Too much sugar in mixed brew

Lucas and Moore do a fine job of showcasing the mums’ busy lives, especially during an early montage that sees Amy eat on the road, miss meetings and take her helmet-wearing dog to the vet and the lead trinity’s pleasure in discussing “mom fantasies”.

The pair know how to tickle the funnybone too and side-splitting scenes include a wonderful slo-mo supermarket shakedown and Kiki and her sweater acting as a human sex education visual aid.

Bad Moms may not be consistently funny, but engages throughout just over two-thirds of its 95-minute running time.

It’s here, though, that Lucas and Moore take the unwise decision to lose the courage of their R-rated convictions and opt for a more conventional, gloriously happy, rom-com-like ending.

Seriously, the amount of sugar piled on in the third act could bury a small country – it’s almost as if Lucas and Moore handed directing duties over to Richard Curtis.

The flaws don’t end there; Jay Hernandez’s “hot widower” may as well have ‘eye candy’ tattooed on his forehead as that sums up his character depth.

It may be a female-led comedy, but any gender empowerment quickly gives way to a petty battle for PTA president and Amy and Carla’s desperate attempts to win back the favour of their children.

Lacking the madcap reckless abandonment of The Hangover and delivering mixed messages, Bad Moms is no comedy classic – but still delivers enough laughs to make it worth your while.