1490. Bad Moms (2016)

Starring: Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, Kathryn Hahn

Director: Jon Lucas, Scott Moore

Running Time: 100 mins

Bad Moms is an American film about three mothers who, frustrated with the excessive work they have to put in to keep their family running, decide to blow off their responsibilities for once and spend some time just for themselves.

This film was so good. Apart from being brilliantly entertaining and funny from start to finish, Bad Moms is one of those comedies that actually brings across a relatable and heartfelt message, making it far more intelligent and engrossing a watch than so many of its counterparts. Of course, its main objective is to make you laugh, and it does that excellently, but it’s just that little bit more beneath the surface that makes this such a good film.

Let’s start with the three women at the centre of the film: Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell and Kathryn Hahn. For starters, this might be the best performance I’ve ever seen from Mila Kunis. She’s not playing anything we’ve seen from her before, instead taking the lead of a movie and running away with it. She’s expertly funny throughout, and proves that she is a far more versatile actress than the majority of her previous filmography would suggest.

Meanwhile, Bell and Hahn are just as good alongside. They may not have the chance to delve into the film’s main message as much as Kunis, but they’re both still really funny. Kristen Bell gives a delightfully weird performance, all effectively building up for one joke late on (which was definitely worth it), whilst Kathryn Hahn, although it’s not something we’ve never seen her do before, is as magnetic as always as the trio’s resident ‘bad’ mum.

Also, Christina Applegate needs a mention for her performance. She plays the stuck-up head of the PTA, determined to bring down anyone who doesn’t bring in cookies for the bake sale and the like, and she is absolutely brilliant. She makes her character such an infuriating presence, the sort of person you’d want to punch right in the nose, but that’s integral to making the film’s message all the more effective, and your ride with the three main characters all the wild.

And that’s where we come to the comedy, which was yet another point of brilliance in Bad Moms. The film is written by the guys who brought you The Hangover, and this film is just as funny (if not even more) than that smash hit. From wild parties to crazy hijinks, there are so many huge laughs in this movie that come just from the script. The excellent performances do even more to make it so, but huge credit has to go to the writers, because I guarantee you’ll be laughing right the way through this film.

On the whole, Bad Moms comes across as a pretty standard Hollywood comedy. However, there is one difference that takes it another step higher: the message. As we watch the three mums forget all their responsibilities and take a walk on the wild side, the film reminds you how important it is to just stop stressing about all your problems from time to time, and live your life.

You can read my review of The Little Prince for a really in-depth look at this, but basically, I think that this is one of the most important messages that a film can show in the modern world, given the hectic and non-stop lifestyle of the 21st Century, so it really impressed me to see it come across so strongly in this film.

Overall, I loved Bad Moms. First and foremost, it’s an excellent comedy, with brilliant performances and countless laughs wherever you look, but the fact it brings across such a strong message amidst all of that so well is truly impressive, and that’s why I’m giving this film an 8.0.