Moms' Night Out

Mom's Night Out is a movie only a mother could love.

If the concept of a moms' night out is premised on the notion that mothers can never get away for fear their families will collapse in their absence, then this movie cruelly confirms that fear.

What ensues is frenetic and never as funny as it should be because directing brothers Andrew and Jon Erwin are not skilled enough at pacing the action and varying the volume.

Basically, the moral of the story is: Don't go out. Because if you do, all hell will break loose - or rather, all heck.

Some of these plot twists require more than the normal suspension of logic that often happens in similar comedies. Yet the characters are all appealing.

Seldom has wackiness been as tedious as it is in "Moms' Night Out," a Christian-themed film that is desperate to make adherents seem wild and crazy but mostly makes them seem incapable of raising children.

Very much intended as a celebration of motherhood.

Being a mom is hard work. Having to sit through "Moms' Night Out" is even harder.

One of those films you can't really hate on because it does try very hard to be likable.

As a comedy, Moms' Night Out draws on a lot of different directing skills, yet the Erwins once again stay centered on the characters and their experiences.