Written and Directed by: Jon Lucas, Scott Moore
Cast: Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, Kathryn Hahn
Christmas came early this year! Santa brought us a wonderful present in the form of A Bad Moms Christmas! Sick and tired of the pressure of the Christmas season, our favorite Bad Moms Amy, Kiki, and Carla have decided to put the ass back in Christmass, to take Christmas back and celebrate it the way they want to. No drama, no formality, no pressure to create a perfect holiday, just a fun and laid-back time. Unfortunately, their grand plans are thwarted when all of their mothers arrive in town. Hilarious complications ensue, Christmas is RUINED, then subsequently saved of course, because this is a delightful comedy.
The film starts at the end, so I thought I would do the same. Let’s rewind a bit. For starters, here is a mini bio for each mom:
Mom: Ruth (Christine Baranski)
Daughter: Amy (Kunis)
Characteristics: controlling, condescending, overbearing, always has extravagant presents for her grand kids, can’t be bothered to remember Amy’s boyfriend’s name. Strives to make everything perfect. Amy’s father, Hank (Peter Gallagher) just goes along with everything to prevent conflict with his wife while continuously providing reassurance.
Mom: Sandy (Cheryl Hines)
Daughter: Kiki (Bell)
Characteristics: grade A smother, drama queen, has no boundaries. Perky and mostly well-intentioned. Wants to be way too close with her daughter, so close she actually watches Kiki and her husband in bed together. Her own husband passed away years earlier and she has been a lost soul ever since.
Mom: Isis (Susan Sarandon)
Daughter: Carla (Hahn)
Characteristics: carefree, stoner, drinker, thief, is like an older version of Carla with a gambling addiction. Passes in and out of Carla’s life on a whim. No steady residence or place of employment. Borrows money from her daughter and says she is going to pay her back but never does. No husband.
Ruth has grand plans for her family, which also includes grandchildren Jane (Oona Laurence) and Dylan (Emjay Anthony), Amy’s boyfriend Jessie (Jay Hernandez), and Jessie’s daughter Lori (Ariana Greenblatt). She wants them to attend a five hour version of the Nutcracker…all in Russian.
Ruth plans for them to go caroling throughout the neighborhood, dressed as various characters from A Christmas Carol. She redecorates the outside of Amy’s house with gaudy decorations depicting the “Twelve Days of Christmas.” The topper on the tree is the ultra-extravagant party she plans, in Amy’s house, which includes a performance from Kenny G.
All of this contradicts Amy’s laid-back plans, and once she’s had enough, she and Ruth have a huge fight, which ruins Christmas. It takes a heart-to-heart with her dad for Amy to realize her mom’s true self.
Meanwhile, Sandy is way too attached to her daughter Kiki. She shows up at Kiki’s front door wearing a sweatshirt with Kiki’s face on it. She even has pajamas with Kiki pictures all over them. Creepy. Kiki can’t take it anymore, so she takes her mom to therapy where they try to work out their problems, but it only makes everything worse.
In between all the Christmas shenanigans, Carla has a new client at the spa where she works – Ty Swindle (Justin Hartley). Ty is in town from Cleveland for a local Sexy Santas competition. Part of being a Sexy Santa includes stripping, so Ty has to keep his undercarriage hair free, which is why he is at the spa for a wax appointment.
For Carla, it’s love at first sight, and the feeling is mutual. Ty Swindle invites Carla to the Sexy Santas competition, and the moms go to check it out. Once Santa #2 (who is Ty) is up, the crowd goes wild – including Isis, who is right up there dancing with Ty. I won’t spoil what happens next, but I will say it caused me to laugh out loud very loudly!
A Bad Moms Christmas was a hilarious, wild ride with a bit of sentimentality thrown in for good measure. Moms and grown-up daughters will enjoy seeing this together. Oh and please stick around during the first part of the credits for a comical dance number performed by the cast. Personally, I hope this franchise continues. I would like to see A Bad Moms Halloween, A Bad Moms Easter, even A Bad Moms Valentine’s Day.
