Grab your bestie and a half blue raspberry / half cherry with a splash of Coke slurpie because HBO Max is taking us all on a road trip in its new film, Unpregnant! Directed by Rachel Lee Goldenberg, Unpregnant follows a high-school girl named Veronica, who decides to get an abortion. In order to get the procedure done without needing her parents’ consent, Veronica must go on a drive from Missouri to New Mexico and enlist her former bestie Bailey for help. The brilliant film, filled with a countless amount of super funny moments, touches on many important topics – the highlight being the right for women to choose what happens with their body.
“In Unpregnant, seventeen-year-old Veronica (played by Haley Lu Richardson) never thought she’d want to fail a test—that is, until she finds herself staring at a piece of plastic with a blue plus. With a promising college-bound future now disappearing before her eyes, Veronica considers a decision she never imagined she’d have to make. This never-taken-lightly decision leads her on a 1,000 mile hilarious road trip to New Mexico over three days with her ex-best friend, Bailey (played by Barbie Ferreira) where they discover sometimes the most important choice you’ll make in life is who your friends are” (source: HBO Max).
The juxtaposition of the two characters makes for an even more entertaining and heartfelt story. The characters are total opposites – Veronica is a straight-laced valedictorian who likes to plan everything out, while Bailey is spunky and free-spirited and is always ready for a new adventure. Despite how different they may be from one another, they’re each other’s missing pieces to complete the puzzle. They balance each other out and this movie shows that you’ll always go far with a strong friendship.
The casting for this film couldn’t have been any more perfect. The leading ladies, both of whom have an impressive resume of accomplishments, gave so much justice to their characters and portrayed them in such a realistic and effortless way. Richardson, who has been a part of other highly-acclaimed projects including Five Feet Apart, The Edge of Seventeen, Columbus, and Split, to name a few, once again brought her extraordinary, acting skills to Unpregnant, bringing to life a character who you only hope the very best for and who demonstrates strength throughout the film. Ferreira, who stars in the renowned HBO series, Euphoria, and has a successful, modeling career, showcased her great talent yet again in this film. Ferreira portrayed Bailey with so much humor, so many quick and witty lines, and so much confidence. After watching this movie, you’ll without a doubt, want your very own Bailey as a BFF by your side. Richardson and Ferreira’s vibes matched perfectly for this film, and with the superb work of the immensely talented director, Rachel Lee Goldenberg (who also directed another stupendous film, the Valley Girl remake), this movie was bound to be the piece of gold that it is.
In honor of this exceptional film, HBO Max celebrated in style with an unparalleled and incredibly unique, drive-in premiere. Due to the pandemic, red carpet events (and life as a whole) has been put on hold, however, in attempts to adjust to our new normal, companies like HBO Max have found ways to still bring all of the fun and excitement to celebrate their new releases, whether it be through virtual premieres or a magnificent, drive-in premiere for Unpregnant.
The drive-in premiere, which took place on September 9, 2020 in Glendale, California, was such a fitting way to celebrate the debut of this outstanding film, going along with the road trip / driving theme of the movie. Guests at the event were able to enjoy a drive-through RED CARPET, several, incredible photo activations from their car (which was a total blast) and snack on a spectacular box filled with Wolfgang Puck catering including sea salt and caramel popcorn, cookies, tortilla chips and queso dip, homemade chips with caramelized onion dip, gummy bears, burgers and slurpies inspired from the movie. The drive-in premiere’s pre-show included a virtual DJ set and opening remarks from director Rachel Lee Goldenberg and the producers of the movie. We aren’t able to go to movie theaters because of the pandemic, but HBO Max brought the movie theater to guests in the comfort of their own car in the most classy, comfortable and unforgettable way with the drive-in premiere for Unpregnant.
Alexisjoyvipaccess was so honored to attend the drive-in premiere for Unpregnant and it was one of the best events. It truly was a night to remember.
Watch a vlog of my experience at the memorable and sensational drive-in premiere below and be sure to watch Unpregnant out now on HBO Max! The premiere also supported two, excellent organizations: Planned Parenthood and Rock the Vote. You can support these organizations and learn more about their mission by visiting www.PlannedParenthood.org and www.rockthevote.org.
Follow @UnpregnantMovie and @HBOMax on social media.