Mom’s Night Out

I have learned through experience not to trust movie critics.  If I listen and go to a movie that receives their thumbs up and rave reviews, I inevitably come home wanting to take a shower and kicking myself for wasting $10 on a ticket.  So – when I hear critics hate a movie, especially if they curse it with snide remarks about “faith-based”, I don’t listen.  When secular critics are livid, I hurry to see it because I know it’s going to be good and they’re in haste to get it out of the theaters before anyone could be “polluted” by its message.  (Critics usually miss the message.)

Shannon and I went to “Moms Night Out”.  I haven’t laughed that many times in a movie in a long, long time.  And the rest of the audience, and my daughter, were laughing, too.  This is a movie I’m going to buy the minute it comes out on DVD because I will watch it again and laugh just as hard.  In fact, I’ve already pre-ordered it!  “Moms Night Out” is a movie I’m recommending to all the mothers I know.  I’d snort a laugh and lean over to whisper to Shannon: “Been there, done that.”  “Who does that remind you of?”  “Recognize Daddy?”  Shannon will want to see it again because her mother kept interrupting her train of thought.  Or didn’t hear me because she was already laughing too hard.  Of course, she whispered some comments to me, too.  We both recognized ourselves, friends and loved ones and an enemy or two in the characters. 

Anyone who has spent any time with their children will connect with this movie.  This movie is not telling women they should be bare-foot, pregnant, locked indoors and tending babies.  (Check out Proverbs 31 for super-woman!)  It is a movie about how difficult, frustrating, exhausting and ultimately wonderful and rewarding being a mommy – and daddy – is.  It’s about how hard it is for parents working together to rear children, how hard it is to be a single parent, how none of us have all the answers and we all make mistakes, and how great it is to have friends we didn’t even know we had and a God who sees us shining through even when we’re a mess. 

All pretty terrifying topics to critics these days.   

I like going home with a smile on my face and laughing every time I think about a particular scene.  I like coming home from a movie and wanting to blog and tell everyone I know, “Go see the movie!”  And if you learn a few lessons about life, well, that’s just butter on the popcorn.  “Enjoy!”

And just to add to the pleasure and allow it to linger, I’m ordering the novel!