Breaking News in Yuba County

Wow, positive thinking really does work. A woman, getting dumped on from all directions, finds her husband in flagrante delicto and absurdly dark comic hijinks ensue in “Breaking News in Yuba County” (2021). It’s not Shakespeare, but if “A Comedy of Errors” met “Hamlet” in small-town Kentucky… maybe not, but there’s definitely a full-on competition between cases of mistaken identity and cases of homicide. Allison Janney convincingly connives atop an ensemble of bad daughters (Awkafina), bad cops (Regina Hall) and bad sisters (Mila Kunis). If you think almost all the characters are annoying – I know I did – just be patient.

A Bad Moms Christmas

Apparently, “Bad Moms” was such a surprise hit (as if it was still a surprise that in 2016, there was a market for R-rated shock-comedies starring women) that the makers got Mila Kunis and everyone else back together to crank out a sequel in a little more than a year. Even better (as in not better), it’s Christmas themed. So we have “A Bad Moms Christmas” (2017) trying to catch lightning in a chimney. But whereas the original had just the right amount of mommy pathos, this one overdoes things (sequels always do) by pitting the moms against their moms.

Ted

Is it just me, or does Mark Wahlberg’s 1985 yuppie hairdo not match his massive biceps? Sorry, had to get that off my chest. It bugs me. I was glad I didn’t pay $10 to see “Ted” (2012) in the theater. It’s definitely worth renting it from the vending machine at the grocery store, however. Typical of the current crop of R-rated guy comedies, it has a romantic element along with inappropriate drug humor and fart jokes. Wahlberg’s childhood teddy bear has come to life. Both are slackers. It would serve as a metaphor if this movie had any depth.