BABES follows inseparable childhood best friends Eden (Ilana Glazer) and Dawn (Michelle Buteau), having grown up together in NYC, now firmly in different phases of adulthood. When carefree and single Eden decides to have a baby on her own after a one-night stand, their friendship faces its greatest challenge. BABES delves into the complexities of female friendship with a blend of laughter, tears, and labor pains.
From co-writers Ilana Glazer and Josh Rabinowitz and directed by Pamela Adlon, BABES is a hilarious and heartfelt comedy about the bonds of friendship and the messy, unpredictable challenges of adulthood and becoming a parent.
For in-depth thoughts on Babes, please see my colleague Jeremy Kazieva’s review from its original theatrical release here.
Video Quality
Decal Releasing brings Babes to Blu-Ray with a lovely 1080p video presentation. The presentation allows for a pleasing amount of depth on display in both the interiors and when out in the open air. The modern production design and the clothing provide clear textural details. The image is crisp and clean with an array of hues radiating off the screen from the craft elements. Flesh tones are natural with a substantial amount of detail present in close-ups. Black levels are nice and deep with no egregious instances of digital noise. There is some minor banding and other fleeting digital quirks that pop up in the transfer. By and large, this release represents the film well.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray comes with a rock-solid DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that translates this narrative perfectly. Dialogue is the backbone of the film, and it always comes through perfectly clearly without being drowned out by any competing sounds. The music in the film comes through the speakers with crisp fidelity. Environmental sounds of the world enrich the surround speakers in a meaningful way. Ambient sounds are confidently placed in the rear channels for a fully three-dimensional experience. There are a few kinetic moments in the film that add texture to the low end, but it is not a powerhouse. The audio track delivers at every turn. There are optional English SDH and Spanish subtitles provided.
Special Features
- Ilana & Michelle Taste Baby Food and Talk Babes: A hilarious 18-minute conversation between the two stars in which they taste and rank a variety of baby food while discussing the production including the inspiration behind the characters, the impact of being a mom on their acting, the special breed of New York crews, and more.
- The Moms Behind Babes – Ilana, Michelle, and Pamela In Conversation: Another great eight-minute conversation that now includes director Pamela Adlon who discusses the differences between “old” moms and “new” moms.
- Deleted Scenes: There are four unused scenes totaling seven minutes of material that are very much worth a watch even if they were cut for pacing reasons.
- Red Band Trailer: The two-and-a-half-minute trailer is provided here.
Final Thoughts
Babes is a hilarious feature outing from co-writer and star Ilana Glazer, who captures the complexities of motherhood with unflinching honesty. The dynamic she creates with Michelle Buteau is natural and incredibly funny as you go through this journey with them. Director Pamela Adlon is an essential element to this in her feature debut, as she brings her comedic expertise on-camera and on television to make each scene reach its fullest potential. This is one of the standout comedies of the year. Decal Releasing has released a Blu-Ray featuring a strong A/V presentation and some fun supplemental features. Recommended
Babes will be available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD on August 6, 2024.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Decal Releasing has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
