A Bad Moms Christmas (2017)

I hated Bad Moms, truly hated it, as it tried too hard to be some sort of The Hangover with moms. The real problem was the humour though, it was flatter than a board. I am a sucker for sequels though, so I ended up watching A Bad Moms Christmas anyway. Also, I have a crush on Mila Kunis so I had to see this.

The film again follows Amy (Mila Kunis), Kiki (Kristen Bell) and Carla (Kathryn Hahn), three under-appreciated and over-worked moms, only this time around they have to create a perfect Christmas for their families while dealing with their own mothers, Amy's overly critical mom, Ruth (Christine Baranski), Kiki's overwhelming mom, Sandy (Cheryl Hines), and Carla's absentee party mom, Isis (Susan Sarandon).

The plot isn't particularly original nor intricate —it's actually rather simple— and it certainly isn't an exciting one, but it isn't dreadful either as I found it a little bit more enjoyable than the first one.

It is also arguably deeper than its predecessor as it deals with mother-daughter relationships —Ruth has unrealistic expectations for Amy's motherhood; Sandy kind of suffers from empty nest syndrome as she doesn't seem to understand that Kiki has her own life now and that she needs her space; Isis returns to her daughter only when she needs money or to hide from someone, while Carla wants more closeness to her. The problem with this is that the film, instead of having a comedy vibe, of making you want to party like the original did —or was supposed to—, it feels like a flat drama that makes you contemplate the relationship you have with your mother. The theme isn't handled terribly but still, that is certainly not something I want to do when watching a comedy.

Also, because of how much space the script gives the bad grandmas, and the mother-daughter dynamics, the three leading ladies, Amy, Kiki, and Carla, barely spend some time together. The characters, however, aren't terrible. Although I'm not happy with how cheap Carla has become here —her mom and she waited out of a grocery store with a cart saying "canned goods donations" and aggressively stole from the bags of people exiting the store—, the leads are still likeable. And their mothers, although one-dimensional, are compelling.

STX Fillms

And the credits entirely go to the cast. Kathryn Hann once again steals the show as Carla, the foul-mouthed mom who apparently inherited her personality from her mother, Susan Sarandon's Isis —yep, like the terrorist organization. And they joke about it in the film, I kid you not. Both Mila Kunis and Kristen Bell are overshadowed by the mothers, especially Kunis as Christine Baranski is perfect as Amy's judgemental mother —Peter Gallagher and she couldn't possibly be Mila Kunis's parents though.

As for the comedy, it is pretty much the same raunchy, vulgar humour of the first film, but this time around it works a little better. Even the Isis line kind of works because of how Sarandon delivers it. The mall scene though, where Amy, Kiki and Carla get wasted, doesn't really work, just like it didn't work in the first film.