Review of A Bad Moms Christmas (2017) by Teddy F — 31 Oct 2017

Wildly out of season, A Bad Mom's Christmas is a moderately fun movie full of ball waxing, exotic dancing, and...Kenny G?

Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, and Kathryn Hahn return to their roles as the trio of "bad moms" who are sick of having to create the perfect Christmas only to not end up enjoying it. Instead of setting up yet another traditional Christmas, the triumvirate decides it is the time they celebrate the holiday their way and "take back Christmas". The pathway to doing so is clear except for one obstacle, their own mothers. Cheryl Hines, Christine Baranski, and Susan Sarandon all decide to spend Christmas with their daughters this year and add plenty of stress to their lives in doing so.

While there are no true standouts among the three main leads (Kunis, Bell, and Hahn), they all serve different purposes to the movie and complement each other well, the chemistry between them on (and off) the screen is genuine; they all work together quite well and are believable friends. Without chemistry in a comedy movie, the jokes simply don't land and luckily for "Bad Mom's Christmas", they've got the part down pat. Mila Kunis does a good job playing the straight character and sort of leader of the group, Kathyrn Hahn does a fine job at supplying the humor, and Kristen Bell is likable. Each character in the movie is given life by their actress and the collection of personalities between them all help create a well-functioning comedy machine.

The newest additions to the franchise, the mom's moms (the grandmothers) are just as favorable as their daughters. While they don't specifically interact much among themselves (although they do have their moments), each of them has exceptional chemistry with their daughter counter-part and help keep "Bad Mom's Christmas" from being a repeat of the first just during Christmas; the older generation of mothers add another layer to the story and bring something fresh to the film. They all have their own personalities and flaws to add to the table while also lightly matching their daughters, making it believable they raised them. Susan Sarandon was a particular stand out, I found her to be the most fun to watch.

"Bad Mom's Christmas" ends up being pretty much what you would expect if you saw the first one, a raunchy and crude comedy that has some good laughs but no laugh out loud moments. While you may not have to be a mother to enjoy this movie, you will need the proper sense of humor for its risqué humor. The film is cliché and nothing surprising but can still be a good time. Continuing what the first one did, the credits scene is more than scrolling names and is worth staying for (I won't spoil it).

In the end, "A Bad Mom's Christmas" is a quasi-touching mother-daughter comedy that may not be the funniest film of the year but has its moments, and I will admit, it got me into the Christmas spirit a little bit.