‘Unpregnant’ Trailer: Haley Lu Richardson and ‘Valley Girl’ Director Team Up for Timely Road Trip Comedy
HBO Max is continuing to round out its original film programming, adding a fresh new comedy from “Valley Girl” remake filmmaker Rachel Lee Goldenberg and rising stars Haley Lu Richardson and Barbie Ferreira to its upcoming slate. “Unpregnant” puts a humorous spin on a tough, timely topic, but promises to do it with a generous dash of humor. The film’s first trailer offers a funny first look at a fresh take on the young adult novel of the same name, written by authors Jenni Hendriks (“How I Met Your Mother”) and Ted Caplan (music editor for “The Hate U Give” and “The Greatest Showman”).
The film follows Richardson’s Veronica, a Missouri teen who is shocked to discover she is pregnant, and who sets off on a road trip with her former best pal Bailey (Ferreira) in hopes of securing an abortion so that she can continue to pursue her Ivy League college dreams. If the film sounds a bit like a light-hearted spin on Eliza Hittman’s recent indie gem and Sundance standout “Never Rarely Sometimes Always,” that’s not entirely off-base.
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The film also stars Alex MacNicoll, Breckin Meyer, Giancarlo Esposito, Sugar Lyn Beard, pop star Betty Who, Mary McCormack, Denny Love, Ramona Young, and Kara Royster.
When IndieWire spoke to Goldenberg earlier this summer (just as she was celebrating the imminent release of her long-gestating “Valley Girl” remake), the filmmaker was effusive about the film, and intent on making sure its comedic bonafides are center stage. “It’s a comedy about two teen girls who go on a thousand-mile road trip to get an abortion. So, you know, the classic abortion comedy,” Goldenberg joked at the time.
The director was particularly effusive about Richardson, who she had previously directed in the 2013 movie “Escape from Polygamy.” “I loved working with her so much and have just been sort of waiting for the right role to get to beg her to work with me on that,” she said. “Haley and Barbie are just magic together. And the response of people who have seen so far has been incredible and it feels timely. I’m thrilled to be getting that one out in the world.”
Check out the first trailer for “Unpregnant” below. The film hits HBO Max on September 10.
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