Texan Mosaic

Get the gift of laughter with the new movie, “A Bad Moms Christmas.”

Even the best mom has a bad side to her. But naughty moms can enjoy Christmas, just as much as the nice ones.

With the holiday season in session, three over-burdened and under-appreciated moms, Amy (Mila Kunis), Kiki (Kristen Bell), and Carla (Kathryn Hahn), put a twist on the typical Christmas expectations.

The mothers are trying their very best to make their families happy and proud, but quickly become fed up with the strenuous work it takes to live up to good mom status around Christmas time.

Just as much as these ladies are moms, they are strong and independent women who work for what they want. So they decide to forget about being perfect. They all come to the decision to rebel against the not-so-fun parts of the holiday season.

With Christmas approaching, their own mothers decide to take charge of everything. But each of the ‘bad’ moms are not OK with this. So they decide to take charge.

It is empowering to see the real-world aspect in a Hollywood film, and what was even better was that they made the characters laugh at the issues in their dysfunctional lives.

Amy had just recently gone through a divorce, but found new love with Jesse (Jay Hernandez), who has a young daughter. She also has (older) children. While trying to perfect her blended family, get everyone gifts, and have an enjoyable Christmas, she also is standing off with her not-so-standoffish mother, Ruth (Christine Baranski).

Kiki is dealing with her first fatherless Christmas, children, and more. She gets overwhelmed by her insane mother, who gives her no breathing room. Her mother, Sandy (Cheryl Hines), even goes as far as moving in next door and wearing Kiki’s face on her pajamas.

Isis (Susan Sarandon) is an obnoxious, rocker-mom who works at a spa that offers the service of waxing personal areas on men and women. That is where she meets her new lover, Ty Swindel (Justin Hartley). But to make her home life even more interesting, her greedy and absent mother surprises her for “Easter” (so she thought), just before Christmas to ask for a $15,000 loan.

The three ‘bad moms’ say to heck with it when all are surprised by their mothers. They end up getting drunk in the food court of the mall during the week before Christmas.

This is where things take a turn for the better, as the moms start putting up with less so they can enjoy their holiday.

I got just what I was looking for out of this movie, as the rebellious adults incorporate fun back into Christmas.

Although the movie made you feel the traditional Christmas movie feelings, such as joy, tears of love, and heart warmth, it also takes you on a vacation from the perfectionist-style holiday expected from modern moms. There is exotic male Santa Claus dancers, curse words, and obnoxious, but realistic, experiences that put a funny and relatable twist on their holiday events.

Amy, Kiki, and Carla thought they were doing everything the right way. But those viewing the movie, including myself, knew it was all downhill when the moms started going too far.

I loved the traditional path the movie took with the families apologizing and forgiving one another, but the writer did not stop the humor aspect. That gave it a really nice, mood-boosting feel to it. My favorite part about the movie was how unique and appealing it was to the audience.

I would definitely go see it again, and recommend it to others looking to laugh about the behind-the-scenes work that goes into making every Christmas the best Christmas.

I give it a well-deserved 8 out of 10.