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| Courtesy of Tri-Star |
The
latest Christian-themed flick in a year that has been packed with them (and it’s
only May!) stands out due to its comedic premise rather than wallowing in
melodrama. It also eliminates any need for an Adventures in Babysitting reboot, considering it borrows liberally from the 1987 film’s plot.
Sadly,
the movie can’t quite overcome Jon Erwin and Andrea Gyertson Nasfell’s clunky, albeit
well-intentioned, screenplay. But it’s mostly pleasant due to solid performances
and a desire to put characterization over sermonizing – aside from a scene in
the third act that absolutely destroys the film’s momentum.
Sarah
Drew plays Allyson, a stay-at-home mom with a husband (Sean Astin) who
constantly travels for his job. She misses having meals and conversations with
other grown-ups, so she decides to have a girls’ night with her best friend
(Logan White) and the pastor’s wife (Patricia Heaton). This means the husbands
are in charge of the kids for a few hours.
You
can guess how that turns out in a simplistic narrative like this one. Things go
wrong for everyone almost immediately. For the women, it’s a reservation mix-up
at the restaurant. For the guys, it’s a kid getting stuck in an arcade game (really,
writers?) and a hospital visit to fix dad’s shoulder, which he dislocated
trying to rescue his son.
The
disastrous evening escalates from there, leading to set pieces including a “stolen”
mini-van, a grouchy cab driver (David Hunt), a biker with a heart of gold
(Trace Adkins), an accidental tazing and plenty of miscommunication regarding
the whereabouts of small children. Lest you think a PG-rated comedy ends with a
baby’s funeral, everything gets wrapped up with a couple of sweet speeches and
a bowling alley dance party.
Essentially
a feature-length sitcom episode, Moms’ Night Out specializes in clichés about
frazzled, overworked moms and bumbling, incompetent dads that were tired in the
1980s. Honestly, the flick would be more at home on ABC Family or the Hallmark
Channel than in a multiplex.
Still,
it’s not a complete fiasco thanks to Drew. The actress, who has become one of
the strongest additions to Grey’s Anatomy in recent years, does her best to
overcome her stereotyped role with some fun physical comedy and believable
emoting (for this particular genre, at least). Her camaraderie with her female
co-stars is particularly fun. Heaton’s character, the voice of reason, is
dialed-down compared to the actress’ most famous roles and the change works
wonders.
As
the dad of a three-year-old daughter, I was a bit insulted by the depiction of
fathers as hapless idiots, but I should be used to that from Hollywood by now.
Still, by the end credits, Astin acquits himself nicely as he learns the
typical cinematic dad lesson: don’t work so hard and help your wife clean the
house.
I
feel a little guilty being so tough on a well-intentioned celebration of
motherhood, especially since – as the title indicates – I’m not exactly desired
audience. My guess is the target demo will love Moms’ Night Out.
Moms’ Night Out is rated PG for mild thematic elements and some action.
Grade:
C+
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