SCRAMBLED

(director/writer: Leah McKendrick; cinematographer: Julia Swain; editor: Sandra Torres Graovsky; music: Brittany Allan; cast: Leah McKendrick (Nellie), Clancy Brown (Richard, Father), Laura Ceron (Sonja, Mom), Ego Nwodim (Sheila), Andrew Santino (Jesse); Runtime: 97; MPAA Rating: R; producers: Gillian Bohrer, Bret Haley, Jonathan Levine, Amanda Mortimer; Lionsgate Films; 2023)

“The comedy-drama is about the pressure there is on a woman to have a child while she can.”

Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz
Leah McKendrick makes her directorial debut, writes the semi-biographical screenplay and stars in this intense and realistic low-budget story on reproductive choices.

The 34-year-old party girl Nellie Robinson (Leah McKendrick) just got over a relationship she has a hard time getting over. She’s concerned about her ticking biological clock running out, and having no romantic prospects. When pressured by her parents (Clancy Brown & Laura Ceron) to marry, she acts on her own to freeze her eggs. Her gruff dad vehemently disagrees with her.

She would prefer to have a child from the man she loves, but that doesn’t seem in the cards at the moment. She’s also not sure if she’s ready for motherhood. But she attends the weddings and baby showers of her friends, and feels the pain of not fitting into the social conventions of the time.

Nellie unsuccessful sells jewelry. Her best friend is Sheila (Ego Nwodim), who is married and pregnant.

The comedy-drama is about the pressure there is on a woman to have a child while she can.

Comedy sketches are made from re-visiting her exes to see if she overlooked any of these fellers. The episodes about them have titles like “The Prom King,” “The Nice Guy,” and “The Peter Pan.” I found them raunchy but not funny.

It played at the SXSW.

REVIEWED ON 5/7/2024  GRADE: B-