Beth was a jerk.

I don't see a lot of malice in Beth, but we don't really get to know here. We do see it in her bandmates, but that could have been included for dramatic purposes. Mavis is a public trainwreck and it's supposed to be uncomfortable for the audience to watch her, and the bandmates commentary is meant to heighten that vicarious feeling of dread.

Now Buddy on the other hand seems like a total idiot, but in the end he's revealed to be rather insightful in terms of recognizing that she is having a problem. In light of that some of the things he says to Mavis really come across as him wanting to feel out that situation, probably for the sake of his own ego, rather than having a genuine interest in her.

Buddy really eggs on the situation instead of diffusing it.

Wow, thanks for putting what I felt subconsciously into words! This actually makes the movie better than I thought at first. I think this movie is a rare and somewhat successful commentary on the bitterness of people in general. There are no definite sides, just a population of people who churn away at life for better or for worse.

It was over 15 years ago, Mavis had married and supposedly "moved on", in what realm would sending out information or even an invite to an old high school buddy - even the ex of your husband - be malicious, spiteful, vindictive or anything else? That is in the realm of someone malicious, spiteful and vindictive. It's not a usual thing, certainly, but not unheard of. And since Buddy and Beth are happily married and secure in that, there wouldn't have been any worry that Mavis would still have psychotic obsession with Buddy and act on that.

Beth was normal, Buddy was oblivious if not worried about Mavis' actions before she came to town, it was Mavis that was seriously sick and in need of help. Depression, alcoholism and narcissism is a very bad combination. Her parents were incredibly ignorant of what a wreck their daughter was though, have to say. And Sandra was just a tool. A typical movie-made up loser that had a delusion fascination about who Mavis is and what her life is like and wanted to be like her, or at least in her presence.

I think Mavis's french-fry eating friend probably gave her the best answer to what she was feeling/thinking about the baby announcement: "You seem a little overly worked up about this."

Mavis--at a personal low point in her life--dwelled on anything that she felt was proof of the world crapping on her and then dismissed feedback contrasting her misconceptions because it wasn't what she wanted to hear. First, her girlfriend in the city and then Matt who upon hearing of her intentions sagely advised her to keep it all to herself and seek professional help.

If Mavis had received this email when she was at a highpoint in her life this wouldn't have been a movie (a manic-phased movie about Mavis wouldn't have even mentioned this email message).

So no, in context, Beth is not really a jerk and neither are most of the townfolk. Most of them didn't harbor any malicious sentiment towards Mavis, just pity or confusion at her actions. Pity doesn't make people jerks because they're not trying to condescend to Mavis in the way she does to them. The people she stepped on in the past (Mary Ellen & the other bandmates) or who watched her trying to be a homewrecker (the babysitter) harbored some resentment and Buddy's mother clearly had misgivings about her presence. But I don't think this makes them jerks. Just understandably wary. At worst, Beth could be called naive, since her sympathy is obviously wasted on Mavis and sets the stage for the meltdown at the naming party.

I don't know, obviously, Charlize is the protagonist and you're seeing things from her point of view so you're rooting for her but I thought Beth was really classy when she didn't do anything back.

I think the movie succeeds because it gets us to question that and it's thought-provoking. It plays around with point-of-view a little. It was kind of like a twilight-zone episode

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I don't think she had bad intentions, but I think she was definitely naive. Who the hell invites their husband's ex-girlfriend? They clearly weren't friends and she knew that they had been together for four damn years. Who does that? Beth was clearly delusional. She couldn't realize that she was rubbing their happiness on Mavis's face, and she obviously knew that Mavis was unstable. Mavis was selfish and narcisstic, but Beth was just asking for a fallout by inviting her.

I totally agree with you.

THANK YOU! I had been reading reviews and even writing my own to make this point. Not only did she cruelly send the baby announcement to her husband's ex-lover, I do believe she would have known about the miscarriage, which is probably what led to Buddy and Mavis' breakup. Further proof (to me) of Beth's evil nature is when her mommy band starts out their set with a song which had been established in the beginning of the movie as being Mavis and Buddy's special song. One of the most painful moments in the movie is the look of shock and pain on Mavis' face when the band starts playing what she clearly felt was a private and meaningful part of her past with Buddy. I don't think Beth meant for the announcement to bring Mavis home, which may have triggered her other passive-aggressive moves to hurt Mavis which pretending to be so sweet. She was more rubbing it in her face. If none of this was intended by the screenwriter, then they should have found a different way of letting Mavis find out about the baby, like a phone call with her mom or something. I just can't believe so many people missed this.