BAD MOMS
US, 2016, 101 minutes, Colour.
Mila Kunis, Kristin Bill, Kathryn Hahn, Christina Applegate, Jada Pinkett Smith, Jay Hernandez, Annie Mumolo, Clark Duke, Wendell Pierce.
Directed by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore.
When the title of an American comedy includes the word ‘bad’, we might expect some crass goings-on, some raucous episodes in language, sexual innuendo (as well as explicit). Which is what we get here – although, there are quite a number of good ingredients, some redeeming features that are not to be found in the Bad Neighbours or Dirty Grandpa films.
Of course, it all depends how you define ‘bad’. Since this is a film about Moms, and is on the side of the busy and harassed Moms, then the meaning of bad is relative. We are treated to a great deal of how busy many Moms are, not being able to rely on their husbands (who tend to be bossy or lazy or both), how they have to attend to every need of the children – and there is a wise section of the film where Amy, Mila Kunis, the principal Mom, is exasperated with her daughter and her complaints, her son and his expecting her to do everything, even his homework, explains to her son that he has been spoilt and feels that he is “entitled”. (This kind of dialogue needs to be something regular in many of the American films with precocious and obnoxious and demanding children!)
Amy confides in us that she has been late ever since she gave birth to her daughter and has been running late ever since, in the mornings, getting the kids to school, going to work in a coffee company where she is not really appreciated and most of the staff are young and juvenile, taking the kids to sports, to music practice, putting the evening meal on the table… When she goes to school, she encounters three mothers who are part of the PTA, Christina Applegate as the truly obnoxious Gwendolyn, nasty in manner talk, determined to be re-elected president of the PTA, and her two acolytes, Jada Pinkett-Smith? and at Annie Mumolo, two yes-women.
Things get worse, especially when Amy finds that her husband has been having a pornographic affair on his computer and ousts him. One night, exasperated, she goes to a bar and meets Carla (Kathryn Hahn,) and another mother, Kiki (Kristin Bell). They drink too much, Carla is sex-obsessed, they let their hair down and run amok in the supermarket. This is a turning point for Amy, realising that she has been too much of a “good” mom and now determined to step back, let everyone takes their own responsibilities.
Humiliated by Gwendolyn, who has strict rules forcibly observed about healthy ingredients for the School Bake and influences every word in the school, the principal and the sports coach, Amy decides she will stand for president of the PTA – what follows is a raucous campaign, Gwendolyn boring the mothers to tears with long campaign speeches, and Amy providing a party at her house and the refugees from Gwendolyn’s party all turning up. Gwendolyn uses some dirty tricks in her campaign, Amy is called in by the principal because drugs have been found in her daughter’s locker and Amy gets disheartened. But, urged on by Carla and Kiki, she arrives just in time to make a speech, urging the liberation of Moms, everyone supporting her and…
So, there is a lot of unnecessary crude language inserted too frequently, there is a lot of sex talk, especially about men and performance, but there are also a lot of good things. And, the ending is more forgiving rather than vindictive. A special bonus is that the five principal actresses are shown during the final credits sitting with their own mothers, the women discussing their childhood and how they were brought up by their mothers.
1. The title, mothers and their role, mothers in practice, good and bad? Defining bad?
2. An American comedy, with plenty of raunchy episodes, sex talk by women about men and their practice? Comic styles, situations, intrusive language? Shock? Satire?
3. Chicago, the suburbs, homes and streets, the shops, school? The bars, the coffee company and the offices? The musical score?
4. An American mixture of the comic, the raunchy, farcical situations and dialogue, the tone? Not to be taken as realism – satire, comedy and the points?
5. Mila Kunis as Amy, engaging with the audience? The story, pregnant at 20, the birth of the baby, her relationship with her husband, the birth of her son, exceedingly busy, the opening and the comments, showing all that she had to do, at home, taking the kids to school, at the job and her skills, sports events and transporting the children, concerned about the dog? Tired and always being late? Love for the children, yet her exasperation with them? Falling out of love with her husband, catching him interacting with the pornographic site? Ousting him?
6. Gwendolyn, her acolytes, the PTA? Comments about her as fascist? The two acolytes as being yes women, one supporting her, the other not realising what was going on? Handing out leaflets, convening meetings, the prohibitions for ingredients for the school bake, the school regimes? Amy’s cakes?
7. Gwendolyn as nasty, her dialogue, superiority? Nasty towards Amy? Standing again for election, the party, everybody gathering, her speech, going to Amy’s, everybody present? Planting the drugs in Amy’s daughter’s locker, the reaction, gossip, her presuming she would win? The speech, the principal, Amy’s late arrival, her speaking, the acclaim? Gwendolyn sobbing in her car? Amy and her care, support for her? Gwendolyn and his story, her husband and the embezzlement, her family…? The finale and her offering the women travel in her husband’s plane?
8. Amy, her job, the boss, young, her work, the boss and his disregard? Issues of pay? The comment about how young the workers were, playing table tennis? Absence, the collapse at work, the phone call, the deal in getting her back and her conditions, and working from home?
9. A daughter, the daughter and soccer, the son and his homework, the variety of moods, loving their mother, their criticising the mother, her comment about her son feeling that he was entitled and that his parents had spoilt him?
10. Amy, her husband turning up, persuading him to go to therapy, his being useless, the role-plays? The comedy of the therapist? No possibilities for reconciliation? Kids going to stay with their father? And even the dog? After Amy had taken the dog to the vet for his vertigo?
11. Amy deciding to go out, meeting Carla at the bar, the encounter with Kiki, memories from school? Drinking, letting loose? Going to the supermarket and the mayhem there? Amy letting her hair down, the attraction to Jesse, at school, his daughter, the girls out on the town, her failure in interesting any of the men, talking school? Jesse, out with him? His turning up at the party, Carla texting him? The date, the beginning of the affair?
12. Kiki, submissive, a dominating husband, the four children, meek, her husband’s demands, going out, joining the girls, friendship? Telling off her husband? The finale with him, her ordering him around?
13. Carla, character, talk, in the bars, raucous, drinking, sex language, the farce? Friendship with Amy and Kiki? Amy’s campaign, the posters, Gwendolyn taking them down? Arranging for Amy and her daughter to have the whole facial beauty treatment? The party at Amy’s home, she and Kiki forcing Amy to go to the election, the success? Her son, a dim view of his abilities, making him the healthy lunch, loving him?
14. The coach, pressurised by Gwendolyn, his desperation, Amy and the soccer?
15. The principal, pressurised by Gwendolyn, supervising the election?
16. Amy, her experience as a mother, confronting Gwendolyn, her speech at home, the importance of the speech at the meeting, helping the mothers not to feel pressurised, living up to expectations – the nature of Bad Moms, women standing up, free, liberation, acclaim for Amy?
17. The ending, seeing each of them and their new life – and Gwendolyn taking them on the plane?
18. The mood of the final credits, each of the main characters, their mothers, the pleasant talking about how they had interacted with them?
