Stressed out stay-at-home mom Allyson tries to enjoy a much needed night out with her friends, but when their reservation at a posh restaurant falls through and they are forced to improvise, their night descends into chaotic hilarity. Allyson is a faithful, loving stay-at-home mom -- and wanna-be blogger -- who finally comes to the end of her rope as the stress of raising her wild kids reaches a climax. Her supportive husband Sean urges her to go on a moms' night out with her friends to unplug from the chaos and regain a sense of peace and balance in her life. She is also a clean freak and has trouble letting other people take care of her kids. Her anxiety of letting go for one night increases when Kevin, Sean's irresponsible video game buddy, comes over to help Sean “watch the kids” and play video games. She reluctantly agrees and joins Sondra, the pastor's sagely and supremely patient wife from their local church, and Izzy, Allyson's best friend. Izzy has enlisted her hapless husband Marco to help watch the kids, including her own. Even though they aren't sure their husbands can responsibly handle the kids, the girls embark on a night out.
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Their dinner reservation at a popular local restaurant falls through because of a misunderstanding when Allyson originally made the reservation. Disappointed that she can't even eat at the restaurant she wants on a rare night out, she is determined to keep the free night alive, and she convinces Sondra and Izzy to join her on an improvised night of fun. They decide to go to a nearby bowling alley.
Meanwhile, though the moms don't know it yet, things are not going well for the guys. After taking the kids to an indoor play park, Sean injures his shoulder and is forced to go to the hospital.
At the bowling alley, the moms run into Bridget, Allyson's sister-in-law. Bridget learns from Allyson that Bridget's irresponsible and selfish ex, Joey, was seen at the restaurant with a pretty girl -- and more importantly -- without their infant son Phoenix. Enraged and scared not knowing what Joey did with Phoenix, the moms plus Bridget travel to Joey's house to look for Phoenix. Their search leads them to a tattoo parlor where they meet Bones, someone who knows Joey and who was believed to have been watching Phoenix while Joey went on a date. When Bones says he does not have Phoenix, Bones them on the search for her child. When the moms go to the police, the overstressed out-of-control moms force themselves into the office behind the glass window of the police officer on duty at the station. The women are arrested and the pastor's wife is accidentally tazed by the officer.
The husbands hear what has happened and leave the hospital to find their wives. Allyson, while waiting in the police station, has a profound conversation with Bones that exposes all of the self-doubt and fear in her life that has crippled her ability to relax as a mother and live a balanced life. Once everyone is out of the police station, they all -- the mothers and the husbands -- converge at Joey's house looking for Phoenix. They learn that Joey had asked a responsible, older couple across the street to watch Phoenix while Joey went to a job interview -- not a date. Phoenix had been safe all along, and Bridget sees Joey in a new light: reconciliation is implied. The movie ends with Allyson kissing her husband Sean as she enjoys the newfound peace that she has found during their adventure on moms' night out.
Best part of story, including ending:
I really liked it because it was a clean movie but it actually had enough laugh-out-loud moments to make it enjoyable.
Best scene in story:
My favorite scene is the "epiphany scene" where Allyson opens up to the rugged, biker gang character Bones. Bones not only gives very sensitive and wise advice, but he confesses to having a Pinterest account, which adds comedy to the most dramatic moment of the film. It is actually a very touching scene that isn't over-acted or too melodramatic.
Opinion about the main character:
I loved Allyson's goofiness. She was a neat freak and stressed out, but not in an annoying way. She was endearing, and it made you cheer for her to have a personal breakthrough with the problems in her life.
