Though we’re still feeling the effects of last year’s strikes (which, to clarify, were good and this is worth what they fought for), the first half of 2024 has been blessed enough to have actual comedies in theaters. Lisa Frankenstein, Problemista, Drive-Away Dolls, Stress Positions, and now the directorial debut of Pamela Adlon, Babes, are all comedies with jokes that have punchlines, not just weird awkward silences or fake pathos that feels unearned. Babes, written by Ilana Glazer and Josh Rabinowitz, feels like more of an extension of Broad City than Better Things, but the hearts of both series are felt throughout. Glazer and Michelle Buteau have an easy, lived-in rapport as two friends entering the next stage of adulthood together, even when it’s ill-advised.

Eden (Ilana Glazer) and Dawn (Michelle Buteau) are happily codependent New York besties, sharing everything from meals to poop pics. After witnessing the birth of Dawn’s second child, Eden heads home and ends up having a one-night stand with a handsome stranger (Stephan James). Fast forward to a mom’s night out involving shrooms, and Eden discovers she’s pregnant. To Dawn’s surprise and hesitation, Eden decides she wants to keep the baby even if the father is ghosting her.

The film follows Eden through her entire pregnancy, tracking her progress with regular check-ins with her doctor (John Carroll Lynch, making a meal of his supporting role with his own story arc). Here is where Adlon’s influence is felt – so much of Better Things is about going to weird doctors’ appointments and other banal check-ups. Adlon understands the surreal stress of real life, and Glazer and Buteau turn that stress into big laughs. The women clearly had a blast improvising some jokes, but things never feel bloated or drawn out for the sake of letting actors play. Babes moves along at a nice clip, careening from yoga mishaps to traumatic sewage disasters without forgetting Dawn and Eden’s relationship among the disgusting realities of pregnancy.

Babes could have easily been tossed to streaming and lost in the waves, but Neon is giving it a fighting chance with this theatrical release. Hopefully audiences of all ages, but moms especially, will get to see themselves on the big screen and cringe and laugh together. And of course, can’t wait to see what Pamela Adlon is working on next.

Babes
2024
110 min
Dir. Pamela Adlon

Opens Friday, 5/17 @ Coolidge Corner Theatre