Review: Kunis, Bell lead hilarious cast in 2016’s best comedy, ‘Bad Moms’

Posted on August 5, 2016

By MARK VIOLA

Comedies are some of the hardest movies to review. A joke or situation that makes one person laugh may leave another stone-faced. I can talk about the acting, the script and the production values, all of which are important, but sometimes, despite humor being a very personal experience, it’s simply easiest to say whether or not a movie made me laugh and let you decide from there.

In the case of “Bad Moms,” the new comedy from the writers of “The Hangover” trilogy, I can say I laughed hard and laughed often. In fact, I laughed more at this movie than any other straight-up comedy this year. It was also the most I laughed at a comedy since last summer’s “Spy.”

This is the second film to focus on moms and motherhood this year after “Mother’s Day,” which took a comedic but heartfelt look at both being a mom and having one. While “Bad Moms” heads instead into the hard-R comedic territory, the film nevertheless still holds on to the importance of motherhood and it is actually quite sweet at times between the rapid-fire dirty jokes.

Look, I’m a single guy so obviously I’m not a mom–not even a parent–but surrounded by a mostly female audience, I laughed along with the rest of the movie-goers and had a really fun time. If you’re a mom, or pretty much anybody who has felt overworked and under-appreciated in their life and just wanted to quit trying to be perfect, this is the comedy for you. If you’re able to handle the very R-rated humor, that is.

The story focuses on Amy (Mila Kunis, “Black Swan”), who works full-time at her part-time job while also managing the lives of her two children and lazy husband. Not making her life any easier is Gwendolyn (Christina Applegate, “Vacation”), the domineering president of the PTA at her children’s school. With her personal life taking a turn for the worse, combined with the ever-mounting pressures at work, at home and at school, she finally declares she has had enough.

Along with two new friends, the stay-at-home Kiki (Kristen Bell, “The Boss”) and the promiscuous divorcee Carla (Kathryn Hahn, “The Visit”), Amy decides to stop trying to be a perfect mom and instead accept that they are all “bad moms.” This, of course, is tantamount to mutiny in the eyes of Gwendolyn and her cohorts, including Stacy (Jada Pinkett Smith, “Gotham”), and war is on the horizon.

Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, who wrote “The Hangover” trilogy, penned the script here as well as assuming directing duties after making their debut in that chair with 2013’s “21 & Over.” The comedy is very much on point, and as I have mentioned several times already, quite R-rated. The pacing is quick and never lets you get bored, even as the story sometimes hits some pretty predictable beats at time. Although the various characters are a bit cliched, the story manages to squeeze in some honest emotion as the moms worry about their children and reflect on the power of being a parent.

I have often said, good comedies can make you laugh, while great ones make you care too. I really found myself caring about these characters and their plights, even while laughing at the risque jokes.

“Bad Moms” is simply a lot of fun and a laugh-producing machine of a comedy. Heed the rating if you’re easily offended, but otherwise, whether you’re a mom or not, male or female, this is a comedy worth checking out this summer.

The film is rated R for sexual material, full frontal nudity, language throughout, and drug and alcohol content.

(This is a abbreviated version of the full review available in our printed or e-edition papers.)

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