Call Jane

Elizabeth Banks gives a sincere and grounded turn as a 1960s suburban housewife who, after dealing with a life-threatening pregnancy, becomes involved with The Janes: an underground network of women who provide safe, illegal abortions to desperate pregnant women. The debut feature by writer/director Phyllis Nagy (Carol) lacks the subtly of Banks's nuanced lead performance. Much of the script by Hayley Schore and Roshan Sethi feels like a TV movie tasked with touching all the bases. But the warm and welcoming picture still engages and gets its points across. Part of the success comes from the supporting cast, who deescalate the on-the-nose aspects of much of the dialogue. While the fictional picture doesn't hit as hard as the same year's documentary The Janes, they both shine a historical light on a subject that could not be more timely.