"Bodies Bodies Bodies" -- Movie Review

 

This week at the A24 Screening Room, I streamed their latest comedy-thriller, “Bodies Bodies Bodies”, directed by Halina Reijn and co-written by Sarah DeLappe & Kristen Roupenian. 

Synopsis

When a group of young adults hold a hurricane party at a secluded mansion, they decide to play a game to pass the time – but when the game goes awry and people turn up dead, will they ever find out who is the murderer?

Story

It’s late summer somewhere on the eastern end of New York state’s Long Island; a hurricane is forecast for the coming days and that spurs David (Pete Davidson) to throw a hurricane party with some of his friends.  David’s wealthy parents own an expansive mansion in the area, so it makes total sense to use that location as the party spot – especially since his family isn’t currently home.  Over time, guests start to straggle in – the late-comers being Sophie (Amandla Stenberg) and her mysterious Russian partner Bee (Maria Bakalova) who are too late to join the others in the in-ground pool because that’s exactly when the rain starts. 

Unfortunately for Sophie and Bee, not all of the guests are glad to see them; while they are welcomed by some, others give them a rather cold greeting.  Despite the tepid reception, the couple try to make the best of the situation – especially since Sophie wants to show off her new girlfriend and Bee, still somewhat of an outsider, is eager to make new friends.  After dinner, the group decide to spend the evening playing a party game called “Bodies Bodies Bodies”; the idea of the game is that one of them is discovered “dead” (actually, tapped on the back by another guest) and the others have to figure out which one of them is the “murderer”. 

The game goes off the rails at one point when petty arguments break out between some of the party goers, completely ruining the fun mood.  When a couple of them decide they no longer wish to play, the rest of the group try to continue the game as the storm outside intensifies; it is precisely at this moment when the power goes out and their cell phones lose their signals.  Attempting to continue the game in total darkness (guided only by the dim light from their phones), what little fun that remains comes to an abrupt end when David turns up dead – apparently murdered.  But which one of the guests would do such a thing?   

Review

“Bodies Bodies Bodies” is characterized partly as a comedy; there really isn’t much here that’s laugh out loud funny, however – there are certainly amusing moments, but that’s about all you can expect.  Much of the humor derives from the sense of fun the filmmakers are attempting to provide by not taking the whole mystery genre terribly seriously.  There is a good cast assembled here, particularly Pete Davidson and Rachel Sennott; interestingly, their best and funniest performances did not make the final cut of the film.  At this streamed screening, an outtakes reel was played after the movie and that’s where you find some of their funnier moments. 

The screenplay is cleverly written and deftly carried out in its direction; it soon becomes clear that everyone is having fun with this theme and they are openly inviting the audience to join them in their enjoyment.  Are there any loose ends that don’t get tied up by the end of the film?  Yup, there certainly are; but if you’re concerned about that, then you’re probably focusing on the wrong things here – the filmmakers aren’t taking this entire endeavor overly seriously and neither should you.  It seems clear that the objective here is not necessarily to make the best in the category, but rather to use it to make some good-natured fun. 

While “Bodies Bodies Bodies” may be geared towards anyone who appreciates this horror-mystery-thriller type, it seems apparent that given the age of the cast, they are especially targeting the younger demographic – as a result, it may be understandable that anyone older than that age range might not find this film quite as entertaining as a younger (teens and 20’s) audience would.  Quite frankly, if you’re in the mood for a good satire – regardless of the form they are sending up – then this one is highly recommended.  Currently, the movie is in limited release in theaters; if you can’t find one near you that is showing this motion picture, then you can stream it on Vudu.