Friday, May 9, 2014

Mom's Night Out

All Allyson and her friends want is a peaceful, grown-up evening of dinner and conversation . . . a long-needed moms' night out. But in order to enjoy high heels, adult conversation and food not served in a paper bag, they need their husbands to watch the kids for three hours... what could go wrong?

Stars: Sarah Drew, Sean Astin, Patricia Heaton, Trace Adkins, Dave Hunt, Andrea Logan White, Robert Amaya, Abbie Cobb, Harry Shum Jr., Alex Kendrick, Anjelah Johnson, Kevin Downes, Manwell Reves, Sammi Hanratti, Jason Burkey, and Brad Heller.  

Mom's Night Out (Affirm Films, Provident Films) is directed by Jon and Andrew Erwin, written by Jon Erwin and Andrea Gyertson Nasfell, and produced by Kevin Downes, Andrew Erwin, Jon Erwin, Elizabeth Hatcher-Travis, Michael Scott, and David A.R. White. It is distributed by TriStar Pictures.


My Review: 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!

Loved the film, the writing, the acting...and the location---Birmingham, Alabama!! I highly recommend this film.


Mom's Night Out website
Mom's Night Out on Facebook
Mom's Night Out on IMDb
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Thanks to Affirm Films for providing me with a ticket to a prescreening via FlyBy Promotions. I was not required to give a review in exchange, but opted to on my own. All opinions are my own.

5 comments:

deborahseeley54 said...

Thanks for the review! I always look forward to your reviews! I am going to see this movie this morning. CAN'T WAIT!!! I will let you know what I think....Love you and keep on telling us what you think!

BenjaminDane said...

Great job Cindy and I totally agree. It seems some critics can be very biased. There is a push in media towards a humanistic viewpoint and there's usually room for nothing else.

Donald James Parker said...

Nice job, Cindy. I'll have to check it out. To have critics slam a film because it shows a stay at home Mom and a lack of crude language is indicative of how far our society has fallen into depravity.

Anonymous said...

Really? I thought this movie was painfully unfunny and unrealistic.

Cindy Navarro said...

Everyone has different things that appeal to their own sense of humor. While some of the humor was over the top, I saw it more as an exaggeration of a lifestyle I know. For that matter, "I Love Lucy" is unrealistic, yet it remains one of the most beloved television series of all times.

Thankfully, there is always going to be a variety of films available to appeal to people. I am sorry this one was painful for you, but celebrate that there are many other available for your enjoyment.