Note: This article originally published on PureFandom.com
If you took a look at the byline of this article before you started reading, you’ll see my name is Steve — and not the Stevie Nicks kind of Steve. Despite being a guy, I attended a screening of Bad Moms thanks to the “R” rating, the fact it was written and directed by people with ties to The Hangover, and a not-so-small crush on Mila Kunis and/or Kristen Bell.
I did not leave disappointed.
Bad Moms shatters the traditional mold of the “chick flick” genre to pieces, bringing a raunchy comedy to the table that both men and women can enjoy.
The movie follows the life of Amy (Mila Kunis) — who is struggling to balance work, family, and being an involved mom in her children’s school. She finally breaks at a PTA meeting after another long day and decides to be a parent in her own way. Her way isn’t exactly appropriate in the established sense, to put it lightly, but it’s perfect for the big screen. With the help of Carla (Kathryn Hahn) and Kiki (Kristen Bell), two friends she meets along the way, Amy is ready to give new meaning to being a “bad mom”.
I wouldn’t say Kunis puts on a great performance, but I would say she is a great pick to play the lead role. Carla is an off-the-wall character, while Kiki is the ultra-conservative mom. As a result, Amy finds herself right down the middle. Kunis gives off an “everyday woman” vibe like few others in Hollywood, so she’s perfectly placed in Bad Moms.
Speaking of perfectly placed, Kathryn Hahn is the star of this movie and it’s not even that close. I mentioned the guys from The Hangover (Jon Lucas and Scott Moore) wrote and directed the film, and they harkened back to a classic in creating Hahn’s character. If you saw the first Hangover, and enjoyed Zach Galifianakis’ Alan (who didn’t), you’ll have no trouble laughing at Carla. For me, there are 7-10 scenes that are laugh-out-loud funny in Bad Moms. Hahn is right in the middle of all of them. She plays a single mom who is pretty gross, mostly vulgar, and absolutely hilarious. The Happyish actress caters to women with that sense of humor, and is the main reason men will leave the theater satisfied.
Comparing Carla to Alan isn’t the only Hangover similarity to notice in Bad Moms. You get a lot of current songs sprinkled throughout the film, mainly to keep the movie rolling during transition scenes and scenes you should be laughing at. There are also a lot of quick hitting jokes right off the bat to set the tone for the movie and get you laughing. I didn’t think the Bad Mom jokes worked as well as those in The Hangover, but the subsequent scenes more than made up for it. Finally, the satisfaction moment and “buddy” scene is ever-present.
There are scenes in Bad Moms that make you realize women are the target audience but, and this is the best compliment I can give the film as a guy, there are more laugh-out-loud scenes by a longshot. This is a fun date movie for any man looking to score some points and a great movie for a group of ladies with a sense of humor.
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