Bad? No, Just Average.

When A Bad Moms Christmas showed up in theaters a few months ago, I thought to myself: "Wow, has it been that long since the first movie? I kind of wanted to see that. Did I really let it slide so long?" No, it hadn't been that long; the original Bad Moms was a 2016 release. And on a night when I was looking for a few laughs and nothing deep, it seemed like just the ticket.

Bad Moms stars Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, and Kathryn Hahn as just what the title implies. That's how society at large is judging them, anyway. They don't have everything perfectly together like the Type-A PTA president and rival played by Christina Applegate. But the three form a tight bond to help each other through their self-recrimination and struggles. With humor along the way, of course.

What I'd seen about Bad Moms before watching it wasn't quite right. I was expecting a raunchy comedy. And while there are a few risqué jokes sprinkled in here and there, it really didn't feel to me like in went far enough for the raunch-com genre. Indeed, the laughs are thinner in general than I expected. There's really a lot of story in this movie, mostly centered around Mila Kunis' character, who is navigating the breakup of her marriage, loss of her job, struggles with being a single parent, stumbles at dating, and a spite-driven run for PTA president. It's a lot of plot threads that have to be advanced and resolved in between the jokes.

When the jokes do come, at least, they're pretty funny. Kunis, Bell, and Hahn make a great trio. In particular, if you're a Kristen Bell fan, this is a fun one for the chance to see her play against type -- she's not as sassy and put-together as most characters she's played. Kathryn Hahn is the broadest of the three, playing the one character I think actually lives up to the title (though, I admit, "Struggling Moms" or "Overworked Moms" aren't punchy titles). Kunis often winds up playing the comedy straight man setting up material for the other two, though the movie is smart enough not to squander her own comic timing completely -- it does give her moments to shine.

It's just that the whole thing is quite a lot thinner than I was hoping it might be. I couldn't say for sure, though, whether this is a matter of my own false expectations, the mark of an average movie, a symptom of Hollywood not giving women as funny a script, or me not actually being the core audience for this film. I just know that while I was entertained at times, I wanted more overall. I'd give Bad Moms a C+. It may still be worth watching if you're a fan of any of the stars, but I can't imagine it ever becoming a "wow, you haven't seen that movie?!" kind of movie.