I’m a bad mom. Or at least sometimes I feel like a bad mom. Don’t we all sometimes though? We don’t live up to the PTA’s expectations, we’re overcommitted, we having parenting fails, we’re tired, we want some things for ourselves. Yet, we also do some pretty great things as moms too.
For me this week it was Halloween. I was in charge of our grade’s classroom Halloween Party, the snacks, the craft and to my surprise when I arrived at school to set up for the party…the decor (oops, major parent fail). But the moms and I pulled it together with the help of the teachers and the rooms turned out festive and fun. The kids had a great time attempting to make a spooky spider web craft I found on Pinterest which turned instead into an opportunity to smear glue all over balloons and hands and glop yarn into sticky piles (Pinterest fail). My one mom triumph this Halloween? My daughter’s two – yes two – costumes. She wanted to be a Frug (Frenchie and Pug mixed breed) at school and Luna Lovegood of Ravenclaw at night. I made a custom Frug hat! And managed to get all the accessories needed for Luna Lovegood too.
That’s what A Bad Mom Christmas is all about. (Thanks to STXfilms for tickets to the premiere!) It’s a riotous look at the trials of motherhood and the demands of the holidays, exacerbated by the unexpected arrival of three grandmothers. Amy (Mila Kunis) is tired of all the demands of Christmas and decides with her kids and two best friends Kiki (Kristen Bell) and Carla (Katherine Hahn) to take back Christmas. This is before her mother arrives with a million over the top plans to make this the “perfect” holiday for her grandchildren who are celebrating for the first time without their father. (If you saw the first A Bad Moms movie, Amy takes back school volunteering and work life balance and gets a divorce.)
There are SO MANY hilarious moments in this movie. Ty Swindell (‘This is Us’ Justin Hartley) and Carla (Katherine Hahn) bring down the house with his thoughtful and caring stripper persona and their immediate and bizarre attraction to each other. The dance scenes at the end – I can’t even!!! So funny!! The spa waxing scene will have you holding your sides from laughing so hard. Ariana Goldblatt (Stuck in the Middle) who delivers one epic line repeatedly in the movie. Kiki’s creepy and overbearing mom brilliantly played by Cheryl Hines delivers laugh after laugh with Kiki head jammies and matching hairdos. Susan Sarandon as Carla’s mom, nails it as a rock and roll free spirit who comes around in the end. Susan’ character is the complete departure from the powerful and twisted studio exec she currently plays in this season’s Ray Donovan (follow me on TV Time app for more details).
But at the heart of the story is Amy’s struggle to maintain her choices and take ownership of her life despite her well-intentioned but overbearing mother’s plans. Amy’s mom, played by Christine Baranski, is the epitome of perfection and Amy has spent her whole life trying to live up to her expectations. This Christmas a battle of the wills ensues. Mila Kunis and Christine Baranski deliver epic performances in this movie, heartfelt and funny. We can all relate to the Bad Moms.
Grab a few girlfriends and go see it this weekend! What are you waiting for, it came out 11/1! It’s not to be missed!
