A Bad Moms Christmas is a Christmas comedy film written and directed by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore. The film features the return of Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, and Kathryn Hahn, with the addition of Christine Baranski, Cheryl Hines, and Susan Sarandon joining the cast as their mothers, respectively. A Bad Moms Christmas takes place about a year after the events of the first film and follows the underappreciated and overburdened Amy, Carla, and Kiki, as they deal with their own bad moms’ visits during the Christmas holiday. Unfortunately, A Bad Moms Christmas almost lives up to its name. The film lacks the magic and comedic elements that made the first film so great. The film has some funny moments, but they are few and far between. The film doesn’t have a real story or a cohesive plot. It feels like a bunch of sketches strung together with the only connections being that they have the same characters. It feels as if none of the characters have matured since the events of the first film. Amy’s kids are still spoiled, Carla doesn’t pay attention to her son, and Kiki, well Kiki is no longer her husband’s doormat, so she’s improved. Much of the plot feels forced and none of the situations are believable. The most unbelievable thing is the fact that Amy is apparently from a wealthy family. The moms are supposed to be taking back Christmas and at no point do they really do that. Most of the jokes are not funny and are repeated in excess. Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, and Kathryn Hahn are still good as Amy, Carla, and Kiki. They have great chemistry and elevate what portions of this film are enjoyable. Other than a few jokes they are not given much else to work with. Christine Baranski, Cheryl Hines, and Susan Sarandon are fine as Ruth, Sandy, and Isis, and each intrudes on their daughters’ lives in different ways. Sadly, they are shown as very one-dimensional characters with little done to develop them more than just plot devices. There are many films that have an R rating, but this film has a lot of gratuitous language that becomes a nuisance after a while. It doesn’t come off as funny, especially with how it is used. There are some characters from the first film that I felt should have returned considering how the film ended. Yet during this film, Christina Applegate’s Gwendolyn James only makes a short cameo. I give A Bad Moms Christmas a Normal 5.5/10. This may be the end for this franchise unless the box office says otherwise.
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