A movie about mothers striving for perfection and learning to embrace ‘the chaos’ in their everyday lives sounds like a lot of fun, right?
There’s only one problem: I don’t have children.
And after watching Bad Moms – which stars Mila Kunis and Kristen Bell – I’m not sure I want them anytime soon.
Sure, the ladies get up to a lot of fun and mischief during their two hours onscreen – throwing their cares into the wind, getting a little crazy with their fellow school mums with plenty of cheap wine (on a school night!) and shelving their normal responsibilities to enjoy a quiet few moments for themselves.
But it's apparent to me that perhaps the most fun activity of all might be to not be a mum at all.
At least not just yet.
Anyone who's a mum will be able to relate to almost all of the scenarios in the movie. My sister-in-law, a mother to an almost-three year old, turned to me multiple times throughout the film and exclaimed that she'd said the exact same words as many of the characters on-screen.
But me? I don't have a child that demands all my time, nor do I have fellow mums to compete with for the title of 'perfect mum'. Watching Bad Moms firmly cemented the idea that I'm simply not ready for all of that...chaos.
I'm not ready for the judgement. For the constant feeling that I'm not good enough, not attentive enough, or even just, enough. For the nights when I would have to stay at home when I'd rather be out having a glass of wine (or two) with my friends.
(For the record: I related waaayyy too much to Kathryn Hahn's character, single mum Carla, who likes to pretend her son doesn't exist so she can pursue men instead, and who says she'd rather "go to Afghanistan than go to another kids' baseball game". Harsh, but fair, methinks)
But this says more about me than it does the movie.
Bad Moms is the kind of movie that's perfect for a girls night out - mothers or otherwise. Need a night away from the kids/husband/boyfriend/dog/parents? There's sure to be some element of the film, written by the duo behind The Hangover, that you can relate to.
Even though I'm not a mum, and watching this film firmly pushed my 'want a baby dial' back to zero, here's something I did learn from Mila and co.: escaping the responsibilities of every day life - mother or not - is something every woman could use every now and again.