2001ASOfan Review of A Bad Moms Christmas

A Bad Moms Christmas (2017)

This film is, well, a Bummer, a real holiday letdown

[1/10 · 2 November 2017]

As a huge fan of comedies that bring some laughs and escape to this world, and as a huge fan of well-known stars letting their hair down and having goofy fun in an R-rated, raunchy romp, I couldn't wait to see this sequel to "Bad Moms," which I mostly loved and have now watched multiple times. Adding Christine Baranski, Susan Sarandon, and Cheryl Hines to the original cast seemed like a perfect match--how could it go wrong? In my mind just letting this group of talented actors improvise on the same set would guarantee big laughs, especially with Kathryn Hahn sparking the mix. I went to a "paid advance screening" a week before it opened to the public, plunking down my bucks without any fear of first checking reviews--I was that sure it would be at the very least filled with some laugh-out-loud moments, and plenty of amusing ones, well worth my time and money. Imagine my surprise, and disappointment, to find that the film is loaded with tired clichés of mother-daughter relationship problems, with nothing fresh or funny to offer, old jokes and sitcom situations you've seen done (much) better dozens of times on most any TV family sitcom, and that the script is so poorly-written it truly would've been better to just give the actors an overview of what the film was about and let them improv the whole thing. Finally it ends, and you're left with an almost embarrassing dance/romp during the closing credits that is supposed to be a celebration of the "joy" of the film and its production and cast, with the actors having a bit of an on-screen dance party as the credits roll. Instead of feeling that (forced) joy, I left the theater depressed and saddened at the waste of money and talent, and the waste of my time and money as well. Easily, for me, one of the worst "comedies" I've ever seen--and I've seen hundreds over the decades and my lifetime.