Many called 2014 the greatest year for
"Christian" films (if you consider Noah, Exodus:
Gods and Kings, and Heaven is For Real as Christian films,
I suppose). True, there were many films indirectly connected to Christianity.
But only one big comedy film came out that was directed and written by
Christians. Moms' Night Out is a comedy drama that shows the
importance of mothers and their job.
Just as with 2014's God's Not Dead,
the secular community bashed this film. It was called disappointing and even
sexist. Among Christians, it received fairly good reviews. The film stars Sarah
Drew as Allyson, a mother, Sean Astin as Sean, her husband, and Patricia Heaton
as Sondra, the pastor's wife.
SUMMARY
It's Mother's Day and Allyson is overwhelmed with her
husband away on business, leaving her alone with their children. She takes the
kids to church but with a few problems.
Later, she plans a "moms' night out" with
her best friend Izzy and the pastor's wife, Sondra. The three arrive at a fancy
restaurant, only to find that Allyson's reservation has been mixed up. But this
is just the beginning.
The moms go bowling, but Allyson's sister-in-law,
Bridget, works there. She had asked Allyson to watch her baby son but was
refused. Out of curiosity, Allyson asks who is watching the baby, Phoenix.
Bridget says her "ex," Joey, is watching him. However, earlier in the
evening, Allyson had seen Joey at the restaurant.
The four moms, including Bridget, find Joey and he
tells them he left the baby with the owner of a tattoo parlor. The moms head
down there but find out that he is gone.
The rest of the movie holds one conundrum after
another, with the fathers watching the kids, the missing baby, and a police
chase.
CONTENT
The violence in Moms' Night Out is
minor. Two men find themselves tied up while children run around. It is implied
that a man steps on a bird, though not intentionally. A woman is accidentally
tasered. People go into a shady-looking tattoo parlor.
It is implied that Bridget is either divorced or
separated from her husband or boyfriend. While the two have a baby, it is not
clearly stated whether they were married or not (though I felt it implied they
never were).
There is no inappropriate language.
A couple of men are shown in a somewhat mocking
light. The one man is shown to be a bit irresponsible (in fact, most of the men
characters are). However, this is a minor point.
The biggest lesson to be taken from Moms'
Night Out is the importance of mothering. In the Bible, mothers play
an important role. Eve was the mother of all humans; without her, indeed, there
would be no us! Moses' mother saved his life by separating herself from her
infant son, and he grew to lead God's people out of Egypt, out of bondage. Samuel's
mother, Hannah, dedicated her son to the LORD and through that, he became a
great prophet of God. The most famous biblical mother is Mary, who bore Jesus
Christ, God's Son, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit. None of these mothers
were particularly special (in fact, they were all ordinary), but by God's grace
they all raised godly sons who were great heroes of the faith.
Christian films are often criticized for their poor
acting. Moms' Night Out may not have amazing acting, but it
still was very good. It had two famous actors: Sean Astin (Lord of the Rings trilogy)
and Patricia Heaton (Everybody Loves Raymond). Also, Alex Kendrick,
popular for his Christian movie ministry, is featured in the movie.
Moms' Night Out is one wild ride, from
start to finish. It has enough comedy to make anyone laugh, and also some good
lessons about mothers and their roles. The character Allyson says, at the end,
that she is a "beautiful mess." While this is true about mothers
especially, it is true for all of God's children. We are all a mess, but
through Christ, we are made beautiful.
I hope many families enjoy this film!
GENERAL INFORMATION
Length: 98 minutes
Rating: PG (for mild thematic elements and some action)
Directors: Andrew Erwin, John Erwin
Producers: Andrew Erwin, John Erwin, David A.R. White, Kevin
Downes,
Elizabeth Hatcher-Travis, Michael Scott
Music: Marc Fantini, Steffan Fantini
Year of release: 2014
Primary audience: Family, adults
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