'A Bad Moms Christmas' REVIEW: It's double the moms, but only about as funny as the firs

'A Bad Moms Christmas' is the sequel to the surprise comedy hit Bad Moms (2016) and is directed once again by Scott Moore and Jon Lucas, the guys who wrote all three Hangover films and other comedies that failed to live up to those films. As with the first Bad Moms film, I like everyone else really enjoyed it. It was super raunchy, really funny in all the right places. It was a B+ for me. It had a surprisingly sweet message that was rare in comedies like this which was that it was okay to still be making mistakes even after adopting the role of being a parent figure. The three main leads had infectious chemistry and I was keen enough to want to see where they would go with a sequel to come out only 15 months after the first film was released. Turns out, it was way better than anticipated.

This sequel takes place over the span of six days until Christmas eve and our three under-appreciated moms Amy (played by Mila Kunis), Kiki (played by Kristen Bell) and Carla (played by Kathryn Hahn) are getting ready to celebrate Christmas with their individual families until each of their moms come suddenly for Christmas. Amy's mom Ruth (played by Christine Baranski), Kiki's mom Sandy (played by Cheryl Hines) and Carla's mom Isis (played by Susan Sarandon) are all seen by their daughters as a tornado ready to wreck their enjoyment of Christmas time with their families.

What I'm glad is maintained from the original film is that perfect chemistry between all three leads. I'd say they are about as entertaining and funny together as the first. It has the same amount as raunchy humor as the first, but still manages to reach that same amount of sweetness when it comes to the relationships with their families. The new moms that come into their lives have distinct personalities and bring their own brand of humor to the table. The film managed to make me laugh quite consistently and hard than most comedy sequels as of late which I found really surprising. For those looking for a film that celebrates the Christmas holiday, I'd say you'd get your money's worth here.

Issues that I have with the film are there, but it didn't damage my experience with the film. If you are not a fan of raunchy humor, then you may not enjoy it. The humor is mostly tasteless, but that doesn't mean it isn't funny. I did find that the first third of the first was a little to fast and was kind of choppy. It did remind me of a bad Adam Sandler film in which scenes would feel very episodic in nature, but unlike his films they weren't funny at least here there is a genuine laugh to be had. While I do like the relationship between the moms and their moms overall, I found the the relationship with Kiki's mother is sort of creepy. Even then, there is still humor to be found in that situation. For it being a sequel to a comedy, it unfortunately doesn't do too much to distinguish itself from the first which some people may find lazy.

In the end, if you liked the first film then you'll like this one. It has everything you'd expect out of a sequel to it. The characters are still likable and is maintained from the first film. The film does feel repetitive at times which is expected from a comedy sequel. You'll enjoy it as you are sitting in the theater, but it still doesn't match the surprise that is the first one.

'A Bad Mom Christmas' gets a B