“Babes” (2024) is about two friends, Eden (Ileana Glazer) and Dawn (Michelle Buteau), who have known each other since childhood and are at different stages in their lives. In the opening, Dawn is expecting her second child and Eden still lives in their old neighborhood in Queens, single and carefree. After a one-night stand, Eden gets pregnant after a one-night stand and gets Dawn to promise that Dawn will stand by her regardless of what she decides. Will Eden regret her choice, and will Dawn keep her promise?
Almost every critic in Boston was at a screening for “I Saw the TV Glow” (2024) while I and five others were at the screening for “Babes.” I love a comedy set in Manhattan, have enjoyed Buteau’s stand up and am drawn to stories about female friendships. Plus I was invited to “I Saw the TV Glow” at a later date when the director Jane Schoenbrun would receive an award so as I am wont, I took the countercultural route, and maybe this time it was a mistake. The movie was a bit conventional, played it safe and was ultimately uneven.
“Babes” was at its strongest in the opening. For twenty-seven years, the pair has celebrated Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday, by seeing a movie together, and it is getting harder to keep up the tradition. For Eden, the commute to visit her friend is onerous and time consuming: multiple trains and hours. For Dawn, it is almost logistically impossible with all the demands of having a family. The film does a great job of being sympathetic to both while also depicting their blind spots. Eden does expect a lot from Dawn, but Eden also is willing to make sacrifices because she treasures their relationship. Dawn takes Eden’s commitment for granted and believes that she should get more passes because she has a family, but she is also dealing with a lot and cannot give herself any grace. Glazer and Buteau are believable as lifelong pals.
The supporting cast is strong as well. Hasan Minaj plays Marty, Dawn’s husband, and he is vying for the best on-screen father and husband of 2024. He loves his wife and kids through actions and words. Stephan James appears briefly as Dawn’s meet cute in a tough role. Glazer and James must act as if it makes sense to have unprotected sex with each other because their chemistry is so good, and they are careful, honest people acting foolishly for one night otherwise the entire movie falls could apart if Eden seems less like a free spirit and more like a careless person, which never happens thanks to James acting as the film’s anchor. John Carroll Lynch strikes the right tone as Eden’s gynecologist, Dr. Gil. Lynch has a history of appearing as terrifying characters so he defies typecasting by convincing us that he is a decent man, not a perv, who defers to women in spite of the biases in his profession of ignoring women’s concerns. Crystal Finn appears in the beginning and the end of “Babes” as Nurse Sharon, who is sweet to the children and has less of a pleasing bedside manner to the mothers. Oliver Platt has a cameo as Eden’s unreliable but loving dad, which seems like an oxymoron and pulled punches considering how Eden describes him as a deadbeat, but Platt makes it work and even had a hard-hearted person such as myself wondering if Eden got it wrong.
Some talented comedians fell flat such as Sandra Bernhard, who played Dawn’s dentist colleague. The lines sounded funny, but the delivery made those laughs evaporate. The Lucas Brothers, Keith and Kenneth, fared better near the end of their appearances as coworkers at the Twins STI Testing at Astoria, which appears in the trailer. Along with many of the film’s best moments. While a comedy can address serious issues and take a somber tone, it also must be funny, and it relies heavily on scatological humor, which did work occasionally, but was more informative in warning people about the reality of pregnancy on bodies. “Babes” began to veer off into straight drama as the friends face different stages of motherhood, which pulls them apart.
It would be better if “Babes” was an indie drama that was funnier than expected instead of a comedy that is not as humorous as one hoped. Glazer is a broad comedian, not a subtle one, which can feel needy and demanding whereas Buteau is a natural. The funniest moments were references to a famous classic horror film, which elicited extra laughs because the film’s franchise is currently in theaters. Coincidence or deliberate?
If you enjoy Glazer’s schtick then you are in for a treat. Her dramatic turns were powerful, especially as she begins to realize how alone she is. Unfortunately Glazer, who cowrote the script with Josh Rabinowitz, who collaborates with her in “Broad City,” cling to formula to the detriment of their film. Unlike the delightful and perfect “The Spy Who Dumped Me” (2018), Glazer and Rabinowitz hang a lot of the tension on whether these two lifelong friends will finally break up, which is a ridiculous trope and is a complete turnoff that almost may make you want them to do so.
Also gentrification has hit the Midwest and the entire world. Unlike “Bridesmaids” (2011), the economic reality of living near the Big Apple is nonexistent. Everyone lives in beautiful brownstones or in vast open concept apartments the size of a floor in a building. Poverty is not walking up the stairs because there is no elevator. People who live on Charles Street suffer the same hardships. The denouement also rests on Dawn making a dangerous financial decision to prove her devotion to Eden. Absolutely not. It would be easier to be nice to her friend. It is also a film set in the pandemic which never addresses the pandemic—there is outdoor seating, a theater has posters for “The King of Staten Island” (2020) and “Vampires vs. the Bronx” (2020). Sure the theater could have a repertory program, but really?
On a sad note, “Babes” is dedicated to the memory of Kevin Barnett, a comedian who appeared on “Broad City” and died at thirty-two years old. His death probably inspired one of the characters in the film. I did not know that Barnett would appear in the dedication. I expected that character to have a similar demise, and in retrospect, it makes sense why this character was permitted to have such a huge impact in a brief period. It worked and shows that the writers need to embrace dramas.
Pamela Adlon, an actor who is probably best known for “Better Things,” makes her directorial debut. She makes my hometown look gorgeous. Some of her nicest work is when Glazer and Buteau share the screen. Adlon did not mess up, and she did not stand out, which is solid. Not everyone has to come up with something new and fresh. Just do your job, which is logistically challenging. If she played it too safe, it was by letting the dialogue be filthier than the set or actors as their water broke, or they shat themselves. I’ll still sign a waiver because it may be the exception to the “show, don’t tell” rule.
“Babes” is out after Mother’s Day, but it probably will not be the definitive film of the season, which is a shame and missed opportunity to bring a little subversion into the Hallmark movie. Buy a ticket if you want to support women, but if you want nonstop laughter, don’t say that I didn’t warn you.
