It’s probably obvious to state that it helps to be a mum (or mom) to enjoy Bad Moms, but that doesn’t make it any less true.
While half of this film is happy to go “too far” down the comedy path – an extended sequence explaining how to deal with an uncircumcised penis using a hoodie being the high point – the other half is firmly foursquare behind mothers and all the hard work they do. Put another way, the joke here is the pressure society puts on mothers, not motherhood itself, which leads to a number of whiplash moments where the raunchy comedy is undercut by bald statements firmly in favour of a mother’s love for her kids.
The plot is a wafer-thin excuse for the aforementioned crass comedy, as hard-working mom Amy (a charming Mila Kunis) snaps after a string of work and family pressures and starts slacking off (which really means a minor downturn in her parenting efforts, as she’s basically a great mom).
Head of the PTA Gwendolyn (Christina Applegate) disapproves of her substandard ways, especially once she teams up with Kiki (Kristen Bell) and Carla (Kathryn Hahn) for a “snobs vs the slobs” battle for control of the PTA. The funny stuff is funny; the uneven tone, not so much.
Reviewed by Anthony Morris