An excerpt from my script review for Bad Moms which will be available 08/09/16:
2.) Plot Stability
Blake’s Beats. 3 Act Structure. Whatever.
This comedy script proves you can do the whole “cookie cutter” plot and make it your own and do it successfully.
As I read, I jotted down the various beats, and how they worked.
Page 28 – The Catalyst
Amy goes to the bake sale, and after an exhausting day, finally says “no” to being super mom. Thus we enter the world of Amy giving zero fucks.
My issue here was that it came kind of late. The script does an excellent job showing how hard Amy works and how underappreciated she is, but do we really need an entire second day giving us more of the same? Amy’s life sucks, we get it, and so get to the fun part of the movie that is she and her cohorts.
Page 34 – Fun and Games
Meeting Kiki and Carla at the bar, and downing an entire bottle of whiskey, the Bad Moms are born.
Here we get to see super cool slo mo gansta grocery shopping. Mustangs. Astronaut, and shirtless in space, Channing Tatum. Etc.
Page 54 – Friction
After saying no to Gwendolyn, Amy’s daughter doesn’t make the starting lineup on the soccer team courtesy of Gwendolyn, setting us up for…
Page 68 – Midpoint
Amy is running for president!…of the PTA. Against Gwendolyn.
Page 83 – Things are Perfect!!!
Amy being the “fun” choice for PTA, all the moms are behind her, and it’s a great party at her house which concludes with Amy sleeping with the hunky English teacher all the other moms lust over! Things can’t go bad until…
Page 91 – Dark Moments
…they do. With 3 separate dark moments. Amy gets fired (after missing too much work). Jane gets kicked off the soccer team, courtesy of Amy’s feud with Gwendolyn. Kids go to stay with Mike, Amy’s Skype masturbating husband she kicked out earlier.
Oh boy…we’re down.
Page 109 – Climax!
No not with the English teacher (although that does happen earlier), but via Amy’s win as president after her “moms aren’t perfect” speech.
Followed by a “too happy” ending that I didn’t like.
After Amy’s “we’re not perfect” speech, it would have been cool if she treated us to a Big Short style ending, where she first tells us everything’s perfect as a joke, then making the statement that real life isn’t perfect, but things are better with the various characters trying.
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