Babes: A Fun, Unflinching Look At Pregnancy & Friendship [Review]

If Bridesmaids is the quintessential comedy centered around female friendship and weddings, Babes could be the same for friendship and pregnancy.

The film follows two inseparable childhood best friends Eden (Ilana Glazer) and Dawn (Michelle Buteau). The pair, who grew up together in NYC, now find themselves in firmly different phases of adulthood. Dawn is married and kicks off the story with the birth of her second child; meanwhile, Eden is living her best single, child-free life.

But after a brief but meaningful connection during a one-night stand, Eden finds out she’s pregnant. She decides to have the baby on her own – just as Dawn is being forced to grapple with the fact that caring for a newborn is actually not that much easier the second time around. As they struggle with pregnancy and parenthood, Eden and Dawn’s friendship starts to strain.

The friendship between Dawn and Eden drives Babes, and that dynamic definitely delivers. Buteau and Glazer have great chemistry, charm, and comedic timing; it’s easy to believe we’re getting a glimpse into the lives of lifelong friends. Eden and Dawn have obscure, must-be-upheld traditions like going to the movies on Thanksgiving day. At one point, they have a whole conversation just by saying “Bitch!” back-and-forth in different intonations. It’s excellent. 

Their love for one another is intense and unyielding and maybe a little codependent, and it knows no boundaries. Yes, Eden is going to get on her knees and look up Dawn’s dress to see if she’s dilated. No, this is not weird for either of them. They’re so intertwined and attuned to one another, other people might get uncomfortable.

(But as I always like to say, if other people don’t think your relationship is a bit much sometimes, are you even best friends?)

Besides the delight of its central friendship, Babes makes a splash by diving into the deep end of pregnancy. The film takes a no-holds-barred approach to the subject, unflinchingly graphic in its language (though fairly reserved in its visuals). If you haven’t been pregnant yourself or haven’t had a very close relationship with a pregnant person, you’ll probably hear more about bodily fluids and insane hormones in Babes than ever before. You’ll laugh more about them, too.

Far less sanitized than most other media involving pregnancy, Babes doesn’t pull its punches. I had the unexpectedly entertaining viewing experience of seeing the movie seated near a man who was learning some of the bodily horrors of childbirth for the first time. “Fourth degree tear? What’s -” he muttered to the person next to him, followed by a very distressed “Oh” when the penny dropped. So while the movie will undoubtedly go over well with those who can relate to the magic and horror of pregnancy, I’m willing to bet Babes can make an impact on any audience.

However, I did find that the film’s frank, ultra-realistic approach to depicting pregnancy could make other aspects seem false or candy-coated in comparison. For instance, the story only vaguely alludes to the financial burden of having kids, and doesn’t delve much into how that affects either character. Things like attending doctor’s appointments, securing childcare and doulas, and getting necessary baby supplies are present in the story, but they exist more like a “to do list”; stressful because they need to be checked off, but otherwise not deeply affecting their lives as much as they probably should.

Babes maintains a pretty sunshiney, optimistic outlook throughout the film. That’s fine for the comedic element, but it sometimes undercuts the darker and more emotional side of things needed to center its grounded look at pregnancy and parenthood.

Still, overall Babes proves a pretty fun watch. Dawn and Eden’s friendship easily carries the story, and there are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments in this one. If you love strong female friendships and a bit of raunchy humor, you won’t be disappointed.

Babes premieres in theaters May 17.