This is all a lot to fit into one movie. Beyond its complete unacceptability to any viewer who opposes the very idea of abortion—not the film's target audience, obviously—"Unpregnant" struggles with its ambition to be so many different things at the same time (five screenwriters are credited). Aspects of the film's story work well in one context (such as Veronica's political rants during the more straightforwardly dramatic scenes) but not in others. There's a tightly constructed, calculatedly outrageous sequence built around a couple of married Christian activists (Sugar Lyn Beard and "Clueless" alumnus Breckin Meyer). The action packed climax is deliriously absurd, and probably the peak for Goldenberg as a visual stylist, but it works at cross-purposes with the movie's otherwise earnest and compassionate tone. 

There are also times when the film fails to capitalize on the talents of its guest actors. The routinely brilliant Giancarlo Esposito is wasted as a conspiracy-minded, government-hating limo driver who helps the girls in the final leg of the tale. Australian singer Betty Who radiates star power as a female stock car driver named Kira who flirts with Bailey and shares a brief romantic interlude with her at a fairground, but she's never granted a plot function worthy of her magnetism. That "Unpregnant" keeps contriving increasingly dumb reasons to bring back the doofus-hunk Kevin to stalk and pester the heroine, but can't figure out how to engineer return appearances by a vastly more original character like Kira, testifies to the film's inability to figure out which parts of itself are worth placing in the spotlight. (With her imperious height, close-cropped blonde hair, and knowing smile, Who is an action hero-in-waiting; maybe George Miller will read this.)

Nevertheless, the film's solid grounding in friendship and comic teamwork carries the day. "Unpregnant" becomes more affecting as it goes along thanks to the sincere, committed, and mostly unaffected lead performances by Richardson and Ferreira. They struggle at first with a dynamic that's too familiar from other teen films (notably 2019's "Booksmart," with which it awkwardly shares comic bits), but their performances grow in depth and effectiveness with each new stop along the road. 

I love the way the film shows Veronica and Bailey's bond growing tighter by letting their reactions to big dramatic moments grow cooler and less extravagantly emotional. A couple of moments near the end that other movies would've milked for hugs and tears are downplayed in a way that feels true to real-life best-friendships. When you get each other as deeply as these two, you don't need every life milestone to be pumped up into a Hallmark moment. A smile or nod will do.

Now available on HBO Max.

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