A Bad Moms Christmas (2017)

I hated Bad Moms, truly hated it, as it tried too hard to be some sort of The Hangover with moms. The real problem was the humour though, it was flatter than a board. I am a sucker for sequels though, so I ended up watching A Bad Moms Christmas anyway. Also, I have a crush on Mila Kunis so I had to see this.

The film again follows Amy (Mila Kunis), Kiki (Kristen Bell) and Carla (Kathryn Hahn), three under-appreciated and over-worked moms, only this time around they have to create a perfect Christmas for their families while dealing with their own mothers, Amy's overly critical mom, Ruth (Christine Baranski), Kiki's overwhelming mom, Sandy (Cheryl Hines), and Carla's absentee party mom, Isis (Susan Sarandon).

The plot isn't particularly original nor intricate —it's actually rather simple— and it certainly isn't an exciting one, but it isn't dreadful either as I found it a little bit more enjoyable than the first one.

It is also arguably deeper than its predecessor as it deals with mother-daughter relationships —Ruth has unrealistic expectations for Amy's motherhood; Sandy kind of suffers from empty nest syndrome as she doesn't seem to understand that Kiki has her own life now and that she needs her space; Isis returns to her daughter only when she needs money or to hide from someone, while Carla wants more closeness to her. The problem with this is that the film, instead of having a comedy vibe, of making you want to party like the original did —or was supposed to—, it feels like a flat drama that makes you contemplate the relationship you have with your mother. The theme isn't handled terribly but still, that is certainly not something I want to do when watching a comedy.

Also, because of how much space the script gives the bad grandmas, and the mother-daughter dynamics, the three leading ladies, Amy, Kiki, and Carla, barely spend some time together. The characters, however, aren't terrible. Although I'm not happy with how cheap Carla has become here —her mom and she waited out of a grocery store with a cart saying "canned goods donations" and aggressively stole from the bags of people exiting the store—, the leads are still likeable. And their mothers, although one-dimensional, are compelling.

STX Fillms

And the credits entirely go to the cast. Kathryn Hann once again steals the show as Carla, the foul-mouthed mom who apparently inherited her personality from her mother, Susan Sarandon's Isis —yep, like the terrorist organization. And they joke about it in the film, I kid you not. Both Mila Kunis and Kristen Bell are overshadowed by the mothers, especially Kunis as Christine Baranski is perfect as Amy's judgemental mother —Peter Gallagher and she couldn't possibly be Mila Kunis's parents though.

As for the comedy, it is pretty much the same raunchy, vulgar humour of the first film, but this time around it works a little better. Even the Isis line kind of works because of how Sarandon delivers it. The mall scene though, where Amy, Kiki and Carla get wasted, doesn't really work, just like it didn't work in the first film.

Mamma Mia! (2008)

Though I haven't seen it in ages, Mamma Mia! is still my favourite musical. Maybe it's because it's the first adult film, and by adult I mean non-animated film, I saw on the big screen with my mother, or maybe because it actually is a pretty good film, but I love it. Since there's still plenty of time since the sequel hits theatres (September in my shitty country and yes, I'm going with my mom this time too) I rewatched this and I took advantage of it to review it. 

Sophie Sheridan (Amanda Seyfried), a 20-year-old who lives on a beautiful Greek island with her mother Donna (Meryl Streep) and is about to get married, has only one dream, that her father walks her down the aisle. The problem is that she has no idea who her father is. So when she finds her mother's old diary and learns her mother had three relationships before she was born, she invites the three men on the island, absolutely positive that she would recognize her father as soon as she sees it. Of course she doesn't, and things get way more complicated as Donna finds out the three men are on the island.

Based on the famous musical of the same day (which I haven't seen but I'm planning to), the plot is pretty easy and cheesy, it's quite predictable and it's plenty of holes and inconsistencies, and it kinda feels like an excuse to sing ABBA songs, but it's engaging and fun, and I find myself invested in it every single time I watch the movie.

And the main reason is the songs. They are the soul, the driving force of Mamma Mia!. They fit the plot perfectly --which is pretty normal considering the film/musical was based on the Swedish band's songs-- and they really help in keeping your hooked. There are so much energy and joy in the musical scenes that it makes you want to sing and dance along. At least, that's what this movie does for me. As I said above, they are relevant to the story --not all of them, though--, they help the plot move forward and they convey the feelings of the characters very well.

Universal Pictures

The characters aren't very strong --they lack development and don't have a lot of substance-- but they are fun to watch and you eventually care for them. And the credits go to the cast. Amanda Seyfried carries the film very well playing Sophie, the energetic young woman who is determined to find her father, and does a pretty good job singing-wise. Meryl Streep, I'm not sure she was the right cast to play Donna, but she handles the role quite well. Christine Baranski though will always be my favourite. She adds the comedy the film needs as Tanya, one of Donna's old friends. She even gets her solo act and she kills it. Julie Walters, who plays Rosie, Donna's other friend, is good too.

As for Donna's three old flames, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgård, it looks like they are having so much fun in this. They don't have great singing voices -Brosnan's is pretty awful to be honest-- but that only adds to the movie. It makes it even funnier. And Dominic Cooper brings charisma to the film as Sky, Sophie's boyfriend.

At last, there's the visual aspect of Mamma Mia!. I was very impressed with it when I was younger, and I gotta say the Greek scenery still amazes me and looks beautiful, but it doesn't look real. The backgrounds often look like photoshops. I guess most of the film was filmed in a studio and then poor green screen skills happened.