‘Babes’ Review: Humor And Heartfall In An Uneven Journey Through Motherhood

Women are humanities original 3-D printers! We can grow humans inside our bodies. However, that’s just the beginning of the journey of motherhood as things get much more difficult from there. Who better then to portray the ups and downs of raising children than Better Things creator Pamela Adlon, director of Babes and written by half of the Broad City creator duo Ilana Glazer, and co-writer Josh Rabinowitz. The complexities of modern motherdom are mined for both humor and pathos, but despite its noble intentions and moments of insight, the film often veers into the realm of the cringe-worthy rather than crafting the poignant commentary one might hope for from such a talented team.

The story centers on Eden (Glazer) and Dawn (Michelle Buteau), childhood best friends whose lives have diverged yet remain intertwined through their shared experiences of womanhood and growing up in NYC. Dawn, a meticulous dentist and a married mother living with two kids and her husband Marty (Hasan Minhaj) contrasts sharply with Eden, a carefree, single woman who runs a yoga studio out of her Brooklyn condo. The two wealthy girlies who have nothing in common but somehow get along after all these years.

The film’s plot is set into motion on Thanksgiving when Dawn’s water breaks during a movie outing. Inexplicably, rather than rushing to the hospital, the duo opts for lunch, (setting a precedent for the film’s often bewildering choices). When Dawn eventually gives birth, the portrayal of motherhood begins to unfold in earnest. This is juxtaposed by Eden’s spontaneous one-night stand with Claude (Stephen James). She’s not worried about an unexpected pregnancy. She doesn’t even think pregnancy is possible because she’s on her period. This lapse in judgement throws Eden’s and Dawn’s world upside down as a notoriously independent and single woman has to learn to be a mom.

The film’s treatment of Eden’s unplanned journey into motherhood is where Babes attempts to deliver its core message: the unanticipated, often overwhelming nature of parenthood. Adlon, known for her raw approach to portraying women’s lives in Better Things, tries to infuse Babes with a similar sensitivity. However, the execution is muddled by a script that swings wildly between cringe-worthy attempts at humor and genuine emotional depth. The portrayal of Eden learning about her pregnancy under a common misconception about menstruation and contraception is intended to be comedic, but instead the script wants the audience to believe a yoga instructor specializing in body awareness wouldn’t know basic facts about reproduction. Even in a comedic capacity, it doesn’t track.

Glazer and Buteau deliver performances that resonate, however, when they are together on screen, the experience can be grating as banter turns into rambling and inside jokes the audience isn’t in on. The film shines brightest in its quieter moments, particularly when Eden and Dawn aren’t interacting because that’s when the viewer sees the broader societal expectations placed on women, the isolation of motherhood, and the challenge of maintaining one’s identity amidst a major life change. As the film progresses, Eden and Dawn’s relationship strains under the pressures of their evolving roles as mothers, a potentially rich vein of drama that is only superficially mined. The narrative hints at deeper changes in their dynamic, but these developments are either resolved too quickly or not explored with the nuance they deserve.

Babes is a film of contradictions. It presents a series of vignettes on motherhood and female friendship that are at times touching and hilarious but often feel disjointed and unrealistic. The film’s pacing and tone fluctuate widely, and at nearly two hours, it feels both overstuffed and superficial. It does showcase moments of genuine emotion and humor, but it fails to deliver a cohesive or satisfying exploration of its central themes. It is a film that, much like its protagonists, seems still in search of its own identity, caught between the demands of genre expectations and the desire to say something true about the lived experiences of women today.

Title: Babes
Distributor: Neon
Release date: May 17, 2024
Director: Pamela Adlon
Screenwriter: Ilana Glazer and Josh Rabinowitz
Cast: Ilana Glazer, Michelle Buteau, Hasan Minhaj, John Carroll Lynch, Oliver Platt, Sandra Bernhard, and Elena Ouspenskaia
Rating: R
Running time: 1 hr 49 min