Movie Review: "Moms' Night Out"

Rated: PG for mild thematic elements and some action
Starring: Sarah Drew, Sean Astin, and Patricia Heaton
Released: May 9, 2014

Synopsis: Allyson (Sarah Drew, Grey's Anatomy) is beyond stressed out.  With a house full of rambunctious kids and a husband (Sean Astin, The Lord of the Rings) constantly traveling for business, she definitely needs a break.  Together with her best friends--fellow young mother Izzy (Andrea Logan White, Revelation Road) and preacher's wife Sondra (Patricia Heaton, Everybody Loves Raymond)--they plan a moms' night out, and leave their husbands to look after their kids.  What started out as a fun night quickly turns into disaster...for both the moms and the dads! Between an escaped pet bird, a search for a baby that inadvertently leads the moms to a tattoo parlor, the moms landing in prison, and a car chase involving the police, a British cabbie, and a motorcycle dude, hilarity is sure to ensue!
Also starring Alex Kendrick (Facing the Giants), Robert Amaya (Courageous), Sammi Hanratty (The Lost Medallion), and country music star Trace Adkins.

The Good: This is a hilarious madcap adventure in the vein of old-school family comedies such as Home Alone or Jingle All the Way, but without the problematic content.  Many moments were so insane, I literally laughed out loud.  Though this may be a Christian movie, it's unlike any other I've ever seen...and I've seen a lot of them! As for the talent, Sarah Drew is a definite standout as the lead.  Seriously, she plays the character so well, it's hard not to enjoy her presence onscreen.  The other talent does very well, also.  It was also great to see a ethnically diverse cast; one of the moms is married to a Hispanic man, and an older African-American couple ends up saving the day.  (To say how would give away the movie's plot.)  In typical family movie fashion, lessons are learned by the movie's end.  Not much to complain about, except...

The Bad: A post-credits scene makes an allusion to sex.  Also, some of the moms act in rather rude ways, like texting among each other when someone is talking.  (Yes, the person in question may have been droning on, but that's still rude!)  Not only that, but...the hilarity abruptly ends when the movie takes a serious--though not tragic--turn.

Content Concerns:

Sex: A brief allusion to sex at the end; it is mentioned that an unmarried woman has a biological child. A pregnancy test is shown. 4/5
Nudity: Slight cleavage; a shirtless guy. 4/5
Language: Kids are referred to as "hellions"; a woman is called a "tramp". 4/5
Violence: Various comedic pratfalls.  A guy gets injured, and heals himself by slamming his arm against a hard surface; a guy gets hit by a car and is knocked unconscious; an insane car chase; a guy sits on a pet bird, etc. 2/5
Drugs: A guy appears to be affected by drugs or alcohol; alcohol is referenced and seen once or twice. 4/5
Frightening/Intense Scenes: Some emotional intensity. 4/5
Other: The moms sometimes act in rude ways, despite being Christians. 4/5

Conclusion: What a crazy ride! This movie is unlike not only any Christian movie I've ever seen, but unlike any movie I've seen in a while! Then again, I've mostly been watching action/adventure or sci-fi/fantasy flicks instead of comedies.  Problems aside, this made for a fun flick, and would be great for a social outing...such as a Moms' Night Out!

Score: 4/5