MPAA Rating: R/ Genre: Black Comedy/Stars: Amandla Stenberg, Maria Bakalova, Myha’la Herrold, Chase Sui Wonders, Rachel Sennott, Lee Pace, Pete Davidson, Conner O’Malley/Runtime: 95 minutes
I think it is fairly safe to say that a pattern of visceral human butchery with comedy inserted in for “good measure” is by no means the easiest leaping off point for a slice of cinema to get underway from. This is because if done wrong the film will usually either turn out way too funny or just downright absurd to the point that a movie goer will enjoy themselves, but not really feel it to be even remotely a plausibility. With that said however, through the ages there actually have been some movies that have managed to succeed at doing so with Heathers from 1988 and *of course* Scream from 1996 being two of the more iconic examples that come to mind. The reason I bring this up dear reader is because we can now add 2022’s Bodies Bodies Bodies to that list as well. Indeed much in the same vein as the previously mentioned slices of cinema, this actually suspenseful and delightfully darkly comic slice of cinema is one that points its blade at a particular generation of youth and then proceeding to incorporate distinct slasher components whilst also being very direct and by no means awkward. Yet unlike those films which focused on the teens of the 80s and 90s respectively, we see that this time there’s a new generation to poke fun at, call out, and also address. Namely the generation that is constantly coming up with and hurling around the latest in mental health phrases to best utilize in a moment where they might be particularly distressed about something whilst also being obsessed to the gills with the latest hashtags or videos on TikTok that we call…..the Gen Z’ers (the same group incidentally that will most likely take to Twitter after reading this review and call me a grumpy old hack which is ironic because they will have gotten at least the grumpy part right so kudos to them). With that in mind, you should know that yes, the cast of characters in this slice of cinema do manage to get quite nasty and visceral with one another both in terms of what they say to one another as well as what they do to each other. Yet, in a perverse War of the Roses or Just Tell Me What You Want-kind of manner this is also something that proves to be immensely albeit highly twistedly satisfying to see unfold before your eyes. Not just because of the simple truth that we as people have a hidden fondness for watching things like people bickering and fighting if we aren’t involved in any way, but also because of the very pointed observations it is making about the generation that the characters are all a proud and unashamed part of. Thus, with the aid of magnetic work in front of the camera by a game cast and electrifying work behind the camera in trying to make the film feel both organic and insightful, but also genuine and riveting, there is no denying that Bodies Bodies Bodies is a brilliant little darkly comic slasher film that Gen Z’ers can say is in no way representative of their generation even while they enjoy it, but that older generations can also look at and smile. Not only because we too are enjoying it, but also because we know different.
The plot is as follows: Bodies Bodies Bodies gets its riveting whodunit cinematic game afoot as we are put in a car with a pair of young women madly in love with one another by the names of Sophie and Bee respectively. We soon learn that the reason for the drive they are embarking on is because they are on their way to Sophie’s best friend David’s family mansion for a hurricane party. Yet while on the surface this does seem all well and good to say nothing of a fun time to be had by all (I mean me personally I’d rather not do something that stupid in the face of impending natural calamity, but to each their own I guess), but there is one teeny tiny little problem. That being that we soon learn that the other guests invited to this distinct party are the rest of Sophie’s friends from back in the day and to say that they are mean spirited is a significant understatement if not a slap in the face to the concept of mean spiritedness. Indeed we soon learn that this group, comprised of actress Emma, Sophie’s former girlfriend Jordan, a podcaster by the name of Alice, and Alice’s significantly older new beau that she met on Tinder Greg, are more than just a wee bit hostile towards Sophie since she decided to flee the group chat and quit drinking (oh the horror). Even with this hostility in play however, we see that equipped with glow sticks you’d see at a rave, copious amounts of booze, enough coke to make Tony Montana suspect you had stolen from him (now THAT would be a movie I’d like to see) and a giant luxury estate as their own personal Disneyland, we see this group of…..”friends” decide to start bracing themselves for what will be one of the longest nights they have ever endured in each other’s company. It soon becomes obvious however that, if they are to make it through the night, the tension must be shattered. To that end, we see the group make the choice to play a game called (you guessed it) Bodies Bodies Bodies where one person is secretly a killer and then, under the cover of darkness, “kills” another player by tapping them on the shoulder and thus everyone else must from there get to the bottom of the mystery. Think Clue for millennials. Yet just when it seems like this might be the thing to get this group of friends, plus significant others, back on the right track we see that fate has other plans in mind. Plans it sets in motion when not only does the power go out with no way of knowing when it will come back on, but then one of the players actually winds up dead (as in not tapped on the shoulder dead, but actually deceased dead). Now what started out as a game meant to bring a group of friends back together is about to turn into a no holds-barred physical, mental, and verbal cage match between a group of people that by the time it is done will make you seriously long for the days when Lord of the Flies was the worst possible scenario for a group of young people to aspire to…..
Now it should be noted right off the bat that the crew behind the camera do an absolutely fantastic job of getting the most it can get out of its singular setting to such an extent that they manage to take all of the foreboding rooms, ominous looking corridors, secret nooks and crannies and even the swimming pool and indoor basketball court and transform it into something that feels less like a home that this cast of characters are partying in and more like a board of Clue brought vividly to life (minus the goofy character names and weapons of choice of course). We also see that this film’s helmer, one Halina Reijn, does a wonderful job of establishing both the action and suspense in this to give off the vibe of being more in tune with something we would see in a play on Broadway and less like a cinematic endeavor in theaters nationwide thus making the proceedings feel a lot more intimate and tight-knit than might normally be expected for a slice of cinema of this ilk. Along with that comes wonderful work from the cinematography department in giving us long takes that do a brilliant job of showcasing the unease and anxiety that comes with someone keeping an eye on you whilst you are in the process of keeping an eye on them. The cinematography department also incidentally does a brilliant job of having the majority of the light in this film originate solely from either the characters’ phones or the glow-sticks they have about their persona. As a result, not only is a creepy atmosphere able to be constructed a lot easier, but it also really permits the film to tap into the idea that a cell phone is such an integral component in the lives of these characters that you can see why they would do the things they do once they lose power to say nothing of their precious Internet and cell service. With all of that in mind however, perhaps the best asset this slice of cinema has going for it, besides the downright engaging EDM musical accompaniment by the same talent who worked on It Follows back in 2014, behind the camera would be the razor-sharp and dynamic script it is operating off of. Yes there may be some flaws in it, including the fact that no one takes the time to accuse someone of being *like totally sus* in everything that is going on or that some of the dialogue being uttered by the cast of characters does seem to be a little….off at moments, but it still does manage to do a great job nonetheless in capturing both the puzzling nature of what is going on as well as the characters and how they choose to respond to the ever escalating series of events that are at hand starting with the moment the first body is discovered (though an argument could be made for when our two lovebirds arrive at the manor) and ending with….well you’ll just have to see for yourself. Suffice it to say that the work done behind the camera is brilliantly in synch with its cast of performers and does the best job possible in their own way of bringing the world of the film vividly to life.
Of course, (as I have said before in previous reviews) the beautiful work done behind the camera can only do so much in making a slice of cinema genuinely great. For it to truly become great, the cast that is assembled in front of the camera have to be willing to take it the rest of the way. Thankfully, that is not a worry that this slice of cinema has to worry too much about. I say that because every single member of this film’s cast not only is aware of the kind of film they are making, but in the process give us wonderfully twisted and sharp performances that work in synch beautifully with both the work done behind the camera and by their fellow co-stars in this as well. This starts with Maria Bakalova who, in the role of Bee, manages to bring a wonderful mix of both nuance and comedic genius in a way that also brilliantly permits the secrets that this character is hiding to remain at arm’s length until just the right moment and she is ready to reveal them. Suffice it to say Bakalova is one actress who, since her breakout role in the 2nd Borat movie a couple of years ago, has been seen by a lot of people in the realm of movie magic as an actress to definitely keep an eye on and this role just serves to be further proof of that. We also are treated to yet another delightful performance from Rachel Sennott, fresh off her breakthrough turn in the film Shiva Baby from 2020, as the wonderfully manic yet also effortlessly befuddled as well as downright comedically egotistical Alice who literally talks about her podcast as if it is the say-all, end-all of the global Internet community. Yet even when factoring in equally as wonderfully barbed and pointed efforts from the other actresses amongst the cast members, it is also worth pointing out that the two male actors in the cast also definitely hold their own in terms of performances. This starts out with Pete Davidson in the role of David. Indeed, Davidson has always been someone I thought was an enjoyable presence during his tenure on SNL and I have been very curious as to see what direction he would wind up going if he decided to make the transition from television to film. Suffice it to say that, at least in this film, Davidson does a great job at playing a guy who feels less like an actual human being and more like the kind of guy that communities across the Internet seemingly think Pete Davidson is (though when you have dated both a Kardashian AND Kate Beckinsale you can see where they might get some of the ideas about him that they do) to fairly sharply hilarious effect. I also really enjoyed the work in this by Lee Pace in the role of Alice’s new older beau Greg. Indeed, Pace has always been an actor who, be it his turns as Ronan in the first Guardians of the Galaxy or Joe MacMillan in the TV show Halt and Catch Fire to name but a couple of examples, is skilled at playing characters that are at the very least just a wee bit despicable and/or sleazy. Suffice it to say that the character of Greg is one who, without going into spoilers, is one that fits within that collection of performances beautifully.
All in all the singular setting for the film is beautifully shot, the script is one that is the most delightful kind of organized chaos I have ever seen, the rest of the ingredients behind the camera most assuredly on point, and the cast all manage to give delightfully twisted, bitter, and more barbed and pointy than the sharpest of barbed wire performances that really do fit their respective characters to the letter. When looking at this slice of cinema through that time-honored prism then I think it can safely be said that Bodies Bodies Bodies is a fantastic film that also manages to moonlight as a horror film that, like the best of them, is very much a product not only for the generation that it revolves around, but for the era in which it has been given to all of us. More than all of that however, I am of the honest opinion that this slice of horror cinema is also yet another spot-on example for what we as movie goers should have come to realize that the realm of horror cinema is going to be presented to us following its glorious return in the early 2010s after wallowing in cinematic purgatory there for a while. Indeed, much in the same vein as a similar slice of cinema like Ready or Not which I also loved, this is a film that utilizes elements of horror that are time honored in order to effectively ratchet up both a feeling of unease and anxious uncertainty as to where this is planning to take us and then proceeds to also utilize the world around us to provide it with some intriguing nuances that make some very pointed observations about the terrors of “present day society”. However, if none of that is of any interest to you whatsoever dear reader then just be aware that, at the end of the day, Bodies Bodies Bodies is most assuredly a visceral, darkly comic, and genuinely entertaining 95-minute cinematic ride that you will definitely enjoy seeing before then sharing a picture of it with all your BFFs on ‘the Gram or chatting about it on FB Messenger. All those other things I just mentioned are just the equally as delightful icing on this cinematic cake…..or, in the case of these characters, some coke that no one else has touched on top of a luxurious chest of drawers in a mansion bedroom. Make of that what thou will dear reader. On a scale of 1-5 I give Bodies Bodies Bodies a solid 4 out of 5.
