What happens when one particularly overworked mother decides to stop trying so hard? Chaos, and it comes in many forms in Bad Moms.
I really wanted to like Bad Moms. The previews made it look really funny, and the trio of Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, and Kathryn Hahn made me believe this movie could be truly funny and smarter than just another raunchy dick-joke-fest. When Bad Moms got it right, they got it right, but when it was off, I found myself wishing I could laugh at jokes that tried waaaay too hard.
Here are a few of the things I loved and hated about Bad Moms, a movie that found its footing a few times, only to slip and lose all the progress it was making.
Strengths
Montages
The montages this movie used to show a lot of misbehavior in a short amount of time were hysterical and worth the price of admission. The first that sticks out is the grocery store montage, during which our favorite ladies take a drunken trip through the aisles making a mess and generally causing mayhem. While picking up a few items that could actually be helpful to the busy, working mom, they also trashed the store adding booze to a gallon of milk, pouring cereal straight out of the boxes into their mouths, and oh so much more.
The montages are where this movie finds one of a few footholds. They were clever, fun, and highlighted just how crazy even the tamest moms can get when opportunity presents itself.
A solid premise
The central idea behind Bad Moms is full of quality entertainment value. Watching a mom who is fed up with the system and tired of not feeling like she’s measuring up to all the ‘good moms’ go a bit crazy? That has all kinds of potential for hilarity. There are parts of Bad Moms that work to a tee at delivering on the hysterical premise. When Bad Moms is on its game, the story and the movie work.
A convincing villain
Christina Applegate plays a clear cut villain in this movie and was one of its greatest strengths. Her Gwendolyn James kept all the ridiculous stuff in line by reminding us that outside of all the crazy things that Mila Kunis’ Amy was doing with her new friends and freedom, there was someone judging her and making her life miserable.
This movie would have been far less funny without her, even if most of the laughs don’t come from her scenes. She gives the movie its backbone and keeps it from flopping around like a dead fish.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack for this movie reads like a top 10 playlist from the last three years or so, but I could barely contain my need to join in on all the dancing and hilarity on screen every time a new song started. The soundtrack is peppy, fun, and would be the perfect accompaniment for any Girls Night Out. I may or may not have rocked out to Demi Lovato’s “Confident” in my car on the way home thanks to Bad Moms.
Weaknesses
Too many dick jokes
This movie goes off the rails mostly due to Kathryn Hahn’s character’s affinity for dick jokes. Sure, one here and there adds a laugh or two, but between being constantly barraged with scenes that go on for far too long talking about what to do with an uncircumcised penis, or how far Jada Pinkett Smith’s character would let the cute single parent go with her, it just didn’t add anything to this movie.
Raunch has its place and can be a truly funny way to ramp up the laughs, but this movie just seemed to be cheapened by it. There were so many other ways to make this movie funny that would have been far more effective than turning it into the type of conversation you could overhear in a strip club bathroom.
A scattered storyline
The lack of focus in regards to the plot was another way this movie didn’t work. In addition to Amy’s crusade against the ‘good moms’, we also fought against a cheating husband, ungrateful children, and a thankless job — And that’s just the Amy-centric plot points. This story suffered from having too many B-plots, and it takes away from the overall enjoyment of the film.
Ultimately
Bad Moms isn’t great, but it isn’t terrible either. It suffers in some of the worst ways, and that eats into the enjoyment factor. We aren’t saying this movie should be avoided at all costs, but don’t expect it to be a comedy you will return to. The highs don’t quite balance out the lows, but it gets damn close once or twice.
The best part of the entire experience for me came with the closing credits. While the list of people who worked hard on making this film scrolled by, I was treated to each of the principal actresses and their mothers sitting on a couch telling stories about how hard it is to be a mom. Whether Mila Kunis is talking about her family’s big move to the states and how her mother told her they were just moving down the street, or Kristen Bell being shocked to learn that her mother rifled through her stuff as a teenager, you see the charm each of these ladies brings to life off screen, and where they learned it all. I found myself bewitched by the heartfelt laughs and tales of true motherly woes. I wish that charm had found its way into the raunchfest that was Bad Moms. That’s a movie I’m damn sure I would have loved.