A Bad Moms Christmas

When the comedy-Christmas movie isn’t a series of outlandish and non-relatable events (you all know who you are) usually fuelled by booze or bad writing or both, it can be a wonderful and heart-warming thing. It’s a bit like eggnog; you have to get the mixture just right, or it will leave a bad taste in your mouth from the offset. That, or it will just be bland and forgetful. Classics like the Home Alone movies (remind yourself that there are only two…) and Love Actually remain a lot to live up to, but that said, each to their own. After all, there are those who love Christmas Pudding, and there are those who do not. In fact, the same can be said about Christmas itself.

Last year’s Bad Moms saw Amy, Kiki and Carla (Kunis, Bell and Hahn, respectively) overworked and underappreciated by their kids and spouses. If not for its strangely-sudden sequel, perhaps the somewhat-lukewarm comedy – which in hindsight should have probably been called “Understandably-stressed Moms” - would have been forgotten. Now, directors Jon Lucas and Scott Moore return, as does the lead comedy-trio, but this time with a light festive sprinkle (as you can probably tell from the title) as each of the ladies is greeted with an unannounced guest for the holidays. No, they’re not the ghosts of Christmas past, present or future – but Amy, Kiki and Carla will wish they were. This time, their own mothers (Christine Baranski, Susan Sarandon and Cheryl Hines) – all of whom are insanely high-maintenance and seemingly-selfish in their own ways - are the titular “bad moms.”

Dear Santa, in light of current events, this would not go down well in the press...

The comedy scene is no mystery to Kunis, and while she’s not the funniest of the three, her character is relatable and likeable enough to justify being the centre-lead (something that certainly can’t be said of her animated Family Guy-counterpart). The same goes for Bell and Hahn, who are typically hilarious. But this time six is a crowd, and the three are forced to step aside for their mothers. This isn’t a bad thing, though. In fact, it’s what saves the film from total mediocrity. Baranski and Hines in particular, along with Justin Hartley’s sweeter-than-a-candy-cane stripper, will make you laugh so much you’ll cry harder than you did when you first watched The Snowman.

But there’s also a story here worth telling, with the film focusing on the complicated relationship between a mother and a daughter. That said, perhaps the film could have explored some greater depths, but ultimately it finds the right balance between comedy and drama, and any attempts to render the film more serious than it ever meant to be would have likely tipped the scale. This seasonal sequel might not quite be Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, but anything that’s enough to warm the heart and get you in the spirit is always worth a watch.

For my full audio review which was aired on Swindon 105.5, click here.