Bad Moms- why cast Mila Kunis?

[Katz]

Just seen the advert for this new film, and the poster showing Mila Kunis as the lead role.

I know she's a great actress but why cast a 33 year old to be the mother of based on the preview are children who are at least 11 or 12?

All the other 'Bad Moms' are actresses in their late 30s early 40s?

I was looking forward to this film, had only read reviews of what it was going to be about but this will annoy me!

Yes, so am I.

'From the makers of the Hangover' would normally send me running the other way, but it's nice to see a character that reflects my experience for a change, even comedically. She even looks a bit like me (lucky Mila )

We all judge on what we know though don't we? I have a very narrow set of friends who have all followed the university / few years in London to start their career / married between 28 and 30, first child by 2 years later path. So if I based my view just on them, I could think it was bIt unrealistic. However I know that is one path, and there are many others, as the women on this thread prove.

And it's all irrelevant when the plot is based on the character having her first at 20 anyway!

Way to selectively quote.

She said:

and realised that it wasn't because I don't believe that there are successful professional mothers of teenagers in their early 30s but because - again - it is Hollywood casting as young as they possibly can

We all judge on what we know though don't we?

I sincerely hope not Alcon. In fact I know not. Thank goodness, otherwise racial equality, sex equality and goodness knows what else would still be stuck in the dark ages.

Ah sorry, misread. But in that case, I can't make sense of the sentence;

it wasn't because I don't believe that there are successful professional mothers of teenagers in their early 30s but because - again - it is Hollywood casting as young as they possibly can for a female role

If you believe that such people exist, what's the issue with casting an actress the same age as the character?

The rest of the cast are actresses in their 40s portraying mothers in their 40s, after all.

Dd2s friends mum is 59 im 45 the girls went through school together I have always been friendly with mum we had kids the same age our ages were irrelevant imo

sail you're a judgemental prick. That's all.

Has anyone seen the film? Is it any good?

It may very well be that the character's youth is a vital plot point somehow (rather than just a throwaway line to justify casting the young and glamorous Mila Kunis). However, my initial instinct is that the mothers in this film - and particularly her character - look so incredibly atypical that is just reinforces how much of a problem Hollywood seems to have with older women.

I know what you mean, but she is a 33 year old playing a 33 year old. You can't really complain with the casting of that even if in some people's opinion she looks young for her age. If she was 23 then I'd be too. But she actually is the right age for the character.

If we were being very cynical (and we should be, because this is Hollywood), we might think that a film predominantly featuring women in their 40s can only get made if there is something in the plot that allows for the casting of a hot, young-looking 33 year old.

Because who wants to look at women in their 40s?

Trills - yes, I think that is part of it. Also, why is it always casting as young as possible? How many times do you see films portraying women in their late 50s as mothers of teenagers? And yet there are many women who have children in their early to mid 40s in real life. We can sigh and say that it is just the realities of Hollywood casting and appealing to an audience (and to the men who might be dragged along to a female-oriented film by the lure of Mila Kunis), but I think that it does tie into the wider debate about the invisibility of older women according to Hollywood.

I know a 32 year old who is a mother and recently became a grandmother.

I meant we can assume what we see around us is the norm, when it is just a norm. If that makes sense. Judging was the wrong word to use.

One of the things I love about Mumsnet is that I hear a much wider range of voices and experiences than I do IRL.

DownWithThis - I suppose I just question why the role needs to be written to be played by a 33 year old! I suspect that the desire to cast Mila Kunis (or a similarly young actor) drove the writing rather than the other way round..

Majority of the film Bridesmaids the women were over well over 35 nearer 40 The heat the women are over 40 thats just 2 films i can see on my tv unit im sure there is more I do think there is films where the lead actress is not young and hot but older and just as hot

Fair enough Alcon

Perhaps tellingly, The Heat and Bridesmaids were both written by women!

It's much, much better in Hollywood comedy (comedy particularly) for women over 40 than it was 15 years ago, say.

Lots of female comedians who started on SNL (Poehler and co) have crossed over into cinema and are writing and producing, commanding big budgets and reflecting their own experience of later motherhood.

Drama is probably slightly more worrying still, but I can see progress there too (finally).

I'm certainly glad to be a female cinema goer over 40 now rather than in the 90s.

Yes i think it is getting slightly better although those hot young actresses of the 80s/90s are suffering Demi Moore hasnt been in a film for years

At least now there are far, far fewer 'Harrison Ford and his nineteen year old wife' type movies. They were always vaguely ridiculous to me.

To be fair, the casting of Mila Kunis annoys me much less than the casting of Cara Delevingne in the role of a doctor in Suicide Squad (yes, I know reality is not its strongest point generally!). Although actually the casting that I found really irritating recently was Alicia Vikander in the latest Bourne film. Maybe I just don't think she is a brilliant actress, but every time she was on screen I kept wondering how on earth somebody so young could have such a vital role in US security, and I couldn't help thinking how much more depth somebody like Cate Blanchett would have brought to the character.

Sorry for going slightly off topic!

Or Michael Douglas letching /shaggingevery woman he was in breathing distance of they were terrible films

Yanbu op I thought same and imbd her to check her age. She literally just had a birthday. Of course women have kids when they are 20 but let's be honest most of the women you see at secondary school gates aren't just 30.

The problem is Hollywood doesn't want to hire 'old women' so it hires women who were playing teenagers a decade ago to be mothers of teenagers.

Actually older women are meant to fuck off and die already

Meryl Streep and Helen Mirren NEVER get roles.. Neither does Julia Roberts or Sandra Bumlick