Naman Shrestha
With Pamela Adlon occupying the director’s chair, ‘Babes’ stars Ilana Glazer and Michelle Buteau as Eden and Dawn, two inseparable childhood best friends who have been there for one another since day one. Although they grew up together, they are at different places in life at the moment, dealing with adulthood in their own way. While Eden is an aggressively single woman, Dawn is a married mother of two children. When the former ends up getting pregnant from a one-night stand, she decides to have a baby on her own and turns to her best friend to guide her through the pregnancy.
Meanwhile, Dawn and her husband are busy raising their second child. Given the contrasting worldview of the two friends, their friendship is tested to the limit. The comedy film is backed by some hilarious performances from talented actors, including Crystal Finn, Donna Glaesener, Ilana Glazer, Michelle Buteau, Nic Inglese, Sandra Bernhard, and Shola Adewusi. It explores the complex theme of female friendship in the setting of New York City, where the lead characters lead strikingly different lives.
Babes Filming Locations
Shooting for ‘Babes’ took place in New York State, particularly across New York City. From the looks of it, principal photography for the comedy film got underway in June 2022 and continued for the next two months or so before wrapping up in August of the same year. During the production process, on July 24, the cast and crew celebrated the birthday of Michelle Buteau, who portrays Dawn, on set.
New York City, New York
To tape the adventures of best friends Eden and Dawn, the production team of ‘Babes’ moved to the southeastern part of the county and ultimately set up camp in New York City in the eponymous state. From what we can tell, the area around Chinese restaurant Nom Wah Nolita, located at 10 Kenmare Street in the NoLita (short for North of Little Italy) neighborhood of Lower Manhattan, was chosen as a shooting spot. New Yorkers can spot some of the bridges in the backdrop of a few scenes. It is likely that a sequence of the Pamela Adlon directorial was also lensed at a subway somewhere in the city.
The cast and crew sure had a lot of fun while translating the story to the screen. Comedian, host, and actor Michelle Buteau took to Instagram to share some snippets from the shoot, offering an insight into all the amazing moments that transpired behind the scenes. The pictures and videos the multi-hyphenate shared with her followers are a reflection of her and the film’s lead Ilana Glazer’s chemistry off-the-screen. Michelle described her co-star as “she’s the most fun, caring, kind n talented nugget with dipping sauces.” From showcasing their dance moves to binging on cake, they sure had a great experience.
The bustling neighborhoods, iconic landmarks, production facilities, and skilled technicians are just a few of the many reasons that make New York a favorable filming destination for filmmakers across the globe. Therefore, the fact that ‘Babes’ was shot in the Big Apple, too, is not that surprising. Over the years, it has served as a filming site to a number of movies and television shows such as ‘The Devil Wears Prada,’ ‘The Big Short,’ ‘Almost Famous,’ and ‘And Just Like That….’
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