Unexpected (2015) Reviews

• Same circumstance, different experiences

  StevePulaski2015-08-04

  Unexpected is precisely the kind of film one well-acquainted with the mumblecore subgenre in film would expect Kris Swanberg, the wife of director/writer/producer/actor/do-it-all-man Joe Swanberg would make, and that's by no means a bad thing. Her husband has made a career making no-budget films revolving around millennials grappling with happiness, personal enrichment, existential dread, technology, sexual angst, sexual tension, and relationships, and here, in her third feature, following two decidedly smaller efforts, Unexpected tackles a story of two people going through the same tribulation/blessing and finding themselves seeing different experiences. We focus on Samantha Abbott (Cobie Smulders), a young teacher at an underfunded public school in Chicago that will see its doors close following this school year. Samantha, being one of the only white teachers in the largely urban school, does something few of her peers seem to do, which is encourage her students to apply for college, even going as far as to sit with them individually while they apply and work out possible financial aid opportunities. One day, however, Samantha discovers she is pregnant with her boyfriend John (Anders Holm). Samantha doesn't know how this will effect her future, especially when she has John declaring she can take a year or two off of work to raise the kid while he'll float the family with his income. However, this idea doesn't sit well with Samantha largely because she doesn't want to be a mother and have everything else come second. Yet, despite this, Samantha impulsively marries John, holding a brief service with no family, much to the dismay of her mother (Elizabeth McGovern), who feels she's going about this pregnancy in a backhanded way. Even though Samantha and John seem to be at opposing ends throughout this whole process, Samantha finds comfortable empathy and friendship in Jasmine (Gail Bean), one of her students, a high school senior, who is also pregnant by her current boyfriend. Jasmine lives with her grandmother, and while she does want to go to college, the lofty pricetag that comes with and the potential of not being there for her child are budding factors that always cross her mind. Unexpected deals with how the same sort of circumstance can provide for different experiences depending on a variety of factors. Both Jasmine and Samantha aren't wholly far in age (she's about eighteen, she's maybe in her early-thirties), but their racial divide is clearly present, especially when considering colleges to apply to and having to work around Jasmine's tumultuous homelife in order to make college a reality. If nothing else, Swanberg effectively shows us the idea that every kid should go to college isn't a bad idea, in theory, but in practice, without taking into account different financial and stability situations, is a very messy ordeal. Swanberg keeps the pregnancy jokes down to a minimum, pleasantly so; only one scene involving Cheetos and pickle-juice will evoke some form of nauseousness, while the remainder of the film is helmed by strong conversations between Samantha and Jasmine, or Samantha and John, as we see one relationship brew and a marriage that should've never been slowly divulge into arguments. This is also, somewhat unsurprisingly so, a story of trying to find your personal identity amidst a change that will potentially make your life come second to the life of a child. The recurring theme in many of these newer independent films is trying to find some comfort in one's self, and Unexpected shows that by having Samantha's boyfriend trying to dictate what she will do and how she will live her life following a baby. She doesn't want the next ten years already laid out before her and she definitely doesn't want them meticulously mapped out by someone who isn't her. At Unexpected's core are its performances and dialog, and Smulders proves that's she's more than a background character in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., in addition to Bean, who has serious acting talent, with an ability to be emotional without being too obvious in her feelings. This is a film that really shows how something widely regarded as a blessing can be a setback or a difficult thing to manage, in addition to being a circumstance that prompts many different experiences depending on you, your social class, and your race. It's a uniformly solid film about very few people have probably seen taken with such a reserved tenderness despite being such a hot topic of discussion. Starring: Cobie Smulders, Gail Bean, Anders Holm, and Elizabeth McGovern. Directed by: Kris Swanberg.

• Razor Sharp Dialogue in This Feel-Good Flick

  larrys32015-10-22

  I'm surprised at the 5.5 rating for this film, as I found it to be filled with razor sharp dialogue that rang true to life, laced with humor but also raised some serious social issues, mainly the conflict families face with a newborn when they don't have long term maternity leave available. The most talented actress Cobie Smulders is excellent here as Samantha, a high school science teacher, in Chicago, who's working for a school scheduled to close at the end of the semester. She's been in a long term relationship with John (Anders Holm), when she unexpectedly discovers she's pregnant. They decide to quickly marry at the local courthouse, and you can see they have indeed a loving relationship. At the same time, one of Samantha's senior students, Jasmine, superbly portrayed by Gail Bean (an actress to watch in the future), finds out she's pregnant as well. This will subsequently bring Samantha and Jasmine closer together, and Samantha will try to help her student apply for college and hopefully build a more solid future. Initially, I thought things in the movie were perhaps too sugary sweet, but as it progressed there were conflicts that arose, and it all came down to a most poignant ending, in my opinion. All in all, I found this to be an exceptional indie, filled with most solid performances, good direction from Kris Swanberg, who also wrote the true-to-life script with Megan Mercier. It also raised some important social issues as well, without being too preachy.

• Unexpected is the rocky start to a beautiful friendship.

  stinadianne2015-07-29

  Unexpected is a simple but powerful movie about the nature of female friendships, the dynamic of teacher and student relationships and how the same experience can be starkly different for women at two ends of the economic spectrum. Sam (Cobie Smulders) is a high school science teacher at an inner city school in Chicago that is in it's final semester before closing. As a result, Sam is looking to switch gears in her career but is thrown off course when she finds out she is pregnant. Soon after, one of her students, Jasmine (Gail Bean), also becomes pregnant, and the two develop an unlikely bond as they deal with this new stage of life together. Sam decides that it is her personal mission to help Jasmine get into a good college, despite her pregnancy. It's an easy chemistry between the two, but underneath you can feel the tension as Jasmine realizes she may not want to sacrifice time with her child to go to a four year school. Sam loses herself in trying to help and push Jasmine to be her best, and is so focused on that, that she is not getting her own life and mind ready for her personal foray into motherhood. This soon starts affecting her marriage, her relationship with her mother (Elizabeth McGovern), and her professional life. Smulders is perfect as Sam. Being pregnant herself during the shooting of the film, all of her insecurities about being a mother and bringing a life into this world while also striving to keep one's personal professional identity is portrayed wonderfully. Newcomer Gail Bean steals the show as the whip smart teen, Jasmine. Bean plays Jasmine with a beautiful strength and wisdom beyond her years, but she is also just a kid who is vulnerable and unsure of her next steps. Bean is a talent to watch, and here is hoping Hollywood will pay the proper attention. Unexpected is the rocky start to a beautiful friendship. Through their different situations and through their friendship, these two women find themselves wanting very different but equally good things for their babies. A delicate balance of understanding must be made for two such different people to be able to support each other in the ways they need.

• Naive film.

  machenewsgroup2015-08-07

  As a twice married, still fairly young man with three children whom were made very much on purpose - this film annoyed me by its naive: "Duh, how did I get pregnant?" tone. "Unexpected" pregnancies are probably the only subject I will sign up to a website for just for the purpose of commenting. Please publish my review of the main theme of the film, it is so important that the simple message I will put across is understood by younger people as it seems sex education is failing if this film is anything to go by. This film is misleading about "how" people get pregnant. There is a line at 17:58 that made my face contort like I'd just eaten a lemon and I began to fizzle and pop. On hearing about a student's pregnancy a teacher says: "I just don't understand how these girls get themselves into these situations? It's like they want to get pregnant." She doesn't understand? Wow. The main character didn't seem to understand either and seems genuinely surprised that she is pregnant. In her mid-30's, she's only been having periods for at least the last twenty years of her life and should by now have some clue as to what causes pregnancies. The answer is "boys/men". There is no such thing as an "accident". Too much emphasis is placed on condoms preventing pregnancy. A condom's main function is to guard against disease passed on through blood which you should absolutely use if you are unsure about a partner's sexual past or have only just met. The "didn't have a condom" excuse is not an excuse. If you are in a long term relationship and it is quite obvious they don't have any infections, even if a condom is not available, there is still no reason at all for a girl to become pregnant. Pre-ejaculate does not contain sperm - it is nearly the same as the fluid secreted by a females Skene's glands when she is aroused. To get pregnant, a woman has only about a 24-hour window of opportunity in the month! You count 14 days from the FIRST DAY of a girl's LAST period. That is the time an egg is there waiting to be fertilized. That seems incredible that so many "accidents" occur. It isn't. Young people are seeing each other very often and quite quickly! That means a near-constant supply of semen against the cervix (opening to the womb). As sperm can live a few days, just so easy!. What needs to be hammered into people's minds (and the main character in this film apparently), is to NOT allow the male partner to ejaculate inside the vagina. If you are going to have sex, boys please know you must finish "outside" and girls, for goodness sake don't allow him to ejaculate inside. It is YOUR body and your right to demand he doesn't. The hundreds of times I had sex with my first wife and second wife I always used this simple method and NEVER ONCE did we have any scares. The times I made my gorgeous three kids was with permission and mutual consent and we became pregnant and it was a joy! Follow this simple rule and you can enjoy a full sex life but remain in education/work, without needing to go to the school toilet and sit on it and act "surprised" and say the F-word. ;-)

• I HATE THAT CLOWN

  nogodnomasters2018-07-15

  This is a feel good story about two pregnant women. Samantha (Cobie Smulders) is a white teacher at a predominantly African-American high school in Chicago. She becomes pregnant and gets married. She discovers that Jasmine (Gail Bean) who sports a 3.8 GPA is also pregnant. Samantha and Jasmine become friends as Samantha attempts to help her get into college in spite of her pregnancy. For some reason Samantha was unaware that her underprivileged students don't have the same values as herself. About an hour into the film, the student becomes the teacher, giving Samantha an epiphany. While the film discusses working mothers vs stay at home moms, I didn't see it as a real strong criticism for either one. There film was designed to show the contrasting lives of the two women. Guide: F-bomb. Brief sex? No nudity. Happy ending.