Movie Review: Moms' Night Out (2014)

Synopsis: After having a breakdown on Mother's Day, hardworking stay-at-home mom Allyson Field decides to have a night out with her friends Izzy and Sondra, something her husband, Sean, encourages. However, things don't go quite as planned for Allyson after her dinner reservations are mixed up and her sister's baby gets misplaced, leading to an adventure that results in the women getting thrown in jail. Meanwhile, Sean and the other fathers are facing challenges of their own with their kids.

Who's in it? The movie stars Sarah Drew, Sean Astin, Patricia Heaton, Trace Adkins and Abbie Cobb.

Review: I came across Moms' Night Out on one of our movie channels last night and since it seemed like the kind of movie my wife might like, we ended up watching it. At first, I wasn't sure what I'd think of it but it turned out to be an enjoyable film.

I think there are things in this movie just about any parent (mom or dad) can relate to when it comes to raising kids. In fact, my wife and I could relate to both the "artistic" child drawing on the walls and the teenager who thinks they are being treated unfairly. Some of the stuff is a bit over the top, such as one of the children having a habit of getting his head stuck in things, but reasonably realistic too.

Allyson's disastrous evening, which started out with her twisting her ankle in one of her heels (something that made my wife and I both flinch) and gradually got worse had just the right amount of comedy to keep it lighthearted and make us laugh while remaining serious enough to understand her sister's (Cobb) missing baby was a big deal. The decision to leave the cell phones in the van so there weren't any interruptions (something I compared to a mistake that would be made in a horror movie) also helped with that.

I am also going to give the movie some points when it comes to the dads. Too many movies go out of their way to make fathers seem incompetent or uncaring. This film realized most are good parents too, especially when it came to Sean (Astin), who was portrayed as both competent as a father and understanding as a husband. I liked how, while the dads did face some challenges while alone with the kids, they were more the result of kids being kids than neglect.

My only real complaint with the movie is, as I told my wife, it seemed like Allyson got a raw deal. She ultimately doesn't get her night out to unplug and reset and there's really no indication things were changed to make her life easier going forward. 

Instead, the movie seemed more focused on teaching about God's plan and telling Allyson it was OK to have stressful days because being a mom is its own reward. Based on the very major breakdowns she was having early on in the movie, that really feels like something that is going to end very badly for either Allyson or her kids.

Final Opinion: It was a funny movie that celebrates moms and, in at a lesser level, the dads too. While it might be a bit too religious for some (it was borderline for me), it's still an entertaining film that is worth watching.

My Grade: B+

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