While Hittman\u2019s drama deals with the topic of abortion through a social realist lens, Rachel Lee Goldenberg\u2019s adaptation of Jenni Hendriks and Ted Caplan\u2019s YA novel does so as a wild road trip comedy. That isn\u2019t to say Unpregnant<\/em> diminishes the seriousness of its subject through this treatment \u2013 quite the opposite. The premise, that a pregnant 17-year-old living in Missouri would have to drive all the way to New Mexico to get an abortion without parental consent, is itself absurd. But it\u2019s true, nonetheless. Every development added on top of this fact serves to highlight that silliness even more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The seventeen-year-old in this case is hyper-responsible Veronica (Haley Lu Richardson), a popular overachiever who gets pregnant by her doofy boyfriend, Kevin (Alex MacNicoll). Veronica has no plans to keep the baby, and meticulously plans a road trip from her home in Columbia, Missouri to Albuquerque, New Mexico, the nearest Planned Parenthood location where she can obtain an abortion without having telling her hyper-Catholic parents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Veronica needs help making the journey, but fears judgment from her family, friends and boyfriend. Her only option is outspoken, nerdy Bailey (Barbie Ferreira), a childhood friend who Veronica\u2019s long since grown apart from. Bailey grudgingly helps Veronica, and the girls reconnect while encountering all manner of situations and characters, including a clingy Kevin, a militantly pro-life couple (Breckin Meyer and Sugar Lyn Beard) and a grumpy-but-supportive limo driver (Giancarlo Esposito). <\/p>\n\n\n\n The success of Unpregnant<\/em> hinges on the friendship chemistry between Veronica and Bailey, and Richardson and Ferreira make a great pair. They each have their foibles; Veronica is oddly naive for being so driven, and Bailey is obnoxious, bordering on selfish at the start of the trip. However, once the pair hit their stride, they bounce well off each other. Richardson brings her infectious enthusiasm to a role that could\u2019ve easily felt grating, and Ferreira makes a believable loudmouth teenager.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The movie\u2019s treatment of abortion is non-judgmental and calm. Unpregnant<\/em> isn\u2019t a movie about a young woman faced with a difficult choice. Rather, it\u2019s about someone who\u2019s already made that choice, and is trying to get the people around her to respect that decision. There\u2019s no last-minute histrionics or moralizing about Veronica\u2019s unborn child. Once she finally makes it to the clinic, Veronica\u2019s experience is matter-of-fact and professionally handled. It\u2019s refreshing to see this subject portrayed in a way that asserts the main character\u2019s independence, rather than making her a victim or an irresponsible woman-child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unpregnant<\/em> feels like a YA adaptation in the best sense. It takes a big subject that applies to its core audience, and normalizes the experience \u2013 while also pointing out real-world problems surrounding it. The movie is a fun comedy, but it takes its central topics of abortion and female bodily autonomy seriously. Veronica and Bailey\u2019s trip is an absurd adventure as well as a bonding experience, but the movie never lets us forget that the \u201cabsurd\u201d part of that statement should never have to enter the equation in real life. Veronica and Bailey\u2019s story only exists because it\u2019s impossible for Veronica to live out a simpler version of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/unpregnant2-1024x621.png\")
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