From the creators of The Hangover (2009), the crass comedy Bad Moms starring Mila Kunis and Christina Applegate surprises with more than just excessive drinking and sex jokes.
Meet Amy (Mila Kunis), another over-worked mum who is trying so hard to do it all and is just one bad day away from giving up. With a deadbeat husband who pays more attention to porn sites than her, it isn’t long before she wants to shake things up. Alongside sweet, people-pleasing Kiki (Kristen Bell) and the single, sex-crazed Carla (Kathryn Hahn), the trio decides to have some fun instead of following all the rules of motherhood.
What’s unexpected about Bad Moms is that despite having the same writers and being marketed as a female version of The Hangover, the story is actually a lot deeper. It delves into the pressures of being a mother in a world that counts every chemical in cakes and cookies. While the film’s antagonist Gwendolyn (Christina Applegate) may push to follow every guideline in the book, the lead characters try to do things a little differently.
Today parents are expected to enrol their kids in school by three, help them learn a new language by nine and prepare their college applications before they’ve started puberty. This film addresses that raising a child can be a thankless job and maybe an impossible one – so Amy decides to let loose, whether it be drifting in a muscle car or day drinking at brunch. Writers and Directors Jon Lucas and Scott Moore have presented a lot of relatable situations and paired them with real-life fantasies that many mums must’ve had.
The comedy in Bad Moms is well-paced and spread throughout the entire plot, with some spectacular deliveries from Amy’s children but the stand-out has to be Carla played by Kathryn Hahn. Hahn might be a clichéd character who swears too much and talks about sex ninety percent of the time – but she does it with such conviction that you always want more. An honourable mention goes to Kristen Bell for wearing a poorly beaded necklace that spells out ‘M-O-M’ with pride in every outfit.
Like most blockbuster comedies, the story might be predictable with an unnecessary love interest (Jay Hernandez), but the chemistry between the cast keeps it entertaining. A fantastic scene features their drunken visit to a supermarket and owning the isles like an entitled rap star – but at the credits, we are treated to a candid interview between the actors and their own mums. It might be well crafted to tug at the heartstrings but it’s a genuine moment where we see that the movie really is an ode to mothers.
While not a masterpiece, Bad Moms sets out to do something more meaningful than just make you piss-your-pants laughing, but it certainly provides plenty of chances to do so.
Fun Fact:
Filmmakers Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, who rose to fame after their incredibly successful movie ‘The Hangover’, looked to their wives when writing the movie for inspiration. There might be spit-up on every other shirt and tireless efforts in trying to keep up with what’s expected in raising kids today but “The mums we know are way more rock and roll than that.”
Trailer:
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