For those who would find Transformers or Batman to be more their speed, this film is a snoozer. It deals subtly, awkwardly, and adeptly with human emotion. It moves "slow." For fans of film, film that is pensive and cerebral, the slow pace is a nonissue.
For those who would hope that "she would make the right decision at the end," may find [insert poorly written and acted religious film here] to be more their speed. This film does not shy from the weight of the decision, nor does it treat it distastefully, much to my surprise.
The humor is low brow in an overly crass way, but manages still to be funny and endearing. This is the biggest strike against it, but only at first. Jen Slate's character is a bit of a basket case. I think her crassness is part of her humor, clearly, but also part of an underlying rebelliousness, maybe. She mentions her disdain for synagogue. Her mother is an academic. Her father is a bit eccentric. Her crassness could well be a form of rebellion against her mother but a sort of eccentric feature she may connect with her father. (Her relationship with her mother is rocky). So, I think even what would seem a major downside to this film, the low brow, even childish crassness could very well be viewed as a central dynamic of Slate's character. The only other characters who are as crass are also stand up comics. The low brow crass humor is evidently the preferred genre of the comedy club where they perform.
Hats off for those who had the courage and ability to deal respectfully and artfully with this subject, without downplaying it's seriousness. This is, in essence, the anti-romantic comedy. (A character even expresses his dislike for rom coms). It is gritty and "real." It does more resemble the nature of every day life. There is no fairy-tale here.
As expected, about half love it and half hate it. One reviewer who hoped that "she would make the right decision" had the user ID "Obama_is-an_idiot" (or something similar with the exact wording). Unsurprisingly, the very subject of this film puts half the US population against it from the beginning. Art and film, in general, and not unlike THIS film, do not always mean to tell a story or depict a sentiment that necessarily beguiles the masses into sedated mindlessness. Art is an expression of life, and as such, and by definition, should not and cannot always be so neat. Sometimes, life offends. But there is, or can be, meaning and beauty in offense.
Though this may be the anti-rom com, it is not without sentiment. You'll have to make it to the end. If you can't, or don't, you may fall into that category of viewer who already has their mind made, or simply needs more explosions and tits, or any other reason. Regardless, one of the things that makes this film valuable is that it says something. Or so was my impression....