A Bad Mom's Christmas (2017)
Directed by Scott Moore
Written by Jon Lucas
Starring Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, Kathryn Hahn, Susan Sarandon, Christine Baranski
Release Date November 1st, 2017
A Bad Moms Christmas is quite funny. The gags delivered by these very funny ladies work most of the time to great effect. So why don’t I love the movie? As much as I laughed at A Bad Mom’s Christmas, I was rolling my eyes during scenes that weren’t centered on off-color gags. For all the uproarious laughs brought on by the brilliant Kathryn Hahn, the non-gag scenes, the ones centered on moving forward the supposed plot of A Bad Moms Christmas, simply don’t hold up.
Mila Kunis is once again at the center of the Bad Moms universe as Amy, the put-upon single mom to two adorable teenagers. Amy is fretting about Christmas and the pressures that the holiday specifically puts on moms to make everything perfect. Amy’s perfect Christmas would be vegging out and watching Love Actually with her kids and her boyfriend Jesse (Jay Hernandez) and his daughter but that’s not going to happen.
Amy’s mom, Ruth (Christine Baransky), has decided to crash Christmas this year and she has big plans for her daughter’s Christmas. Ruth is Christmas crazy, and she immediately throws her daughter’s Christmas plans for a loop. In need of solace, Amy turns to her fellow Bad Moms, Kiki (Kristen Bell) and Carla (Kathryn Hahn) who agree to help her take back Christmas, Bad Moms-style. This leads to a hit and miss montage of the trio creating havoc at the mall, but the laughs outnumber the awkward moments, just barely.
Unfortunately for Kiki and Carla their own mothers have decided to visit. Kiki’s mom Sandy (Cheryl Hines) is a sweetheart, but she has severe boundary issues. A big gag has mom watching her daughter begin to have sex with her husband before revealing that she’s in the room. Carla’s mom, Isis (Susan Sarandon) meanwhile, doesn’t even realize it’s Christmas when she drops in. Isis needs some cash to fund her gambling habit and is seeking a loan from her only daughter.
Find my full length review in the Geeks Community on Vocal.
