Bad Moms: Mamme molto cattive

Penned by the writers of "The Hangover" (Jon Lucas and Scott Moore), this was a film I went into with really, really low expectations. But it was better than I expected it to be.

Mila Kunis (which we already know means "Fine" in Navajo) plays Amy, a normal working Mum (albeit clearly living in a hugely affluent neighbourhood) with a no-good husband and two kids. Amy is at the end of her tether, and as parents haven't we all been there? After one particularly dreadful day she uncharacteristically heads for a bar and forms a firm friendship with hen-pecked wife and Mum Kiki (an excellent Kristen Bell) and the potty-mouthed and kick-ass Carla (Kathryn Hahn). Making a pact to not follow convention they decide to be "Bad Moms" which brings them into direct conflict with Gwendoline ("Anchorman"'s Christina Applegate), the tyrannical head of the school Parent Teacher Association and her fawning sidekicks Stacy (Jada Pinkett Smith, "Matrix" sequels) and Vicky (Annie Mumulo, "Bridesmaids"). As attacks get personal, Amy is forced into standing against Gwendoline for the PTA chair and a battle royale ensues.

From the film's publicity, I expected this to be a "3 go mad in Vegas" style of romp, but it didn't head in that direction. True that there is one very funny and well-cut scene of craziness in a supermarket ("Kids, we're going to have to find a new supermarket"), but the film has a more thoughtful tone reflecting as it does the stresses on working parents exacerbated by the need to conform to social mores.

It would be dangerous at this point for me, as a man, to appear sexist and misogynist, so I will quote (and credit) my wife here in commenting that the film is like a "Next Generation" movie to 1987's Diane Keaton vehicle "Baby Boom". In that film Keaton's character has to juggle a corporate working life with unexpected child rearing: something still relatively unusual in those days (yes folks, things have changed a LOT for the better in 30 years). "Bad Moms" skims forward to today when being a working parent is almost a given, but the characters in the film view that maybe that swing has gone too far - that there is not enough time for them to treasure and nurture their kids. Here the film does slip into sexist territory in featuring all the struggling "Moms" as predominantly female: the one single Dad (hunk and love interest Jay Hernandez) never seems stressed or out of his depth.

So, there is a good concept in here, but to be honest it is not particularly well executed. Given that it is supposed to be a comedy, the limited laughs supplied are well distributed throughout the film. It's more of a smile-along than a laugh-along.

The film is also pretty inconsistent in tone, flipping as it does from the leads being "Bad Moms" to being lovey-dovey "aren't my kids adorable"parents. For a UK audience I would suggest that there is way, WAY too much sickly hugging of kids going on. And - without spoilers - the denouement at the ending is far from satisfying.

On the plus side, it is technically well delivered, and looks like bloody Shakespeare compared to the truly execrable "Dirty Grandpa". The editing is slick and the music choice and music editing is particularly good. Some of the performances - especially those of Bell and Hahn - are great. And a particular nod to young Oona Laurence as Amy's daughter who carries her part really nicely.

In terms of the lead, Mila Kunis wouldn't seem to be a natural choice for a comedy part, although her performance is kookily watchable (that might just be the "fine" influence on me). A low point however is a post-sex scene where Kunis appears to have been watching ABC News rather than doing any sort of strenuous horizontal jogging (not that my wife noticed this as she was MUCH too distracted by who was acting on the other side of the bed). If anyone puts together a top 10 of unconvincing movie sex scenes, this is a strong contender.

Comedies are very personal things. Might this one be right for you? I would suggest that if you are not a parent, you should probably skip it and wait for the TV showing - - many of the situations are those that only parents who've been through the more hellish moments of child rearing will relate to! It's also not for the very prudish. There is a lot of bad language, a bit of nudity and drug references, although it doesn't quite descend to the same gross-out level comedy of "The Hangover" or a Farrelly brothers film.

A final shout-out to the goofy final credits, done in "When Harry Met Sally" style, where the actresses real mothers talk about whether they were good mum's or not. (Cue more hugging).

(Please visit http://bob-the-movie-man.com to see the graphical version of this review, and to make comment. Thanks.).

"Bad Moms" was a movie that I was actually looking forward to getting a chance to sit down and watch because I like Mila Kunis, but also because Kathryn Hahn and Christina Applegate were starring in it.

This is the type of comedy movie that you just know will not challenge your intellect, so it is just basically lean well back in the chair and enjoy the ride. I found "Bad Moms" to actually be better than I had anticipated it to be, so that was a good surprise.

The storyline is quite simplistic really. A group of mothers are fed up with the way that they have to live their lives and perform up to the expectations of every other mother in the PTA group. This liberation leads to a much needed freedom, fun, and comedic self-indulgence.

There is a lot of hilarious moments and situations throughout the course of the movie, and the comedy is served to the audience in terms of both practical and visual comedy, but also by some outrageous and funny dialogue.

While Mila Kunis actually did a great job in this movie, she was just outshone by Kathryn Hahn and her performance here. The movie was so well carried by the female cast, though again I will credit most of the lifting to Kathryn Hahn.

"Bad Moms" is a very funny and entertaining movie, and if you enjoy comedies where there are little limitations. There might be situations that some people will find to be a bit too much, but hey, this is an R-rated movie.

This is also the type of comedy that you can watch again, although I would say that some time should definitely pass in between such multiple viewings. This is hardly a comedy classic, but it still a very enjoyable and entertaining comedy.

Kathyrn Hahn absolutely steals the show in this comedy about moms rebelling. She's a riot and the film somewhat drags when she isn't on screen. It never takes full advantage of its premise, but there's enough talented actors involved to lift it up above most raunchy comedies like this. It won't blow your mind, however you should be able to find some good laughs.

I saw this movie with 5 other women and all of us are moms. We loved the movie!!! I don't understand what all these bad reviews are about??? "Moms acting like frat boys" like that's a bad thing... Hey if you have childcare and you go out and blow off some steam why is that a negative thing? As moms in this day and age we have SO much to stress about and this movie captured that perfectly. From dealing with young children to and marriages to dealing with those seemingly "perfect" mothers this movie handled it all with refreshing humor. I've seen it several times, don't listen to the negative reviews and give it a try!

The shaming of women is a global phenomenon that unfortunately is part of everyday life. Filmmakers, media and marketing industries prey on women's anxieties about their bodies, and motherhood is another favourite target. While the documentary Embrace (2016) calls out body shaming, the comedy Bad Moms (2016) calls out the impossible standards to which modern mothers are expected to conform. Laughter carries this message more effectively than polemic but make no mistake: while this film is funny it also has serious things to say.

The plot line is all too familiar. Over-worked mom Amy (Mila Kunis) is always running between the needs of her spoilt two children, a lazy husband, a part-time job, homework, school rules, and endless extra-curricular activities. The kids are overscheduled, over-controlled and over-indulged, and like too many parents everywhere, the homework is for Amy. When she ditches the husband for having a cyber-sex affair her already chaotic world nears breaking point. That's when the pushy cabal of PTA perfect moms and yummy mummies insist on ever-more elaborate cake-bakes. When she publicly quits the PTA, the snobby dominatrix president Gwendolyn (Christina Applegate) launches a vendetta against Amy and her kids. She retaliates by campaigning for president and the internecine warfare between mom camps escalate in hilarious ways. Deserted by the school, her nearest friends become her emotional anchors and all give themselves permission to party and carry on. While the story is predictable and at times corny, the underlying issues are totally real. The slapstick comedy softens the pointed message about just how powerless mothers are against the onslaught of unrealistic expectations. The bigger irony is that so many movies perpetuate the myth of the perfect mom without even questioning the existence of the perfect dad.

This film is obviously targeted directly at stressed-out moms but dads should watch too. If nothing else, it exposes the gender inequality that persists in parenting and the bigger injustice of 'perfect moms' shaming other moms for not meeting politically correct standards. When Amy gives her election speech and confesses all the ways she is a bad mom she starts a sisterhood chorus of bad moms all needing to offload their guilt about the things they have not done for their children. While it's always possible to find aspects of a film that could have been made better, this film deserves praise for going in to bat for the most honourable profession on the planet.