Bodies Bodies Bodies was reviewed out of the SXSW Film Festival, where it made its world premiere.
The murder-mystery comedy has been making a comeback as of late, with shows like Only Murders in the Buildings and movies like Knives Out offering thrilling yet hilarious whodunnits begging to be solved. Now, A24 also wants in on the game. Their latest, Bodies Bodies Bodies, serves as a Clue movie for Gen Z, with a deliciously chaotic script, a fantastic ensemble cast, and dynamic cinematography that captures the best Among Us sessions.
Rich kid Sophie (Amandla Stenberg) takes her new girlfriend, Bee (a spectacular Maria Bakalova), to a party at her childhood best friend's (Pete Davidson) home for a hurricane party — really. The problem is that the other guests are Sophie's longtime backstabbing friends, which include actress Emma (Chase Sui Wonders), Sophie's former flame with a type-A personality Jordan (Myha'la Herrold), podcaster Alice (MVP Rachel Sennott), and Alice's new and much older Tinder boyfriend Greg (Lee Pace).
Sophie's arrival reopens old wounds, and everyone is instantly hostile to her for ghosting the group chat since she got sober. With the hurricane raging outside, the group decides to play Bodies Bodies Bodies — think Mafia or Werewolf, a game about guessing a killer among the participants — which makes tensions and old truths crop up and their shallow relationships fracture. Then, when an actual dead body is found, things quickly turn into Lord of the Flies meets Mean Girls.
The film makes the most out of its single location, turning the many rooms, stories, study halls, long corridors, and the indoor basketball court into a real-life Clue board, with a clear sense of space and scale. Likewise, director Halina Reijn stages the action like it was a theater play, while cinematographer Jasper Wolf (Monos, another film with a Lord of the Flies-esque story) shoots long takes that accentuate the tension and paranoia of being watched while also watching others. Wolf also lights most of the film using only the girls’ iPhones and glow-sticks, which serves both to build an eerily mood and play into the idea that phones are such key parts of their lives that they would instantly turn to murder once the internet goes out. This is all aided by a propulsive and electrifying EDM score by It Follows composer Disasterpeace.
It helps that the cast is able to sell you on the chaos and the betrayals, even when the script isn't entirely up to par. Pete Davidson plays into his online persona, a guy so self-confident he openly tells others that he goes for the vibe of “a guy who fucks,” while Shiva Baby breakout performer Rachel Sennott dives head first into Gen Z energy, talking about her podcast like it's a prize-winning, life-changing achievement, and otherwise just exuding manic energy. Likewise, Bakalova shows that her Oscar nomination was no fluke, and balances excellent comedic timing with a nuanced, reserved performance that hides more than a few secrets of its own.
While the script by playwright Sarah DeLappe achieves the mystery and chaos of an Among Us-type game, it does falter somewhat when it comes to Gen Z talk. Though a bit about characters acting racist but instantly jumping at using the word "ally" is played for big laughs, many of the lines of dialogue feel out of place, like someone had a bunch of placeholders they swapped in with whatever term a teenager told them kids use these days. Plus, in a movie about kids playing a game about murder and suspecting each other, the fact that no one utters the word "sus" feels like a wasted opportunity.
Still, Bodies Bodies Bodies flies more often than it falls. Its ending is a delightful blend of tension, resolution, and hilariously great comedic timing that plays into the era of TikTok thanks to a "Bored in the House" needle drop. Will it age well? Who knows? For now, it serves as a bold film that is great for this generation and this moment.
from IGN Reviews https://ift.tt/u0PgtsF
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