Kunis plays Amy, a perpetually frazzled working mother of two who’s married to a bozo. After an emergency PTA meeting called by mean-girl mom Gwendolyn (Christina Applegate) to discuss impossible bake-sale requirements — no sugar, butter, salt, eggs, or wheat — Amy loses it. She publicly declares she will no longer try to be perfect.
Instead, she’ll be a — wait for it — bad mom. She’ll give the kids Arby’s sometimes, make her children do their own homework, and drive a fun car. Although the film is written and directed by the male team behind The Hangover, it plays like part buddy-comedy, part Anne-Marie Slaughter essay, arguing that women can’t have it all.
So when the Cut ran into Kunis last night, at a special New York City screening of the new film from STX Entertainment at the Metrograph, we had to ask her: How can women have it all?
“There is no such thing,” Kunis said. She has one daughter, 21-month-old Wyatt, with husband Ashton Kutcher, and is expecting a second. “Simply put, the idea of balance doesn’t exist. You have to be okay with one thing not getting the attention it needs at any particular time. It is your work or your kid, but you can’t balance it. There is really, in my opinion, no such thing. One will take a weight.”
The only solution, she says, is to ask for help — which as a celebrity, Kunis can afford — and not lose your sense of self (a point the movie makes with a PTA meeting that turns into a wine-fueled rager).
“I have an amazing support system in my life,” Kunis said. “A happy woman, a fulfilled woman, will only make a better mother. And at the end of the day, I have to be happy with who I am and what I do. That is the only way I’ll be able to be a good mom for my daughter.”
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July 26, 2016Where: At the premiere of Bad Moms in Westwood.
What: Dress and shoes by Atelier Versace Photo: Gregg DeGuire/WireImage
July 18, 2016Where: At the private screening of STX Entertainment's 'Bad Moms' in New York City. Photo: Jimi Celeste/Patrick McMullan via Getty...July 18, 2016Where: At the private screening of STX Entertainment's 'Bad Moms' in New York City. Photo: Jimi Celeste/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images
April 14, 2016Where: At the CinemaCon Big Screen Achievement Awards in Las Vegas. What: Dress by Louis Vuitton. Photo: Gabe Ginsberg/WireImage
June 23, 2015Where: At the launch of Gemfields Mozambican Rubies in London. Photo: David M. Benett/Getty Images
April 13, 2014Where: At the MTV Movie Awards.
Photo: 2014 Jason LaVeris
January 14, 2014Where: At the Golden Globe Awards. Photo: 2014 Steve Granitz
September 9, 2013Where: At Variety Studio in Toronto, Canada. Photo: 2013 Getty Images
September 9, 2013Where: At the Third Person premiere in Toronto, Canada.
Photo: 2013 Getty Images
February 28, 2013Where: At the Oz: The Great and Powerful premiere in London, England.
Photo: 2013 Samir Hussein
February 27, 2013Where: At the Oz: The Great and Powerful premiere in Moscow, Russia.
Photo: 2013 Epsilon
February 19, 2013Where: At the launch celebration of Gemfields' new brand ambassador, Mila Kunis.
Photo: 2013 Stefanie Keenan
February 13, 2013Where: At the Oz: The Great and Powerful premiere in Hollywood, California.
Photo: 2013 Getty Images
July 13, 2012Where: At Frankenweenie, Wreck-It Ralph, and Oz during Comic-Con in San Diego, California.
Photo: 2012 Getty Images
June 21, 2012Where: At the Ted premiere in Los Angeles.
Photo: 2012 Jon Kopaloff
June 3, 2012Where: At the MTV Movie Awards. Photo: 2012 Getty Images
June 2, 2012Where: At Spike TV's Guys Choice Awards.
Photo: 2012 Getty Images
April 24, 2012Where: At a Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures presentation in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo: 2012 Getty Images
March 2, 2012Where: At the Christian Dior Fall/Winter 2012 show in Paris, France. Photo: 2012 Getty Images
January 15, 2012Where: At the Golden Globe Awards. Photo: 2012 Getty Images
January 7, 2012Where: At the 50th anniversary celebration for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Photo: 2012 Getty Images
November 15, 2011Where: At the Jaguar — Land Rover preview reception for the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show.
Photo: 2011 Michael Tran
July 29, 2011Where: At the Friends With Benefits photo-call in Berlin, Germany.
Photo: Andreas Rentz/2011 Getty Images
July 18, 2011Where: At the Friends with Benefits premiere in New York City.
Photo: 2011 Getty Images
June 4, 2011Where: At Spike TV's Guys Choice Awards.
Photo: Frazer Harrison/2011 Getty Images
Aprill 30, 2011Where: At the White House Correspondents' Association dinner. Photo: 2011 Bloomberg
March 9, 2011Where: At the Miu Miu Fall/Winter 2011/2012 show in Paris, France. Photo: 2011 Julien Hekimian
March 7, 2011Where: At Cosmopolitan's Fun Fearless Males of 2011 celebration.
Photo: 2011 Getty Images
February 27, 2011Where: At the Academy Awards. Photo: 2011 Getty Images
February 24, 2011Where: At The Hollywood Reporter Big 10 party.
Photo: 2011 Jason LaVeris
January 30, 2011Where: At the Screen Actors Guild Awards. Photo: 2011 WireImage
January 16, 2011Where: At the Golden Globe Awards. Photo: 2011 WireImage
January 14, 2011Where: At the Critics' Choice Movie Awards.
Photo: 2011 Gregg DeGuire
January 14, 2011Where: Arriving at at W Magazine's Celebration of the Best Performances Issue and the Golden Globes.
Photo: 2011 Getty Images
January 14, 2011Where: At the AFI Awards in Los Angeles, California. Photo: 2011 Getty Images
November 30, 2010Where: At the Black Swan premiere in New York City.
November 29, 2010Where: At IFP's Gotham Independent Film Awards in New York City. Photo: 2010 Getty Images
November 13, 2010Where: At MOCA Presents: Envisioned by Artist Doug Aitken in Los Angeles, California.
Photo: 2010 Jeffrey Mayer
November 11, 2010Where: At the AFI Fest Closing Night Gala premiere of Black Swan.
Photo: 2010 Gregg DeGuire
October 25, 2010Where: At the Hollywood Awards Gala. Photo: 2010 Getty Images
October 22, 2010Where: At the premiere of Black Swan during the BFI London Film Festival. Photo: 2010 Getty Images
October 22, 2010Where: At the Black Swan photo-call in London, England.
Photo: 2010 Getty Images
June 5, 2010Where: At the Chrysalis Butterfly Ball.
Photo: 2010 Jon Kopaloff
March 2, 2010Where: At the Vogue dinner honoring Vera Wang. Photo: 2010 Gregg DeGuire
January 11, 2010 Where: At The Book of Eli premiere in Los Angeles, California.
Photo: 2010 Gregg DeGuire
November 24, 2009Where: At the New York City Ballet 2009–10 season opening night celebration.
Photo: 2009 Getty Images
September 20, 2009Where: At the Primetime Emmy Awards. Photo: 2009 Jeff Vespa
August 24, 2009Where: At the Extract premiere in Los Angeles, California. Photo: Frazer Harrison/2009 Getty Images
October 13, 2008Where: At the Max Payne premiere in Hollywood, California. Photo: 2008 Jon Kopaloff
July 12, 2008Where: At the VH1 Rock Honors in Los Angeles, California. Photo: 2008 Jon Kopaloff
May 31, 2008Where: Arriving at the Chrysalis Butterfly Ball in Los Angeles, California. Photo: 2008 Steve Granitz
May 19, 2008Where: At the New York Moves Art and Design Issue launch party. Photo: 2008 Getty Images
April 10, 2008Where: Arriving at the Forgetting Sarah Marshall world premire in Hollywood, California. Photo: 2008 Gregg DeGuire
February 22, 2008Where: At WonderCon in San Francisco, California. Photo: Albert L. Ortega/2008 Albert L. Ortega
October 29,2007Where: At Family Guy's 100th Episode party in Los Angeles, California. Photo: 2007 Getty Images
May 6, 2006Where: At the That '70s Show series wrap party.
March 6, 2006Where: At the William S. Paley Television Festival.
Photo: Mark Sullivan
October 24, 2005Where: At the FOX Fall Casino party. Photo: 2005 Getty Images
April 25, 2005Where: Visiting MTV's TRL in New York City. Photo: Michael Loccisano
March 5, 2005Where: At the Cyril Helnwein Art Show. Photo: John Sciulli
May 20, 2004Where: At the the after party for the Fox primetime program announcements. Photo: Peter Kramer/2004 Getty Images
May 6, 2004Where: Backstage at MTV's TRL in New York City. Photo: Scott Gries/2004 Getty Images
May 5, 2002Where: Arriving at the Young Hollywood Awards.
April 20, 2002Where: At the Kids Choice Awards. Photo: Ron Galella/2002 Galella LTD
April 14, 2002Where: At the MTV Icon Honors Aerosmith celebration. Photo: SGranitz
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