I don’t usually review movies often on this platform, so you know “Bad Moms” has got to be special. Here’s the top 5 reasons why I think “Bad Moms” is the most relatable movie of the year, even to people who are not moms and have no desire to be.

1. It makes fun of PC culture.

The entire premise of the film is based on the idea that there is a right and wrong way to be a parent. You have to make perfect, gluten free lunches and make sure your child has lots of extracurricular activities, all while maintaining a job and not breaking a sweat. You have to constantly devote every second of your life to making sure that your children will get the best grades, build the strongest resumes, and ultimately be accepted into Ivy League universities. If you think all of that sounds stressful, you’re right, but it also sounds a hell of a lot like being a college student, especially being an activist on campus. As someone who is involved in way too many student organizations, I often feel like I’m a ‘bad activist’. There’s always something I could do better, always something I could do to be more inclusive. And while I think that it is so important that everyone has goals and strives for self-improvement, when it comes to working with LGBTQ+ issues, I often feel like all of my fellow students are just waiting for me to screw up. Because I do. I will misgender people; I will not always use the politically correct term for things. But, I promise that I will never do these things with malicious intent. “Bad Moms” goes to show that just because you make mistakes (sometimes HUGE ones), it does not mean that you are not a good leader and someone who is genuinely working as hard as they can to make sure that those mistakes do not happen again. I have never felt the fun sucked out of my work faster than when I am around people that see me as a ‘bad leader’. But you know what? “Bad Moms” taught me I can screw up sometimes, and that is ok. It is not the end of the world or the end of my career.

2. “Bad Moms” recognizes the importance of telling people that yes, you are good enough just as you are.

It might seem cheesy and unnecessary, but in the movie, Mila Kunis’ character falls for a guy that tells her what a good job she’s doing as a parent. This is shocking to her, because throughout the entire film, she thinks she is doing a terrible job and never measuring up to the other people around her. It is this honest compliment that makes her fall in love with him. I can relate to that deeply, because the people that I have loved the most in my life are those that tell me I’m doing good work at the end of the day, even if most of my colleagues or fellow students think I’m the worst activist or Gender Studies student alive. It sounds simple, but I have experienced what it feels like to walk into a room full of your peers and know that they think the worst of you because of something you said or did, some horrible mistake that you made. You feel like you can work for a lifetime and never be good enough to meet their approval. So, be the person that Mila Kunis and I would fall for: tell people that they are doing an amazing job, because you just might be the only person that has reminded them of this in a really long time.

3. "Bad Moms” shows how you can break up with someone in a loving way.

In the film, Mila Kunis’ character decides to end her marriage with her husband, the only man she had ever loved. After a single couples therapy session, they both come to the conclusion that they just don’t love each other anymore, which is heartbreaking for both of them. However, as they walk out of therapy in the realization that their marriage is over, they hug each other tight and each say that they are sorry for the pain that they have caused one another. To some it is just a hug and apology, but to me, it is significant. It is a way of taking care of someone after recognizing what you have done. It is a sense of closure that some would say could only exist in the movies. But why is that the case? If it is truly such a simple gesture and statement, why can’t we all show our past relationships the same reverence? Watching that scene made me think of my ex (yes, ex that I wrote the letter to in a previous Odyssey article, I’m talking to you), and how much better I would feel right now if we had ended our relationship with the same respect.

4. “Bad Moms” is relatable to college students, because it shows that sometimes, you have to put your entitlement behind and teach yourself.

It is a small scene, but in the movie Mila Kunis’ character is constantly cooking meals for her son. Then, when she decides to become a ‘bad mom’, she tells him that he is entitled as a result of always being cared for by her, and if he really wants to eat breakfast, he should learn to cook it himself. That is a lesson for a college student if I ever heard one! After 4 years in college, the number of students who believe that the world revolves around them, that their needs and desires are the most important continuously astounds me. College students seem to have an endless amount of unacknowledged privilege, something that will negatively affect their careers if they do not in fact learn the importance of hard work for their own personal satisfaction.

5. And last, but not least, I love that “Bad Moms” acknowledges its tongue-in-cheek disregard for political correctness.

The ending scene of the movie involves Jada Pinkett Smith’s character saying that she and her husband “fifty shaded” it that morning, implying that they had either kinky or abusive sex, depending on how you view the story of “Fifty Shades”. Either way, the writers knew that this joke would rile the PC crowd; and it worked. Whether or not you think its funny, as the credits roll, you can be sure that Jada is laughing all the way to the bank…or is it the bedroom?

Let the criticism begin. I’m a ‘bad activist’. I’m a ‘bad writer’. And I’m proud.