Review: I was completely pre-judged Bad Moms; but, really, the trailers are undeniably raunchy at best and bland at worst. The trailers made it look like a female spin-off of The Hangover - given the same creators, Jon Lucas and Scott Moore - with a tendency to be the lesser liked Hangover. Given that situation, who would have thought that the 'real film' of Bad Moms turns out becoming one of the funniest hit during this summer?
Dedicating most of its hundred minutes as a tribute to the so-called modern American mothers -a term referring to the most impossible thing to do - and R-rated idiosyncrasy, Bad Moms is a very motherly empowering but hilarious story.
Centering on young mom, Amy Mitchell (Mila Kunis), whose best expertise is being late, Bad Moms follows her through her boiling points. Her husband's been cheating on her online, her children (Oona Laurence, Pete's Dragon, and Emjay Anthony, Chef) are demanding; her boss at a coffee company is professionally abusing her with small wage and abundant workload; and PTA president at her children's school, Gwendolyn (Christina Applegate) is super annoying. Those situations are cornering her to her being one fed-up mom.
In her desperate time, Amy meets a raunchy single-mom Carla (Kathryn Hahn) and a stay-at-home mom, Kiki (Kristen Bell, Frozen). When those three moms decided to give no damn and enjoy the life they're supposed to have, the inner 'bad moms' is really taking over Bad Moms.
Bad Moms surprisingly has tons of rapid ammo to stimulate your laughter muscle with those salacious, candid, unapologetic jokes. Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, who write and direct it, mercilessly put those not-for-the-underage jokes rapidly; like every few seconds after a joke, another joke follows right over. While sometimes being offensive, but this joke-fest almost never misses; they hit right at the spot.
While the story contains more clichés than you ever imagine, but how the jokes knitting the plot as a holistic framework is surprisingly entertaining. Those female-driven comedy is really showing how difficult to be a mom is and how incorrect for a mom to have fun is in a very relatable way. Say Bad Moms is laughing with fellow moms and never once laughing at them.
Jon Lucas and Scott Moore's screenplay might be one plus point, but most points scored are results of high-energized performance delivered by Mila Kunis and her two on-screen comrades. Kunis is playing okay, as her spotlight is stolen by Kristen Bell and, mostly, Kathryn Hahn. Bell as a desperate housewife is the most innocent out of three as she constantly brings balance between the triangle; meanwhile, Hahn has all the energy to pump up laugh into burst of guilty pleasure.
One thing Bad Moms constantly brings tight it the message: that being mom is never been easy, but all moms really have the energy to actually have it all. Whether in a funny moment or in a serious one (which rarely happens), a mom really is unbreakable; at least, that's what's being hinted by the filmmaker. Best proof for the claim is the credit scene, which apparently becomes the best part of this.
Once again, forget its bland trailers! Bad Moms is a unique R-rated summer comedy - a real tribute to mother in general, depicted in an energetic, candid, unapologetic, and raunchy joke-fest.
Bad Moms (2016)
