A One Mann’s Movies review of “Babes” (2024).
“Babes”… no not the delayed sequel to the talking pig (well if Alien and Twister can do it…!). This was the Cineworld preview last night prior to its general release at the end of the week. It could have been subtitled “Booksmart – 10 years later” as we follow two NYC best buddies navigating their way through childbirth and parenthood.
Sadly, while Booksmart made my 2019 films of the year list, Babes will not be troubling my 2024 list.
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
Plot Summary:
Eden (Ilana Glazer) and Dawn (Michelle Buteau) are lifelong buddies. Dawn is married to Marty (Hasan Minhaj) and about to give birth to her second child. Eden is a footloose and fancy-free single girl up for partying and one-night stands. But when she shares her bed for the night with the charismatic actor Claude (Stephan James) her life changes forever.
Certification:
UK: 15; US: R. (From the BBFC web site: “Strong language, sex references, drug misuse”.)
Talent:
Starring: Ilana Glazer, Michelle Buteau, Hasan Minhaj, Stephan James, John Carroll Lynch, Oliver Platt, Elena Ouspenskaia, Sandra Bernhard.
Directed by: Pamela Adlon.
Written by: Ilana Glazer & Josh Rabinowitz.
Twitter Handle: #BabesMovie.
Running Time: 1h 44m.
“Babes” Summary:
Positives:
- Some funny moments that made me laugh.
- A genuinely moving birth scene.
- Ilana Glazer is a fine comedy actress.
Negatives:
- Trying too hard to be “Booksmart“.
- The laughs were sporadic with more missing than hitting.
Review of “Babes”:
Booksmart 2: The friendship continues.
I loved Olivia Wilde’s “Booksmart” from 2019. It made my number 4 film of that year. I wonder, was it also a favourite film of “Babes” writers? It often felt that way. The opening scene is almost EXACTLY the same as “Booksmart“, such that I wonder if Glazer and Rabinowitz were giving Wilde’s film a polite nod. There’s even a drug-induced fantasy scene in the middle that feels awfully familiar.
Sadly, for me, this didn’t have quite the same appeal. The writing is not consistently sharp enough; Michelle Buteau is good here, but she is no Beanie Feldstein; and however good Ilana Glazer is here – and she is very good – she can’t match Kaitlyn Dever in her brilliant breakout performance. Actually, the film works best when it is NOT trying to be “Booksmart“.
It’s not a Nora Ephron film either.
When covering relationship troubles in New York, it also at times feels like it’s trying to emulate classic Nora Ephron. (The film even has a line of dialogue where Eden’s Dad (Oliver Platt) proclaims that he can’t make their relationship feel like a Nora Ephron movie!). But that’s an overly ambitions target. With that being said, some of the drama in here is nicely done, with the relationship between Eden and Claude, beautifully developed on a long subway journey, taking a surprisingly dark turn that was impressive.
The film also has a birth scene that I found truly emotional, with some great acting by the impressive star/co-writer Ilana Glazer: I must be sensitive about the emotion of such scenarios. But although I wasn’t in floods of tears as I was for Lily James’s equivalent scene in “Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again“, there was certainly something in my eye during this scene.
“The Omen” is not a suitable babysitting tool!
There were also some good laughs in here too, that many viewers who are, or have previously, experienced the torture of young parenthood, will relate to. The use of “The Omen” as Eden babysits Dawn’s 3-year old is also funny in delivering predictable results!
Sadly though, the film’s comedy is patchy. There are two many periods of banter between Glazer and Buteau where I was left stony-faced amd mildly annoyed.
Ilana Glazer is a comedy actor to watch
Despite my reservations about the film in general, I really did enjoy the performance of Ilana Glazer as our leading player. She exudes a comedy energy that is infectious. I’d like to see her in a better-written film playing off against someone like Kumail Nanjiani.
Monkeys?
There’s no monkey at the end of the credits. You’re welcome.
Summary Thoughts on “Babes”
This is an uneven comedy/drama that fires on some cylinders but not others. I actually had this at a slightly lower rating that I’ve given it since its one where, on reflection, a lot of the scenes WERE very funny. It might be worth me rewatching it when it’s streaming to see if my funny-bone was just in a uncooperative mood!
“Babes” is in cinemas from Friday, August 9th.
Where to Watch it (Powered by Justwatch)
Trailer for “Babes”:
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4mICRkuT00 . Note that this is the red band trailer so NSFW!
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