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Archives for : July2016

Movie Review: “Bad Moms” is a Predictable, Laugh Out Loud Riot

BAD MOMS

Usually too much predictability in a film can make it a flat out bore. However, if the predictability is overshadowed by a strong cast and hilarious, original jokes, it can actually make for a pretty fun comedy!

Aside from the all-star cast, I was hesitant going into “Bad Moms”. The track record for films beginning with “Bad”, hasn’t been so hot. “Bad Santa”, “Bad Teacher”, “Bad Words”, etc. Though all these films provide plenty of laughs, they lack heart and contentment. “Bad Moms” breaks the trend and goes for a more relatable and heartwarming plot.

“Bad Moms” is a movie for all those moms who are out there trying their hardest to balance work, love lives, kids, and the many extracurricular activities that come with kids. In this film, that role is portrayed by Amy (Mila Kunis), an overburdened mother of two kids, who gets almost no help from her lazy, creep of a husband (David Walton). The film opens with Amy unloading all of her problems on our shoulders, we come to find she has no life/work balance at all. Then we meet the other two moms who are #TeamAmy, Kiki (Kristen Bell), a stay-at-home-mom raising four kids, which has prevented her from having any real social life. According to her husband, the kids shouldn’t be baby sat by anyone else EVER because it is ONLY Kiki’s job to watch the kids. And finally, there’s Carla (Kathryn Hahn), the crude, horny single mother who has no filter.

Soon enough these three women become best friends when they join together to take down the worst kind of moms: PTA leaders.  These are the moms who make you feel like crap because they seem to never even break a sweat when it comes to raising their children and balancing all their daily responsibilities. And in this film, PTA president, Gwendolyn (Christina Applegate) has no problem rubbing all of your failures and her successes in your face.

After a series of bad luck in her personal life and intolerable PTA requests, Amy becomes fed up with Gwendolyn’s ridiculous demands and decides to run against her for PTA president. Thus, the war of “Bad Moms” VS “Perfect Moms” begins, leading to a numerous amount of gut-busting comedy.

“Bad Moms” is not the best film of the year. Heck, it’s not even the best comedy, but, it certainly still charms. It is a film catered for any hardworking mom who struggles to stay afloat at times. Though there are a many outlandish scenes, that doesn’t make “Bad Moms” any less enjoyable to watch. And the end credits with the actresses talking with their real life moms about motherhood, just about had me in tears.

Rating: 3.5/5

“Bad Moms” opens in theaters July 29.

“Bad Moms” Official Trailer HD

Movie Review: “The Secret Life of Pets” is a Delightful Treat, But Not Enough Meat

How do our pets act when we’re not around? It’s a question we’re so curious about when we see dogs whimper as we walk out the door. When we see cats comfortably relaxing, and they seem like they could care less as we walk by them. Well, Illumination Entertainment’s newest film, “The Secret Life of Pets” tells us just that. From a cat who raids the fridge, to a dog who loves head-banging to rock music, these are just a few things we get to discover about the daily lives of pets in this film.

The story follows a terrier named Max (Louis C.K.) who has a great relationship with his owner, Katie (Ellie Kemper). And every day when she leaves for work, he anxiously awaits her return. Usually, he kills the time by having some his friends/other pets over to hang out. But his life is turned upside down, when Katie returns home one day with a new dog she got from the pound, Duke (Eric Stonestreet). Max instantly dislikes him, and the two can’t seem to get along. The following day during their group dog walk a fight ensues which results in them getting parted from their dog walker, and leaves them struggling to find their way home.

If this plot sounds somewhat familiar, try replacing the pets with toys. Yes, the premise of the film is essentially the same as “Toy Story”. Unfortunately, “The Secret Life of Pets” just doesn’t properly execute the same heartfelt message.

Don’t get me wrong, “The Secret Life of Pets” is still an enjoyable film and will thoroughly entertain kids. Especially through the biggest standouts of the movie Snowball (Kevin Hart) and Gidget (Jenny Slate), who provide the biggest laughs. Listening to Kevin Hart’s voice on a tiny, cute, little bunny who loathes humans is an ironic and hilarious combination.

I only wish that the film focused a little more on the things that pets do when their owners are gone and when they return home. They graze over the cliché actions we’d expect, but it is quickly over shadowed by a journey of trying to get Max and Duke home.

“The Secret Life of Pets” is absolutely worth the watch, but if you have already seen “Zootopia” or “Finding Dory”, don’t expect this film to come close in comparison. The entertainment value is there, but it lacks the heart and depth that we usually hope for from these family animated movies.

Rating 3/5

“The Secret Life of Pets” hits theaters July 8.

“The Secret Life of Pets” Trailer HD