I watched “Moms Night Out” a few nights ago, and immediately decided I wanted to write a review of it.  I had been waiting awhile to see it, because I am too cheap to go see a movie when it’s in theaters.  Just kidding; truth is, I don’t have the time to go see a movie when it’s in theaters – thereby showing the need for my own “moms night out.”  But I digress …

Maybe I responded to this movie because the main character is a “mommy blogger” like many of us.  She has a blog that she randomly posts to, and very few readers.  I can relate.  She also has 3 kids under the age of (I am guessing here) 6 years old, and an obsession with cleaning – to this I cannot relate.  I have two daughters, one 22 and one 11, and a house that is rarely THAT clean, although I do try.  But again … back to the review.

The main premise of the movie revolves around the main mom character and two of her mom friends, all very different types of moms in different maternal situations, who go on a night out that goes horribly awry.

Husbands are left at home to manage the kids – and we all know the clichés about inept dads who, when faced with their own small progeny, can’t manage a coherent thought.  Thankfully, this movie doesn’t go there.  Or at least if it does, doesn’t linger there for long.  The men in this movie are not portrayed as clueless fathers who have no idea about childcare.  OK, maybe just one dad.  But really that’s all.  And they are not portrayed as blustering, macho fools who have no concept of what their wives do all day, every day, to take care of home and family … and then come to a sudden revelation of their wife’s worth and sacrifice at the end of the movie.  No, these guys are pretty clued in from the beginning.  So it’s nice that we don’t have to wade through the tired “clueless dad” clichés.

For me the funniest parts of the movie were the “throw away” lines – lines of dialogue that are just thrown in randomly and casually.  The funny is understated, and that what makes it funny.  You’re not beaten over the head with overt humor; you have to pay attention, and I like that.  Just like in life, the humor is all around in this movie.

Don’t get me wrong – I laughed out loud at some parts.  Sometimes it was because I could relate to something a character did or said.  I recognized a part of myself in them.  Sometimes it was just the silliness of a situation that made it funny.  Like Trace Atkins as a tough biker, sitting in the reception area of a police station, taking about what he saw recently on Pinterest.  Or the flakey, spacey, Afro-wearing male receptionist at the tattoo parlor who asks our three church-going ladies to leave because they are scaring the shop’s biker clientele.

I don’t want to share too much about the plot, because I hate it when someone spoils a movie for me like that.  So you will just have to see what I am talking about when you watch the movie yourself.

But the message of the movie really struck home for me.  And every movie like this must have a message.  The message of not having to live up to someone else’s expectations was one I needed to hear that night. We too often put undue pressure on ourselves to live up to a certain set of standards, and we define our worth by how well we meet those standards.  All we need to do is remember who we are, and WHOSE we are.  And we can rest in that, and quit trying so hard to impress others – we can give ourselves a little slack.  As I said, a good message that I needed to hear.

In case you haven’t seen it yet, here’s a link to the movie on Amazon.com:

As you can probably tell, I recommend it. 

What’s a movie that you’ve seen recently that you enjoyed?  Share it in the comments section below.  I’d love to get some good recommendations from you!