James Cole Clay // Film Critic
A BAD MOMS CHRISTMAS
R, 102 minutes
Director: Jon Lucas, Scott Moore
Cast: Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, Kathryn Hahn, Susan Sarandon, Christine Baranski and Cheryl Hines
Back in the summer of 2016, BAD MOMS was a huge hit. It felt like a catharsis for matronly women all across the world. But the movie was stilted, unfunny and a bit condescending to its audience. This could be the fact that it was written and directed by two middle-aged men – Jon Lucas and Scott Moore of THE HANGOVER fame – who just seem out of touch with their subject matter. However, the people have spoken and BAD MOMS made a ton of money. So naturally, A BAD MOMS CHRISTMAS was fast-tracked into production. I’m definitely not the target demographic for this film, but I fashion myself as somebody who doesn’t have to directly relate to learn, and, in this case, find a new brand of humor. To me, this sequel is an idea that was thrown against the wall in a lazy writers’ room.
The movie barely possesses a narrative. It’s an embarrassment of talent who are left on an island with nothing but obvious humor that’s desperate to be vulgar just for the sake of “adult humor.” BAD MOMS CHRISTMAS teams Mila Kunis, Katherine Hahn and Kristen Bell (who is one of the funnier people on the planet) with their moms, played by Christine Baranski, Susan Sarandon and Cheryl Hines, respectively. The directors, nor the cast are able to find any sort of chemistry. The film is strung together with jokes about racism, classism and humor that was completely forced. These cast members deserve so much better, and I am sure they will get the opportunity in projects down the road. (During the duration of the film I counted a total of five montages where the cast played dodgeball.)
Go ahead and throw A BAD MOMS CHRISTMAS into the fire with a yule log, and down a couple glasses of egg nog to clear your pallet. (Note: IT’S FAR TOO LATE TO BE MAKING CHRISTMAS PUNS.)
[Movie Grade: D-]
Extras:
With comedy films, extras can always be a blast to watch. Back in the mid-aughts, Judd Apatow and Universal (who released this film) would put together really fun “Gag-reels” and “Line-O-Ramas” where the actors would either break character, or vomit up ad-libs in alternate takes. They made for some of the better discs and allow so much rewatchability.
I’m not going to turn this into a completely bash BAD MOMS CHRISTMAS, but this disc is fairly light on special features, which is disappointing given the cast is insanely likable.
Special Features Include:
- Gag Reel
- Additional Scenes
- Crew Music Video
- Trailers (which really isn’t a special feature at all)
It just seems that there wasn’t much else to say about this movie by its cast and crew, but it would have been interesting to hear the filmmakers discuss what brought them to this subject matter and how the unlikely success story of the original led to the sequel. I think there’s a great story behind the scenes of this film; too bad we won’t ever get to see it.
