Unpregnant

Road trips are relatively pretty common in teen comedy-dramas. With how many decades those type of adventures tend to occur with characters that are near the end of either middle or high school, it takes quite a bit to make sure it helps them stand out. They tend to follow a simple but effective formula of establishing the main protagonists status with their loves ones before the journey, they encounter a variety of detours/stops on the way that either acts as filler or allows some development via banter among the travelers, shenanigans ensue, an argument temporarily splits up the crew, and then they make up near the end while displaying a change for the protagonist. This brings us to Unpregnant, which was directed by Rachel Lee Goldenberg. is based on the book of the same name, and was released on HBO Max. My only exposure to this feature was hearing some positive buzz about it on Twitter. I managed to check it out on the streaming platform and after finishing it, ended up liking but not loving it. 

What's it about? After discovering her own pregnancy, a 17-year old embarks on a road trip with her former friend to a clinic in Albuquerque where she can get an abortion without her parents consent (Michigan State Legislature prohibits it). There are attributes presented here that feel in line with another female lead 2018 film, Booksmart. The tension between the two leads isn't anything new but the chemistry and banter feels nicely watchable. It does have the formula of traveling from point A to B with detours and some wild antics that range from standard to kinda crazy.

However, for all that is does well, the weaknesses of the Booksmart are also in play here to hold it back. Something that can get annoying is its reliance on its soundtrack when it's going into montage mode that feels like padding to a degree. There are elements of the story that are simply told instead of showing it that prevent it from displaying a before/after with the main one being about the main protagonists mother. The audience is briefly informed that her mom has a religious outlook on pregnancies but we don't see much of an interaction of that until the aftermath of what happens (it's a missed opportunity). The side detours taken don't feel like they make much of an impression with 1 or 2 exceptions. The formulaic approach with its narrative makes the events fairly predictable in the end. 

 

How are the actors? In regards to story importance, the actors to focus on are Haley Lu Richardson and Barbie Ferreira. Haley does a fairly competent job as a that teen who loves to plan ahead for her future while trying to figure out her own wants. Barbie gives a good energetic performance of that friend who goes with the flow but doesn't bumble around as you would expect. The chemistry between the two is pretty solid as they deliver on that dynamic together in some cool moments. Dishonorable mention goes to Alex MacNicoll who was putting in half the effort into her cliched role versus the other supporting cast. 

 

Overall Consensus: Unpregnant is a pleasant road trip adventure that's bolstered by the chemistry of lead performances, solid banter in conflict, and nice laidback tone but suffers from overused music, predictable narrative, and a missed opportunity. ⭑⭑⭑3/4 Runtime: 1 hour 44 minutes PG-13

 

Reasons to watch it: You like any of the aforementioned actors and/or director Rachel Lee Goldenberg. You are in the mood for a chill female bonding journey and don't mind familiar narrative formula. You want to see some cliched character obstacles along the way.

 

Reasons to avoid it: You dislike any of the aforementioned actors and/or director Rachel Lee Goldenberg. You aren't in the mood for predictable journey that's abundant of music montages and not very memorable pit stops. You dislike cliched character obstacles.