Considering the way Hollywood loves their franchises, it’s a bit surprising that the various films with “Bad” in the title don’t make up their own little franchise. I mean, Bad Grandpa, Bad Words, Bad Teacher (just to name a few) – these films take something usually considered “safe” and give it a twist, to varying degrees of success. Enter into the non-franchise: Bad Moms. This film follows Amy (Mila Kunis), an overworked mother who’s reached the end of her proverbial rope. When she’s finally had enough, she joins together with party mom Carla (Kathryn Hahn) and overly compliant mom Kiki (Kristen Bell) to embrace being “bad moms” – moms who push back against the litany of after-school activities and PTA requirements brandished by PTA head Gwendolyn (Christina Applegate). Now, no one should be surprised by the overly familiar structure of the film. In a nutshell: moms go bad, realize they’ve gone overboard, find a solid middle ground between their two extremes. What’s surprising is that, once the setup is out of the way, the film actually manages to have a solid sense of humor. Kunis is a solid lead, and she’s surrounded by really game players – Hahn in particular is unleashed in a way I’ve been eager to see for years. Yeah, there are plenty of mom-related clichés, but there’s also plenty to enjoy. Bad Moms makes for a surprisingly fun time. Be a bad mother yourself and watch it.
Outtakes Atlanta 