Unpregnant Review: A Fun & Funny Road Trip Comedy About Getting An Abortion

Hollywood is no stranger to road trip comedies, but HBO Max’s Unpregnant puts a new spin on the genre with a tale about two high school girls who travel across state lines because one of them needs an abortion. Directed by Rachel Lee Goldenberg (Valley Girl), Unpregnant is based on the 2019 book of the same name by Jenni Hendriks and Ted Caplan. Hendriks and Caplan also serve as screenwriters on Unpregnant, joined by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (Someone Great), Goldenberg and Bill Parker (Princess and the Pony). The movie is HBO Max’s second original feature film to debut on the new streaming service, following Seth Rogen’s American Pickle. Unpregnant delivers a fun and entertaining road trip comedy about female friendship and abortion, with compelling performances from its two leads.

Unpregnant stars Haley Lu Richardson (Five Feet Apart) as 17-year-old Veronica Clarke, a perfect-seeming high school student who unexpectedly becomes pregnant. With plans to attend an Ivy League college after graduation, Veronica decides she’ll get an abortion. However, since she lives in Missouri, and getting an abortion would require parental consent as she’s under 18, Veronica decides to drive 1000 miles to New Mexico for the procedure. But with her friends being too preoccupied and her boyfriend Kevin (Alex MacNicoll) proposing instead of being supportive, Veronica turns to her childhood best friend Bailey Butler (Barbie Ferreira). Together, the two make the trek to New Mexico, and though they hit plenty of roadblocks along the way, Veronica and Bailey are determined to get to Albuquerque.

Taken at its basic premise, Unpregnant certainly could have been a more serious drama (and, in fact, the premise of a girl crossing state lines to get an abortion is the story of 2020 drama Never Rarely Sometimes Always), but the new HBO Max movie errs more toward a blend of road trip comedy and coming of age drama. To be clear, Unpregnant doesn’t make a joke of abortion, and the actual depiction of the procedure is frank and realistic. But the film certainly pokes fun at the difficulties of getting an abortion for many women in the United States – though it’s not crass, more of a cathartic kind of humor. There’s one particular scene when Richardson’s Veronica lets loose her frustrations about the legislature that necessitated her road trip and while some may find it preachy, it’s unexpectedly cathartic to see a young girl screaming about the ways in which the U.S. government tries to control her body. Girls so rarely get to be angry in a way that might make those around them (particularly men) uncomfortable, but Unpregnant doesn’t shy away from any aspect of being a teenage girl, including the realities of getting an abortion.

At the core of Unpregnant’s story, though, is the friendship between Veronica and Bailey, which is essentially nonexistent at the start of the film, but is rekindled over the course of their trip. Their relationship is the heart of the movie, and Richardson and Ferreira do a fantastic job of bringing that dynamic to life. The actresses have plenty of charm in their own solo scenes – and Richardson in particular elevates Unpregnant with her nuanced performance – but together, they offer the movie the levity and heart it needs to succeed. In Unpregnant, Richardson and Ferreira are joined by some solid supporting cast members, including Giancarlo Esposito in a brief but memorable role as limousine driver Bob, as well as Breckin Meyer and Sugar Lyn Beard as a couple who offer Veronica and Bailey a ride. Singer Betty Who also makes a brief appearance as a racecar driver on whom Bailey forms a crush. Altogether it’s a solid cast that helps to build out the world of Unpregnant, but it’s Richardson and Ferreira who shine the brightest.

Where Unpregnant falters a bit is in the development of the main characters’ motivations. Because the movie aims to be a light and breezy road trip comedy, it struggles to dig deeper into Veronica and Bailey’s relationships with their families and, in particular, Veronica’s desperation to get to Albuquerque. Instead, Unpregnant forces viewers to infer that depth based on a few lines of dialogue, like passing comments about Veronica’s “jesus freak” parents (though her father is never even seen) and her acceptance into Brown. Certainly, those aspects of abortion stories are well-tread, and Unpregnant clearly aims to not be that kind of story, but it leaves the movie feeling a little thematically thin. Goldenberg has something to say in Unpregnant, but that message sometimes gets muddled amidst the car chases and montages set to Kelly Clarkson.

Ultimately, though, Unpregnant tells a story not often seen in cinema from a perspective that’s even rarer in movies about abortion, and that alone makes it worth checking out. Beyond that, Unpregnant is also a genuinely fun trip, with Richardson and Ferreira taking viewers along for the ride and welcoming the audience into the friendship of Veronica and Bailey. It may not be the most intimate or character-driven of stories about abortion, but it offers a different and equally compelling take on a procedure that’s so rarely talked about despite so many women having undergone it. HBO Max subscribers looking for something new to check out – or even those who are not subscribed to HBO Max – would do well with giving Unpregnant a watch. Just sit back and enjoy the ride.

Unpregnant is now streaming on HBO Max. It is 104 minutes long and rated PG-13 for mature thematic content, sexual content, strong language and some drug references.

Let us know what you thought of the film in the comments section!

About The Author

Molly Freeman
(2548 Articles Published)

Molly Freeman is the lead news editor of Screen Rant and one of Screen Rant’s Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved movie critics. She’s been writing for Screen Rant since 2014 and has appeared on the Total Geekall podcast. Previously, she’s written entertainment news for Bustle and had personal essays published on HelloGiggles and Femsplain.

A graduate of Ithaca College’s Journalism program, Molly originally planned to be a music journalist before moving into entertainment journalism after spending so much of her downtime binge-watching all manner of movies and TV during her formative years. Still, she enjoys every chance to put her music and musical theater knowledge to good use, particularly when it intersects with her love of superhero movies.

Beyond that, Molly spends her free time reading young adult and romance novels, rooting for the New York Rangers hockey team (LGR!) and going out to brunch. Follow Molly on Twitter and Instagram @mollyrockit, or contact her directly: molly(at)screenrant(dot)com.

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