Despite boasting a pre-"Twilight" Robert Pattinson on its DVD cover, the British vamp is not the main character. The story does start with Pattinson's Daniel moving to a new school and meeting Charlotte (an engagingly realistic and relatable Holliday Grainger). But after quickly forming a crush on her, he soon finds out that she is pregnant.
Daniel stays by Charlotte's side during her pregnancy, and in doing so, enters a strange journey with Charlotte, her disapproving mother Karen (portrayed with perhaps too much moxy by the always powerfully funny Catherine Tate), and her ailing grandmother (Anne Reid).
For the most part, the writing and characterizations are witty and engaing. They're crisp, funny and heartfelt. Aside from some overacted moments from Tate that makes Karen's desperation seem shrill, the film's only drawback is poor cinamatography. The camera shots are amatuerish and sometimes exceedingly distracting. Thankfully, clever writing as well as strong performances from Pattinson and Grainger hold the film up.
Final Grade: B (3 out of 4 stars)
"The Bad Mother's Handbook" is available on DVD. To view the theaterical trailer, click play below:
Sources:
Amazon: Bad Mother's Handbook
imdb: The Bad Mother's Handbook
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