Movie Review: Bad Moms
When it was first released in 2009, “The Hangover” was the movie everyone couldn’t stop talking about. It was raunchy and foul, yet it actually managed to be a good movie that made you laugh harder than any movie had in quite some time. Two more sequels followed it shortly after, which all proved to be major disappointments and never lived up to the original film. Seven years since “The Hangover” was released, the writers of that film, Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, come back with their latest comedy “Bad Moms,”which winds up not only being a raunchy comedy but, it also manages to actually be funny, touching and simply just a good movie all around.
Feeling overworked and underappreciated, Amy Mitchell (the beautiful Mila Kunis) is on the verge of having a meltdown. Deciding she’s had enough of trying to be the “perfect” mother, she decides enough is enough and makes the decision to be a “bad” mom and take some time to focus on herself instead of her family. Accompanied by her two new-found friends, Kiki (the adorable Kristen Bell) and Carla (the hilarious Kathryn Hahn), the three women set out on a journey to try and remember who they were before they had children and remind themselves what it was they originally had wanted to accomplish in their life.
It sounds silly and slightly appalling I know. Three women decide to “quit” being a mom and focus on themselves rather than children? How dare they! But don’t be misguided, “Bad Moms” is a movie that I guarantee every mother in the world can relate to and underneath the dirty jokes and foul language, is really just a movie that basically says to the mothers everywhere, “I see you, I hear you, and I salute you.”
I can’t praise this movie without taking the time to discuss the film’s cast who really were the highlight of this film. The three leads each did an exceptional job and probably delivered some of the best work I’ve seen from them. Kunis has been acting for years now however, she’s never really had the opportunity to take the lead in a feature film which blows my mind because she really delivered in this movie. She’s the heart and soul of the entire thing and has a real talent for making you laugh in one scene and quickly breaking your heart in the next. I really hope producers take notice of her work in this film and begin to cast her in more movies with a female lead. Bell is more charming than ever and it’s Hahn who really steals the show here. She can’t seem to go more than two sentences without dropping an F bomb and says a lot of offensive things that are only funny because they’re true. She’s always been the kind of actor who pops up in almost every movie as a small background character, but hopefully after this movie we’ll start seeing her front and center where she belongs. While each of these women stand out on their own, their strongest moments come from when they’re all together in the same scene and can bounce off one another.
Their chemistry is great and they’re actually really funny to watch. There is one scene in particular where they discuss their favorite size and shape of a certain male organ that had me laughing so hard I started choking on the burrito I brought into the theater and couldn’t breathe. Aside from strong performances from the three leads, the film also has a strong supporting cast which is led by Christina Applegate and Jada Pinkett Smith who make up a group of “mean” moms. No matter what she’s starring in, Applegate never disappoints and is at top notch here and it’s nice to see Smith play a role completely different from what she usually does. All in all, the cast of “Bad Moms” proves that women can be just as funny as men and can carry a film all on their own which was something “Ghostbusters” failed to do this past summer.
As funny as these women are, the highlight of this film, at least for me, was just how touching it really is underneath all the crass and foul language. There were so many moments in this movie that are surprisingly heartwarming and will pull at your heartstrings. There are a few scenes in which the mothers discuss how they feel like failures as mothers, what they hate most about their children (as if your child doesn’t do something that you hate) and also just how much they really love them the only way that a mother ever could. It’s amazing to me that this film was written by two men because I felt like they captured what it means to really be a mother. I feel like this is a movie all mothers can relate to. It shows that you don’t have to be the world’s most “perfect” mother to be the world’s “greatest” mother. It also shows that just because you become a mother doesn’t mean you have to give up on your own dreams and you can still have a life outside your children. I’ll admit, there were three separate occasions where I felt myself tearing up… don’t judge me.
Is “Bad Moms” a perfect movie? No, it isn’t. It’s probably a lot longer than it needs to be and the storyline involving Amy and her husband is a little unnecessary and doesn’t provide much to the movie but overall, “Bad Moms” is a movie I think mothers everywhere need to see. If anything, it’ll serve as a much needed night out after spending all day making sure the house is clean and dinner is on the table before the husband gets home.
The bottom line. With a strong cast, truly hilarious moments and a lot of heart, “Bad Moms” winds up being the best female-led comedy since “Bridesmaids.”
-keithariaz1@gmail.com