‘A Bad Moms Christmas’ is no holiday classic
December 5, 2017
The stressful times of the holiday season are only made more extreme when relatives come unexpectedly. In the much anticipated sequel to “Bad Moms,” directed by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, Amy, Kiki and Carla are in for a Christmas much different than originally planned with the arrival of all their mothers.
The epitome of the film is captured in the mom’s drunken adventure through the shopping mall, much like in the first film and the montage in the grocery store. Every scene, even those serious, are filled with raunchy comebacks and emotional understandings.
Even with all the interesting dialogue, the movie lacks the power of them conquering their similar issues as a unit — all the singular plotlines never actually feel connected at the end.
Amy, Kiki, and Carla, played by Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, and Kathryn Hahn, all showcase the stereotypical types of suburban moms. Although this bubble is created, their life issues — while still under the classification of “first world problems” — depict the realities of many parents during the holidays. They really just want to make everyone they love happy during the most wonderful time of the year.
The opening of the film provides a clip of Kunis sitting in her dismantled home, crying as she says that she’s not only ruined Christmas, but also her family. This pulls audiences in, indicating that the mothers of the over-worked and under-appreciated trio are about to create chaos.
As expected in any Christmas comedy, the climax of the film creates turmoil right before the big day, but everything is saved in time for the kids to open all their presents in their pajamas.
Ruth, Sandy, and Isis, played by Christine Baranski, Cheryl Hines, and Susan Sarandon, all bring upon hardships for their daughters, making Christmas a near nightmare. Baranski, much like many of her roles, is stone cold. She constantly is challenging her daughter, Amy, to be better. Throughout the film she pushes Amy to make an over the top Christmas because she believes that’s what’s best for everyone. While Hines, on the other hand, is way too overly attached to her daughter, Kiki, constantly trying to have her as close as possible. Lastly, Sarandon keys in on the out of tune parent who really just visits her daughter, Carla, when she needs money. On the top layer, it seems all the moms share the same quality: they’re bad moms. But, like its predecessor, the resolution of the movie finds that the moms love their kids more than anything and they always hold the best intentions, even if they are terrible.
Overall, the movie creates a solid depiction of suburban life, especially during the holiday season, but lacks a bit more cohesiveness as a whole. Although it has significantly less of a coming-together feel during the resolutions between all mother and daughters, the final scene ties up loose ends and makes a proper family feast with all on Christmas day. Even with all its humor and charm, this film may be one best left watched when it’s out on DVD.