Moms' Night Out -- A Movie Worth Waiting For!

In mid-June, many of you followed me on a super-top-secret mission to Birmingham, Alabama.

You giggled with me when I had my photo taken perched atop a Harley and surrounded by Bikers for Christ and speculated that I was joining a motorcycle gang:

You went along on my impromptu visit to EWTN and wondered whether I'd been given my own new show:

You figured out that I'd visited Birmingham twice in the space of two months and pondered whether my family might be relocating.

The answer to all of those is "no". Well, actually, stay tuned on that "biker gang" thing -- those Bikers for Christ are pretty lovable lot!

The truth is, I was actually visiting the set of a great new movie called Moms' Night Out. Set to be released in theaters in 2014, this fun film starts some huge names including Sarah Drew, Sean Astin and Patricia Heaton. Filmed on location in Birmingham, this project is the next Erwin Brothers production -- and you know Jon and Andrew from their amazing work on October Baby. Along with the Erwins, Moms' Night Out features Alex Kendrick of Fireproof, who also takes a turn in front of the camera.

Here's the synopsis of the film:

All Allyson and her friends want is a peaceful, grown-up evening of dinner and conversation . . . a long-needed moms’ night out. But in order to enjoy high heels, adult conversation and food not served in a bag, they need their husbands to watch the kids for three hours—what could go wrong? Moms' Night Out is an endearing true-to-life family comedy that celebrates the beautiful mess called parenting.

I wish all of you could have come along on the set visit with me -- it truly was an amazing experience! Along with meeting and interviewing several of the actors and crew, it was simply fascinating to be behind the scenes on a working set. We were able to hear from the set designers, the producers and directors, and even the "parakeet wrangler", who trained the stunt birds used in a scene on the film!

Moms' Night Out

I hope you won't read the title Moms' Night Out and think this movie is a "chick flick". At its heart, this is a film which celebrates the beauty and glory of marriage and family life. Moms' Night Out features several strong female leads, but also has a cast of amazing male actors who turn in strong (and incredibly funny) performances as well. The plot is hilarious, and from the scenes we viewed while on set, the premise promises to be a film you'll want to share with your entire family.

Why hype a film a year before it's set to hit theaters? The truth is, we all need to get behind Moms' Night Out and movies like it NOW. You and I need to become the kind of consumers who not only get behind high quality, uplifting and family-friendly cinema productions, but who actually demand these kinds of projects from Hollywood. We need to send a strong message that we want the very best for our entertainment dollars: movies that don't just cause us to not cringe when we watch them, but also movies which are well-made and feature the best talent that the entertainment industry has to offer.

Alex Kendrick and Sean Astin in Mom's Night Out

So over the next several months as we lead up to the launch of Moms' Night Out, you'll find CatholicMom.com -- and me personally -- cheerleading for what will certainly be my favorite film of 2014.

How can you help with the challenge of bringing more great films like Moms' Night Out to theaters? Here a few simple suggestions:

Vote with your dollars - When a family friendly movie releases, go see it the first weekend it's out. Better yet, pre-purchase tickets and go opening night.
Share the good news - Pay attention to the reviews and previews of films shared here on the website and in other Catholic venues. Visit their sites, "like" their Facebook pages, and view their youtube trailers. Share these with your friends and loved ones.
Rally the troops - When a movie like Moms' Night Out releases, plan to have a parish outing for opening weekend. This movie provides the perfect occasion for families at your church to enjoy an evening out together, socializing with your kids and showing them that being a faith community means not only praying together, but also playing together!

Stay tuned in the months ahead for more "behind the scenes" sneak peeks at Moms' Night Out. I've got some great videos from the set that I'll be sharing, including interviews with the cast and crew. Until then, please visit the Moms' Night Out website and "like" them on Facebook.