The distinction between friends and family is very narrow for some people, with the term “chosen family” becoming increasingly popular as a description for those close, intimate friendships that feel like a genuine, lifelong connection being made between people who are otherwise not related, but still play an important role in the others’ lives. However, like any relationship, even the closest of friends can undergo rough patches, which become even more notable in situations where it stands in the way of life and its inevitable progress. A true friend is one who will be there for you in the most difficult moments, but also does not impede on their development and ongoing individual journey towards whatever the future holds. This unusually verbose but still relevant preamble begins our discussion on Babes, a film in which Pamela Adlon makes her directorial debut, working from a script written by Illana Glazer and Josh Rabinowitz, in which the former plays a quirky millennial New Yorker who believes that she has her life entirely under control, when in reality nothing could be further from the truth – her best friend has recently had her second child and intends to become more serious about both her family and her career, which leaves our protagonist partially alone, forced to wonder about her own future and how she has wasted so much time on juvenile actions, and has failed to mature appropriately. A one-night stand eventually results in a surprising pregnancy – but her beau ends up dying unexpectedly, which throws the young woman into a state of deep confusion as she wonders about her future, all the while taking this misfortune as a learning opportunity and a chance to mature. A very charming film that is nonetheless quite limited in its scope, but still extremely entertaining for a number of reasons, Babes proves to be a relatively solid, well-crafted comedy with some good ideas and an abundance of heart, enough to compensate for some of its more obvious shortcomings.

One of the best aspects of a film like Babes is that there is very little need to conceal its intentions under layers of heavy-handed commentary or over-the-top allegory, since everything is made quite clear from the first moments, particularly the thematic content that will drive the entire film. Adlon, who has done her fair share of writing and television directing in the past, implicitly understands the methods of telling a story effectively without needing to rely too heavily on tropes or conventions, nor infusing it with needless or superfluous elements that add very little to the narrative and only make the journey to its core longer and less entertaining. Babes is a film about female friendship, and how they can change as time progresses – it may not get weaker, but it certainly does tend to serve a different purpose as the years pass by, which can be a daunting experience when we realise that the reckless days of youthful abandon are not always feasible in adulthood. Glazer has often examined similar themes in some of her previous work – her television masterpiece Broad City found her and co-creator Abbi Jacobson often examining some of these ideas (particularly how difficult it can be to navigate early adulthood in a metropolis as sprawling and unforgiving as New York City), but here it takes a more complex form, especially since she isn’t restricted by the time and resource limitations usually imposed by sitcoms. We find her expanding on some very interesting themes with precision and heart, which is more than enough to justify some of the choices she makes throughout, and establishes a solid foundation on which the film can allow many of its underlying ideas to flourish organically and with stark precision. Add to this broader set of themes the conversations around womanhood in the modern world, particularly being a single mother, and we start to realise the true scope of Babes, which is a far better film than many may be willing to give it credit for in terms of its intentions and narrative ideals.

In addition to writing the screenplay, Glazer also takes on the leading role of Eden, a young woman who believes she has her life sorted out, when in reality she is hopelessly lost, and becomes more isolated by the day as a result of her refusal to actually mature, which eventually pushes those closest to her away. Casting herself in the central role may seem slightly vain, but considering she is primarily a performer, it’s understandable that she’d write herself parts that she feels represent her specific talents, and she’s certainly entertaining enough to earn our respect and admiration, even if the actual film is slightly limited in terms of what she gives herself to do. The better of the two main roles is occupied by the equally hilarious Michelle Buteau, who is outrageously funny but also finds a pathos beneath the surface of this complex character that draws our attention. It’s certain that Babes will be the first introduction many have to Buteau, since she is relatively popular amongst certain audiences, but hasn’t quite broken out to the mainstream just yet, which will likely change as more people see this film, which is a perfect encapsulation of all of her talents. The supporting cast is filled with memorable performers – John Carroll Lynch (one of the great character actors of his generation) is unexpectedly moving as the doctor that guides the protagonist through her journey, while the likes of Sandra Bernhard (who should most certainly do much more acting work), Stephan James, Oliver Platt and Hasan Minhaj all make for wonderful additions to a cast that may be secondary to the two leads, but have such extraordinary detail in how they balance humour and pathos, we can’t help but be utterly entranced by the work of the entire ensemble.

Babes is certainly not a perfect film, and there are certain elements that don’t quite mesh as well as we might hope, despite the very qualified people who hold court on both sides of the camera. Adlon has a strong command of the craft, but she’s also a novice as far as feature directing may go, and there are moments where it feels like she is approaching this film like it is an episode of a television comedy, with some of the more obvious filming techniques and approaches to the underlying material feeling somewhat imperfect, even at their strongest moments. Part of this is also a result of the screenplay, and while Glazer is very gifted as a writer, she doesn’t give enough space to many of these themes when it comes to developing the story and expanding on some of its more intricate, meaningful ideas. However, credit should be given where its due, and we can be a lot more sympathetic to this film and its approach by realising that its imperfections are not fatal to our overall relationship with this film and what it represents, since it a solid, well-meaning comedy that understands that simplicity is ultimately the best approach, and it goes out of its way to prove its merits, which are quieter and more subtle than its more bombastic elements that are ultimately just there to support the more serious ideas. Perhaps the flaw here was not knowing the right tone in which to tell this story – Babes starts as a more eccentric, off-the-wall work that seems to be driven less by its themes and more by attempts to make the viewer laugh, and while there are some genuinely funny moments of gross-out or surreal humour throughout, the elements that work the best are the more tender, heartfelt sequences in which the real emotions emerge. These are the moments that make this film worth our time, and more of them would have provided a far more nuanced and captivating experience.

At a cursory glance, Babes feels quite derivative and doesn’t seem to have much appeal outside of being a solid, well-crafted female buddy comedy. However, the further we look at the film and its underlying ideas, the more we start to see the merits that linger beneath the surface, particularly in how this is essentially a deeply moving examination of motherhood and femininity that touches on themes that are far more engaging than its broader exterior would suggest. It may not dive as deep into the narrative nuances as we may hope, and it can sometimes come across as slightly overwrought as a result of its efforts to show its depth (ultimately having the opposite effect), but it doesn’t become entirely unconvincing, with the overall film being much more entrancing than we may have initially expected. It’s primarily going to appeal to those who are already invested in these story of millennial women navigating the challenges of contemporary femininity and their existential crises that come with existing at this very peculiar place in time, but even those who aren’t entirely convinced may find some merit in this film, which is a charming affair and a much better examination of a lot of these themes than we may have initially expected. Upbeat and engaging, but also very moving when it wants to be, Babes is a delight and will hopefully lead to further film opportunities for Adlon, Glazer and the entire cast, all of whom are wonderful and deserve every bit of praise for the exceptional work they do in bringing this story to life.