edventures in San Fransokyo
      • The 'Avengers' Saga
      • Fastformers: Rio Heist
      • The Loud Ghostbusters
  • Contact
  • About

Unpregnant (2020)

9/15/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
“Unpregnant” stars Haley Lu Richardson, Barbie Ferreira, Alex MacNicoll, Breckin Meyer, Giancarlo Esposito, Sugar Lyn Beard, and Betty Who.  Released on HBO Max on September 10, 2020, the film is about a teenager who goes on a road trip with her former friend to get an abortion.

The film is directed by Rachel Lee Goldenberg, who is known for directing several films from The Asylum as well as directing “A Deadly Adoption” and the 2020 remake of “Valley Girl”.  It is based on the novel of the same name by Ted Caplan and Jenni Hendricks.  You can’t have a fun road trip without someone by your side, especially since this road trip involves getting an abortion.  HBO Max has gotten off to an impressive start with their original documentaries like “On the Record” and last month’s “Class Action Park”.  The latter is worth checking out, by the way.  Although, their original film library is having a hard time finding their footing.  I’m not really impressed with how “An American Pickle” turned out even though it has earned some good reviews from critics.  I enjoyed Seth Rogen’s performance, but the overall story wasn’t as delicious as a jar full of pickles.  So I was hoping that the next few films from HBO Max would be able to turn things around, including a film that deals with abortion.  I don’t watch a lot of films that involve this type of concept because let’s face it, abortions take away lives before they’re even born, and that’s no good.  Despite the fact that they’re good for teens who aren’t ready to handle that type of responsibility, I belong in a group that doesn’t support this heartless crime.  But don’t worry, I’m only viewing the film because of its cast and the positive reviews it’s been getting.  So with that in mind, let’s find out if this latest original film from HBO Max is worth a trip.

The story centers on Veronica Clarke (Richardson), a high school student who dreams of enrolling in an Ivy League college.  Her dream and her reputation are put into jeopardy, however, when she discovers that she is pregnant.  After she learns that she can’t get an abortion in her home state without her parents’ permission, she convinces her former friend Bailey Butler (Ferreira) to take her to the next nearest clinic to get one, which is in Albuquerque.  During their road trip, they attempt to rekindle their friendship while being forced to go through one mishap after another.  The plot is equivalent to “Never Rarely Sometimes Always”, which is another film that involves a road trip to get an abortion, with a small dash of inspiration from Ridley Scott’s “Thelma & Louise”.  You might understand what I mean if you saw one of the films I mentioned.  This is one of the subjects in film that can be a bit tricky to represent if you don’t know what you’re doing.  If you treat it poorly by making numerous jokes about it, you’ll be receiving death threats in the mail in a matter of minutes.  If you make it too dark and depressing, then it will become unwatchable for its target audience.  “Unpregnant” was able to properly balance this representation as well as deliver a fun and heartwarming tale about two former friends reconnecting with one another.  Its thematic depth wasn’t as deep as it could’ve been when it comes to its subject matter, but it didn’t hinder this compelling experience thanks to its mixture of light-hearted comedy and teen drama that treats its mature topic with respect and care.  Haley Lu Richardson delivered a performance that’s worthy of her talents as Veronica, but the real star here is Barbie Ferreira, who is known for starring in the HBO series “Euphoria”.  Ferreira’s character, Bailey, is someone who isn’t afraid to get a little crazy, but is also meaningful during specific moments in the film.  It’s the type of blend that Ferreira was successfully able to pull off mostly due to her charismatic performance and her chemistry with Richardson.  She’s basically one of the reasons why I found this film entertaining and endearing.  If you’re concerned that Ferreira’s character might ruin the film because of her personality, worry not.  She passed with flying colors in my book.  The rest of the cast, including Meyer and Esposito, also had some good moments that weren’t as memorable as the chemistry between the two main lead actresses, but were worthy enough to make it more watchable.  Truth be told, I was a bit baffled to see Goldenberg helm this type of film after directing several low-budget television films, including the Lifetime movie “A Deadly Adoption”.  At first, I was worried that the film might turn out to be as cheesy as those types of films, but after watching it for myself, I was surprised to see that she’s able to make it bearable and a bit more realistic.  Goldenberg offered a respectable balance in its tone that understood the issues of its sensitive topic without constantly making fun of it.  There was this one scene that I believe could’ve been ripped out of any low-brow road trip comedy, making its tonal shift not only unexpected, but a bit off-putting.  Aside from that, the film’s tone has a proper balance that doesn’t offend or alienate its audience.

Overall, “Unpregnant” is a road trip that isn’t as boring as a real-life road trip.  While it’s not a powerful portrayal of its themes, it has enough heart and humor to provide a well-acted and suitably-written comedy that’s not only entertaining, but also thoughtful.  Thanks to the chemistry between Richardson and Ferreira, Goldenberg’s direction, and a screenplay that’s both honest and funny, this is one of the better films that HBO Max has to offer.  Here’s hoping that the streaming service can keep that trend going in the future.
Picture

B

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Home of the most friendly movie reviews on the planet.

    Categories

    All
    2015 Reviews
    2016 Reviews
    2017 Reviews
    2018 Reviews
    2019 Reviews
    2020 Reviews
    2021 Reviews
    2022 Reviews
    2023 Reviews
    2024 Reviews
    2025 Reviews
    Classic Reviews
    Movie Talk
    The Oscars

    Follow Me

    Exclusive stuff on Patreon
    Follow me on Twitch
Copyright © 2015
  • Home
  • Classic Reviews
  • 2015 Reviews
  • 2016 Reviews
  • 2017 Reviews
  • 2018 Reviews
  • 2019 Reviews
  • 2020 Reviews
  • 2021 Reviews
  • 2022 Reviews
  • 2023 Reviews
  • 2024 Reviews
  • 2025 Reviews
  • Movie Talk
  • Fan Fictions
    • Ed, Edd n Eddy: The Ultimate Ed-Chronicles >
      • The 'Beginnings' Saga >
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy: The Rise of Maleficent >
          • Ed, Edd n Eddy: The Rise of Maleficent Full Movie
        • Transformers: Legend of the Black Cauldron >
          • Transformers: Legend of the Black Cauldron Full Movie
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy meets the Penguins of Madagascar >
          • EEEMTPOM Full Movie
        • The Eds and Iron Man: Dawn of the Blowhole >
          • The Eds and Iron Man Full Movie
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy: The Fast and the Furious >
          • EEE: The Fast and the Furious Full Movie
        • The Eds and Kung Fu Panda: Battle for China >
          • The Eds and Kung Fu Panda Full Movie
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy and the Lion King: The Full Circle >
          • Ed, Edd n Eddy and the Lion King Full Movie
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy meets Thumbelina: Revenge of the Shredder >
          • Ed, Edd n Eddy meets Thumbelina Full Movie
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy: Journey to Neverland >
          • Ed, Edd n Eddy: Journey to Neverland Full Movie
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy: All Tangled Up >
          • Ed, Edd n Eddy: All Tangled Up Full Movie
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy's Frozen Adventure >
          • Ed, Edd n Eddy's Frozen Adventure Chapter One Full Movie
          • Ed, Edd n Eddy's Frozen Adventure Chapter Two Full Movie
        • Ed, Edd n Eddy's Edventures in San Fransokyo
      • The 'Avengers' Saga
      • Fastformers: Rio Heist
      • The Loud Ghostbusters
  • Contact
  • About