Moms' Night Out (2014) User Reviews

I don't mind faith, I mind dull

[kelticman · 4/10 · 25 August 2014]

First, I don't mind raunchy. But I appreciate clean because I can see it with kids and my folks.

A good clean comedy is awesome. And I don't mind faith message movies. I believe in God, just not active in any religion/church.

After seeing this movie I thought about some of the African American oriented movies I have seen and they always deal with religion and faith in a way more organic and interesting way.

So this movie is a bit less subtle about religion. OK. that would have been fine if it would actually have been FUNNY.

this is a not funny movie that but is is safe for your churchy family. bummer. I would rather watch paint dry while I knit.

Better Writing And Better Editing Might Have Made This A Good Film

[patsworld · 4/10 · 29 May 2014]

I'll start right out by saying that the role of Allyson played by Sarah Drew almost made us walk out of the picture after about the first fifteen minutes. Written and performed as a whining, woe-is-me character to the point where you just want to reach In and smack her, it was almost more than we could bear. What it all boiled down to was a pathetic 'mom' wallowing around in self-pity and a passel of kids desperately in need of discipline. Doesn't anyone actually look at these films before they are released and say to themselves, in this case, "This is way too irritating to sit and watch."? If not, they should. However, as it turned out, the role of Bones played by Trace Adkins was worth sticking around to see. He was terrific. In fact, he made the movie. Patricia Heaton as Sondra was also pretty good. Sean Astin was so lovable as Sam Gamgee in The Hobbit, and he's lovable this time around, too. But there really isn't much for him to work with here. All in all, it was beyond refreshing to see a picture without all the gratuitous foul language, scummy behavior and in your face sex that far too many movies throw at us anymore in place of decent writing, but this picture could also have used some better writing – and editing. Bottom line, I've seen worse movies – but I've also seen a ton of better ones.

Just OK at best

[davelaburnum-80-660746 · 5/10 · 14 August 2014]

I have just watched Moms' Night Out with my family as it is one of the very few recently released comedies which has a PG rating suitable for our young ones...

Firstly, I didn't know prior to watching that this was a Christian movie, and if I had known, I doubt I would have watched it. Religion is not my thing.

Secondly, I still didn't realize this was a Christian movie until around two thirds of the way through, and while making me feel a little uncomfortable, as I had invested the time in it and the family seemed to be enjoying it, I stuck with it.

To be honest it was OK, not fantastic, I doubt I'll watch it again, but I have seen much worse. It had a few laughs here and there, and the acting was OK. I gave the movie a 5, it passed away 90 minutes and I didn't feel too robbed at the end as both the wife and kids seemed to enjoy it. But don't go off the 10/10 reviews it's been getting as this isn't Airplane, not by a long shot.....

Really awful!!!

[CinemaMaggie · 1/10 · 20 May 2014]

I created an account just so I could balance out the glorious reviews. I think I see what the creators of Mom's Night Out were trying to do, but they failed miserably.

Like a previous reviewer mentioned, every single character was a caricature, even the kids! A mom pulling into a church parking lot is going to let her 4 year old apply her mascara simply because she threw a fit? Give me a break. How about having the mascara messed up because she kept getting her seat bumped by active kids? That would have been realistic and provided the same results. And there is a way to show Dads out of their element without turning them into morons. I think Michael Keaton managed that quite successfully in Mr. Mom.

As a mom I was looking forward to seeing this movie with my husband. But at the end of the night I felt like I got cheated out of a Mom's Night Out.

Somebody is not telling the truth in their reviews

[jwbeller · 1/10 · 14 May 2014]

The critics got it right. The movie is awful.

Having a popular star like Patricia Heaton in this movie is not enough to save it. The mothers and fathers depicted in this movie are mostly idiots and should never have had children. The script wouldn't have been approved for an ABC afternoon special because it's so poor.

My wife and I went to see the movie because the 17 user reviews available at the time on IMDb gave the movie an 8 or above with accolades like: "Love this movie," "Perfect Mother's Day Fun," "Funniest movie I have seen in a long time," and "Greatest Movie Ever Made." Don't believe any of these reviews. Having seen the movie, it's clear to me that the reviewers had an ulterior motive.

My history teacher in college, when announcing the next test date, would always preface his remarks with "I know a word to the wise is foolish." This was generally aimed at those who would put off studying for the test until the last minute. Well, being foolish, I would like to offer a word to the wise which I failed to follow when considering this movie. For movies you are unsure you would like, don't trust a very positive or very negative review on IMDb unless you at least scan all of that user's reviews. This will give you an idea where the user is coming from; if his/her tastes agree with yours; and whether there are any ulterior motives in posting the review.

If a film has been absolutely panned on Metacritic, like this one was, be careful about selecting to go to that movie in the theaters. IMDb is generally a good source of what the users say. The operative word is "generally." In this instance it was not.

My review was a warning that this movie is not worth seeing. The fact that only 2 of 13 users so far found this warning helpful offers another clue about how IMDb reviewers can have an agenda. Who were the 11 people who found that my warning was not helpful? Are they the same people who find stop signs annoying or could they possibly be the same people who wrote the overwhelming positive reviews of this movie.

Painful

[ava-sawyer · 1/10 · 18 August 2014]

While I appreciate the lack of crude humor in this film which the majority of comedy films (if not all) rely on so heavily for cheap jokes. The writers also omitted to include actual humor in the script, so what you get is 98 minutes of a whiny unappealing central character who is a full time mother who plans a night out which then leads to a series of contrived allegedly funny scenarios. She is also a so called "mommy blogger", a term that needs to be eradicated from the English language dictionary. I was unaware of the heavy religious overtones before watching and quite frankly it came across as preaching to the audience. I felt like switching off after 30 minutes ( yes, that long !) but stuck with it, unfortunately my perseverance was not rewarded.

A good wholesome movie

[rconnellii · 7/10 · 6 September 2014]

It was really refreshing to have a movie that wasn't all SEXED up or have questionable material like most movies do these day. I love the spiritual message that was portrayed.

Not sure what is with all the negative reviews here. This was a GREAT start...

I loved all the characters. I thought the plot was good and there was a lot of funny scenes including a car chase.

However the movie did seem to fizzle a little bit once everyone was arrested. I loved the scene with Trace Atkins and the main character who realizes that she doesn't need to do it all.

Overall... I'd love to see a sequel with Dad's Fishing Day Out or Camping day out... and improve on this franchise...

Walk Out

[sailmary · 1/10 · 11 July 2014]

I haven't walked out of a movie in who knows when, maybe not ever before this. I feel like now I need to take a break from watching movies for a while, it was that awful. Poor little rich girl gains no audience sympathy and continues to whine throughout (at least until the middle when I could not take it any longer). This felt like a huge piece of propaganda for a megawhitechurch. I am white and was offended by how white and whiny this movie is. Jokes are so forced to be painful. Plot is so forced that it makes you want to whine as much as these very annoying women. But they whine so much that you will never want to again. Very little believability even by a fine actor like Sean Astin. This definitely does not even do a good job propagandizing. Steer clear!

No laughs. None. Nada. Zilch. Zero.

[The_Film_Cricket · 13 May 2014]

There are no laughs in Moms' Night Out. None. Nada. Zilch. Zero. Bupkis. Maybe there's a smile, but that's not exactly high praise. When you can say that about a comedy, it pretty much empties out the entire picture. Here's a movie in which the only comic highpoint is a shout-out to Pinterest – it does them no favors.

The directors here are The Erwin Brothers whose apparent goal is to bring the kind of Hangover-style antics to a Christian-based audience without all the immoral filth. It's a nice gesture, but in restraining the comedy their movie comes off like a limp sitcom pilot – the kind that doesn't get picked up. With this, and last year's anti-abortion misfire October Baby, it is clear that the Erwin Brothers need to work on the filmmaking before they try to send a message. This time they've made a low-impact comedy, so generic that it might as well have come stamped with a barcode.

The story deals with three mothers whose mental states have reached a boiling point. Primary is Allyson (Sarah Drew from "Grey's Anatomy") a frustrated ball of neurosis who is surrounded by three kids that are driving her insane. It is clear that she needs some time to herself, but her moods are so animated and manic that a reasonable person might suggest a Zoloft. At her side is her loving, but immature husband Sean (Sean Astin) a well-meaning Joe whose obsession with video games is not helping his wife's mental state.

Allyson is flanked by two BFF's. There's Izzy (Andrea Logan White), Allyson's childhood friend whose husband Marco (Robert Amaya) is a wimp with a pathological fear of luchadores, bikers and his own children (that's suppose to be funny). And there's Sondra (Patricia Heaton), a good-hearted, pressed-and-polished pastor's wife who is dealing with a budding teenage daughter who comes home with a revealing denim skirt that would embarrass Miley Cyrus.

The connective tissue of these women is that they're being driven mad by their off-spring and by the grown children that they call husbands. They decide that they need a night off from Mommy-hood, which sounds reasonable except that the husbands promptly lose the children, leading to a long series of slapstick scenes that climax in an arrest at which time we get some come-to-Jesus emotional pep talk about how wonderful it is to be parent. The mother's night out is simply one of those Murphy's Law situations that starts with a snafu with the dinner reservations and ends with a police car chase down the interstate. It steals and pillages every Bad Night Out movie from The Blues Brothers to The Hangover to After Hours to Adventures in Babysitting to Date Night. Yet, this movie is a whimper in the company of those films. It tries nothing new and goes no place fast.

That wouldn't be so bad if the comedy were based on well-written characters. All of the characters are written as caricatures. The women are shrewish nags who are never seen relating to their children – they're more of an annoyance. The men are seen as irresponsible over-grown children who can't take care of their off-spring for one night without a child being abandoned at a tattoo parlor. The message: mother's stay home because your men are incompetent.

Even at a technical level, this movie flops over and dies. The cutesy-poo musical score twists and winds around the comic dialogue like a feux laugh-track before an emotional moment in which the emo-music twists even harder. We're led by the ears to how we're supposed to feel.

And yet, even that isn't the worst thing about this movie. It was filmed last year in Birmingham, Alabama – my home – but it is only a backdrop. We see fly-overs that include glimpses of Vulcan, the Harbert Building, City Federal, Birmingham Southern College and various sites downtown. The car chase take place on 2nd Avenue South. Yet, no one ever mentions Birmingham or any of its landmarks. The city isn't celebrated at all, nor is it ever mentioned by name. It might as well take place in generic town anywhere in the world. You might hope for some kind of loving tribute that does for Birmingham what Ferris Beuller's Day Off did for Chicago. That movie, which is also about three friends who take some time off, was first and foremost about characters. It loved its characters, its dialogue and its city. Moms' Night Out is a pitiful shadow of an idea. John Hughes, where are you when we need you?

Good clean comedy with some feel-good messages.

[catoosa99 · 7/10 · 20 September 2014]

First off - I CANNOT believe that this movie rated lower than NATURAL BORN KILLERS (one of the few movies where I actually walked out of the theater). I think the critics took this movie WAY too seriously and obviously were turned off by a feel-good comedy with Christian overtones. Granted this movie is no MASTERPIECE, but it doesn't pretend to be one. It's a good CLEAN FAMILY comedy that will obviously appeal to moms most. My kids loved it and while it took some time to get rolling it builds steam to a hilarious ending which takes time to let the several elements that were building come to a resolution. As per the typical stereotype the fathers are often portrayed as inept for comedic effect. When I started watching this movie I jokingly felt like I had to turn my "man card" in to watch it. Thankfully that changed with the appearance of "Bones" (Trace Adkins). With him came the bikers, tattoo parlors, etc. Seriously, his character was played well and worked to balance out the hectic pace of the latter half of the movie. Definitely a good date or family movie. It has enough elements to please most any member of the family and keep them laughing until the very end!

Christian Values Film that Perpetuates "Hysterical Female" Stereotype

[jmcgil22 · 1/10 · 16 August 2014]

Where to begin? This film is just so awful. It is a Christian values film at its core, which isn't for everyone. No, that isn't why the film is so bad. It's bad because every single joke falls flat, none of the characters are interesting or likable, and the scenarios they find themselves in are simply ridiculous. But the worst part is that the film continually perpetuates the "hysterical female" stereotype through the actions of its three female leads. Throughout the film, none of the women can keep it together, and instead turn into screaming, out of control, weeping, needy balls of mush every time something, really anything, doesn't go their way. For example, the main character has an aggressive nervous breakdown in a restaurant and makes such a disturbance that she gets kicked out. Why was she so upset? Simply because she made reservations for the wrong day. Really?! Another example is when the three women have to go to the police station to pick up family members. They come stomping in, scream at the duty officer, scream over each other, ignore the officer's commands to calm down, and then force their way to the back of the station. Not surprisingly, one of the women gets tasered and all three are arrested. I could go on and on. So how does God fit into all of this? Well the women seem to think that God wants them to be hysterical and out of control. As the main character says at the end with a big smile on her face - God made her to be a mess. Apparently God wants this film to be a mess too, and He should be pleased with just how much of a mess it is.

A fun family friendly film

[cindynavarro713 · 9/10 · 9 May 2014]

Mom's Night Out is one of the most delightful comedies I have seen in years. It was pure joy to sit through a film that was not filled with crude, raunchy, vulgar "humor" or language. I honestly had doubts about even attending; my thoughts were "chick flick" (not a huge fan), the "dad is inept" routine (whose popularity is what led me to quit watching television comedies years ago), and how rare comedy is with faith-based films. I seldom cry or laugh at films, in theaters anyway, but I laughed out loud during much of this film. Best part? I laughed at loud because it genuinely appealed to my sense of humor. Sadly, I have been known to laugh out loud because a film is poorly written or made, but this film is simply funny.

During the past couple of days, I have read some bad reviews of the film, and I want to address those. The ones I have read have been written by people who apparently attack any film that has Christianity shown in a positive light (and Mom's Night Out is by no stretch of the imagination an evangelical film), stay at home moms (the laments by some of the reviewers about Allyson's lack of employment are a humorous read themselves), and those who actually seem to feel a need for raunchy humor and crude language. I have read a few comments about it being "sexist"; I saw couples I recognize----partners who know that marriage is not 50/50 but 100/100, and that sometimes one needs a bit more support (and it works both ways). Instead of seeing a small slice of life, these reviewers have completely defined people based on one storyline.

I remember having a 'come-apart' a couple of times when a house full of children, especially pre-schoolers, got overwhelming. That is a part of who I am, but not the complete person. Understand what I mean? So, I could completely relate to the film and various characters in it. Some parts edged toward 'screwball comedy', which I happen to love, but sometimes you need to suspend belief for a while. So, take a break, relax, and enjoy!

Fun, clean and perfect for its intended audience

[Robert_duder · 7/10 · 8 September 2014]

This is one of those movies that I watch and I can already hear the reviews before I even look at them. Then I spend an hour reading people trashing the film for all the reasons that make you wonder why on earth these people bothered to watch it in the first place. It doesn't disguise itself. You don't look at this film and think "Oh what a sweet action film." It only takes 30 seconds of reading to discover this is an "Affirm" film and Christian based and it is meant to be fun and light and fluffy with squeaky clean morales. And so what? In fact, bravo to them!! We could use a little more of this in today's film barrage. Mom's Night Out is not brilliant and I will definitely say that in many ways it tries too hard but it still was entertaining, made me smile and was fun and frenetic in the way that it should be. The concept for the movie is the classic "one night adventure where everything goes wrong." The problem is that it does try too hard to not push any buttons at all. I think it just needed a more experienced writer to try and cover the fact that it is trying to be completely clean. However, it is successful at that and still a lot of fun and I wouldn't be afraid to watch this with children of any age or any family member. It was simple FUN!

Sarah Drew of Grey's Anatomy Fame plays our lead Mom. She definitely overplays her exhaustion as a Mom to two or three kids...I forget which. By the time she gets her night out you're almost sick of her complaining. However, when the fun finally starts she does alright. She is very sweet and innocent looking and she actually wins you over with her personality. She still doesn't carry the film as well as you would hope but she does alright. Sean Astin is her doting but busy husband who works on the road. He is definitely a secondary character and you have to wonder why he doesn't spend more time at home but him and Drew have good chemistry and he is good for the role necessary. Patricia Heaton is a highlight of the cast as the Pastor's Wife along for the crazy night out. Heaton definitely shows some comic experience amongst this cast and she gets some truly great scenes. Andrea White is decent as Drew's best friend though I felt like their chemistry wasn't quite as good as it should have been and she doesn't really get any opportunity to really prove herself amongst the cast. Abbie Cobb was actually very good as one of the other Mom's who inadvertently ends up on their wild night out. She probably gets one of the more in depth characters and it works in her favour. My favourite character and performance was that by Trace Adkins as biker Bones. He is so rough and rugged and subtly hilarious and even dispels the great wisdom at the end. Adkins is terrific!! David Hunt, Harry Shum Jr., Robert Amaya and Kevin Downes round out the supporting cast and do quite well at it.

This such a big cast that inevitably you can find your favourite character and latch onto them. I have such a great amount of respect for The Erwin Brothers who direct this film because they go out of their way to try to bring faith and morale to films and this was fun!! People need to let go and have a little fun. Yes its a Christian film and so what!! Its not a perfect movie, it wasn't an instant classic but I really enjoyed it, had a good time, appreciated it for what it was, and I would absolutely watch it again. So if you're using this review to decide whether to see it then just understand what you're about to watch. If you have ridiculous expectations for a movie that makes itself very clear what kind of movie it is then of course you won't like it. Me...I had a great time. 7.5/10

Christian oriented

[the_thomas-wilson · 2/10 · 11 August 2014]

I'll give this movie a 2 because of the fact that it was refreshing to watch a movie that wasn't all sexed up like the rest although it lacked content (maybe enough to make one episode of a bad TV show). The movie consistently shoves religion at the viewers and implies that fathers are incompetent and can't do anything without the mother. The critics really were right when it comes to the movie and I really don't see it appealing to anyone other than Christian families that believe mothers should care for the children, do the house work, and only once in a very great while can they spend a night out that may not work (telling which way it goes would be a spoiler, but you probably wont want to see the movie anyway).

Really bad attempt

[twhite4809 · 1/10 · 17 May 2014]

This movie was so bad that I signed up for IMDb just to warn people that might want to see this movie. There is absolutely nothing funny about the movie. The only positive, for people that care about that sort of thing, is that there is nothing offensive to those yahoos that might actually find the juvenile humor funny.

It is possible to make a clean movie that is funny and entertaining, this is NOT it. The only thing worse than the writing is the acting; although any professional actor would be embarrassed to be in this and might hurry through their lines.

While the movie was 1 hour and 30 minutes, it had barely enough material for a 30 minute Lifetime show. I am all for making non-offensive movies to please all tastes, but this is not it.

Started out cute, quickly devolved into religious blather

[badmark · 1/10 · 19 August 2014]

At first the wife and I got into the movie, it seemed to give a fairly realistic perspective of what parents, especially mothers have to endure on a daily basis, but we soon found ourselves looking at each other more and more frequently as god and the church kept coming up. At first we thought maybe it's just character building, but then the big bad biker tattoo artist starts in with his "holy" story how Jesus loves us all, no matter what...

This movie, while is does have a few funny moments, intends to "show" how the power of an imaginary friend can save your life and soul! Go god!

Right-wing propaganda

[johnkelsey · 1/10 · 21 September 2014]

Don't let the cover of this movie fool you. We started watching this expecting to enjoy a nice, semi-raunchy movie about a few moms letting their hair down and getting themselves into some hilarious situations.

What we got instead was a commercial for the Republican Party.

I have to assume this movie was financed by one of those Super Churches. The kind where everyone has an SUV or a BMW with a fancy sticker of the church's logo, which was designed by some guy named "Todd" who has a soul patch and just released his Christian rap album. The church where Fox News is always on in the church coffee shop next to the church bookstore just above the church pool and a couple of hundred yards down the hall from game room 'C'.

I had a bad feeling as soon as I saw Patricia Heaton. I should have known.

Decent but not awesome

[solid-rock800 · 6/10 · 6 September 2014]

I thought this movie was alright overall.

Things I liked: - Christian message was nice & not painfully in-your-face or eyeroll-inducing (I'm a Christian but find this is often a flaw in Christian movies) - Many of the jokes were pretty good - Several of the characters were rather likable - Managed to stay away from most Christian stereotypes that annoy me (for example, like Shirley from Community or that chick from The Mist)

The downsides: - It got cheesy toward the end. I managed to refrain from rolling my eyes for most of the movie, but the last few scenes broke that. - A bit too traditional in gender roles for my liking, but I could live with it. - WAAAAY over the top with the whole "hysterical mom" stereotype. This was the main thing in the movie that got on my nerves & took my opinion of it down a notch or 2.

So yeah, it's not a bad movie, and I got a few good laughs out of it. I'd say if someone else was dying to watch it, I'd watch it with them, but I wouldn't go out of my way to see it.

Nothing spectacular...

[paul_haakonsen · 4/10 · 17 August 2014]

"Moms' Night Out" kind of failed to punch through as a comedy in this particular genre. And I can honestly say that I didn't laugh a single time throughout the entire movie.

The story is about three house wives who go out to town for a single night of time away from children, chores, house and husbands. But of course things do not turn out as planned.

Story-wise, then "Moms' Night Out" had potential, but it was just lacking comedy and funny moments, and whenever a punchline was being set up, it wasn't brought home with any type of follow-through.

As for the acting, well people were doing good enough jobs with their given roles, but they just had an uphill struggle with the script.

If you enjoy comedies, then there are far better choices available. And I would imagine that you would sit through this only if you are a fan of anyone on the cast list. I can't claim to be, and I found out about that the hard way.

"Moms' Night Out" is a less than mediocre comedy and as such I am rating it 4 out of 10 stars.

Good entertainment but a problem with the Christian message

[belair82g · 7/10 · 25 December 2014]

So many people simply hate this movie just because it mentions Jesus and God and because it is wholesome entertainment and they give idiotic reasons to give this movie such a bad rating. This movie succeeds at being entertaining and being family friendly. My only problem with this movie is that it preaches a false gospel that Jesus will just accept you for being you without having to repent. The intentions for this movie is good and it is a well-made movie but I don't like movies that deceive people. I enjoy Christian movies and the truth of the faith and gospel is important to me. Christians are supposed to remember that we are not to live like the world and we are to do the will of God and repent and preach the truth. Other than having a problem with the Christian message in the movie I know that this is a well-made movie no matter what anyone says.

Horrendous

[chevyrestore · 1/10 · 27 September 2014]

This is one of the most awful things I have ever had to disgrace my eyeballs with watching. The acting was awful, the animations were terrible, and the whole thing was just downright stupid. I couldn't get through 20 minutes without turning it off because it was just that bad. We made a joke to have a competition to see who could watch it the longest without leaving the room.

I don't know how someone could produce this movie and at the end, look at it and say "This is a quality film." I don't know why I wasted five dollars on this. I would love a refund on this but unfortunately I can not get one. I feel the need to wash my eyes out after watching that.

We have a range of ages watching it from young to senior and we all equally hated it.

Fun mom movie perfect for a mom's night out

[erinjtierney · 10/10 · 9 May 2014]

Moms' Night Out is such a breath of fresh air! It's clean! I could take whoever I wanted to, and leave without blushing. The film will most likely appeal to moms (particular those with younger kids), as it is easy to relate and see yourself in the characters. I literally laughed out loud (even to the point of tears more than once) for the majority of the movie. Love, love, love it! A must see, and an especially great mother's day movie to enjoy with a mom.

This is actually the second time I've seen the movie, and I thought it was just as funny the second time around! I've already planned two more group outings with my mom friends. I'm telling you, as a mom of preschoolers I loved it!

I've read several reviews that were not favorable towards the movie, and I have to say the person writing the review must not be a mom (and possibly not a parent at all). The movie was written for someone like me. I get it. I know that I find some of the gags funny because I've either experienced them or something similar. Much of the movie is a true to life look at a moms life (not a complete look by any means, but I think every mom has had one of those days). I think if you fit their target audience, you'll love the film as much as I did.

Charming characters, great acting but will leave you feeling exhausted

[moggfree · 6/10 · 17 May 2015]

Charming but clichéd characters. Contains great acting and comedic timing but watching the film was exhausting because of the editing.

I don't know if the movie itself-acting like a child on a sugar rush-was meant by the filmmakers. Probably because they want the movie to be like the lead character ( always anxious and panicky). I stopped watching in the mid of the car chase scene. I had to take a break and on the next day I finished the movie from where I stopped.

The best part of the film though is the American cab driver that adopted a British accent because of all the BBC shows he watches. And Bones (the biker dude on the movie poster) laughably trying to remember where he might have met the Pastor's wife before ( the reveal is funny but proved helpful for the Pastor's wife to be closer with her daughter). Probably two of the only clever parts of the film.

I also hate the ending where everyone went dancing because everything went okay at the end. So corny beyond all reason. Though, I do love Heaton's dancing.

A comedy without funny moments.

[peterp-450-298716 · 2/10 · 1 November 2014]

"So here's the Plan... We take them inside, get their hand stamped and they can't get out. Like Shawshank Redemption." Let me just say it briefly but powerful. I thought this was an insult to all current fathers who are portrayed again as incapable to raise children or watch over them for a while. Again there's the image that a family life and the daily organization only can run smoothly when super-mammy is around. Let hubby take care of it and everything will end up in a chaotic mess. Sorry, but I think this is such a terrible outdated idea and again the subject of another "everything-goes-wrong" film. These days new terms like "The New Man" are used frequently so the idea being used in here, is kind of old-fashioned. And the statement that modern women can do a multitude of tasks simultaneously nowadays, is also a rarity. There are enough women who aren't blessed with this multitasking feature.

I also hate these kind of movies where everything goes wrong and it always seems like "Murphy" is at every corner waiting to interfere with the situation in such a way that everything goes haywire. I am a very huge fan of the sitcom "Friends" and have always looked at these episodes with pleasure. Except for one episode and that's the one where Ross needs to give a speech and everyone gets terribly annoying so it looked as if it would turn into a disaster. In the end everything turns out just fine. That's a recurring security in such films (and also in that particular episode of "Friends"). "Moms' night out" also finishes in a corny way with a Christian message. Afterwards I was terrible dizzy and I was struggling to get my eyes back into position again. And this because the film constantly annoyed me and made sure I was turning my eyes around like hell in my eye sockets.

The entire film can be summarized as follows. The highly stressed mother Allyson (Sarah "Greys Anatomy" Drew) urgently needs to take a break to let off steam (she's not blessed with the multitasking option apparently) and asks her two friends, Izzy (Andrea Logan White) and Sondra (Patricia Heaton) to join her in a night out. Her husband Sean (Sean Astin who still looks like a hobbit) understands the situation and fully supports her. He'll take care of the children that weekend along with his friends Kevin (Kevin Downes), who hates children, and Marco (Robert Amaya), who also could use some psychiatric assistance due to his chronic anxiety when it comes to childcare. And then the "Night out" starts and the accumulation of accidents, mishaps and misunderstandings begins. Even a summary of all extreme disaster movies of the last decade is nothing, compared to this catastrophic night. Everything goes wrong. And I mean literally everything.

The performances aren't that great either. However, this is not due to the performance of the actors themselves, but rather because of the created stupid, bland, banal cardboard characters with their dramatized and pathetic traits. The tensed mother, with a bunch of kids, who are portrayed as a gang of hooligans, who suffers from a cleaning illness and sees herself as a complete failure (she can't even think of any content for her blog , the poor soul ...). Her girlfriend, the wife of a priest, acts like a saint but ultimately it appears she has a more dissolute past. Sean is the typical loving man who always seems to understand his wife (but it turns out he doesn't. And he's not the only one ...) and tries to take matters in hand, but ultimately looks pretty clumsy. His friends transform during the film into something they are not at the beginning. The only admirable display was of Trace Adkins as Bones. A kind of "Hulk Hogan" type who turns out to be the savior in distress. Even his moralizing speech after wards (of which he doesn't understand the impact) I could condone. A successful performance that managed to put a half smile on my face. And the last honorable mention: Manwell Reyes as the person in the tattoo shop.

As full time working parents of two little kids, we've never experienced such situations and think it's slightly exaggerated. As the film progressed it started to cause irritation. Even my wife, who's my checkpoint when it comes to comedies, also looked at me with a slightly frustrated look after a while. Afterwards I can conclude that this was a fairly unsuccessful movie. It's a comedy without funny moments. Just like a barbecue without meat. The intention is good, but the end result is tasteless. And for all the happy newlyweds who have plans about expanding their family, I strongly advise not to watch this film. They might rethink it ...

More reviews at http://opinion-as-a-moviefreak.blogspot.be

Beware of films made by Affirm Films

[max-720-257033 · 1/10 · 31 October 2014]

Don't watch this film or any other film from Affirm Films unless you want to experience an evening of Christian proselytizing. Don't take my word for it, go to their Web site and look at the list of other films they have made and the content of those films.

I wish that the MPAA had a C rating for Christian proselytizing so that I could avoid renting this kind of film.

At first, the film may seem like an all night adventure film, but eventually, they will sell you the religious message.

This new trend of making films with "family values" is another example how religions attempt to insidiously insert their unwanted messages into our lives.