Pre-Screening Stance:

Bodies Bodies Bodies is a fancy A24 release and the trailers for it have been pretty entertaining, but I have to admit that a big chunk of my desire to see the movie is due to Maria Bakalova starring in it.  She was just so great in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, and I’m excited to see her own another role.

Post-Screening Ramble:

Bodies Bodies Bodies is a whirlwind of a horror/comedy film, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. The overall plot is simple – a group of friends and acquaintances have gathered together for a hurricane party. Where things get complicated though is with the folks in attendance at said get together. Right away, the tension amongst them is pretty evident, and it just gets continuously compounded by the unannounced presence of Sophie (Amandla Stenberg), their former-but-still-in-the-mix party pal who is now sober, and her brand new girlfriend, Bee (Maria Bakalova). Oh, there’s also the bit where one of them turns up dead during a game, thus spinning their party entirely out of control.

There’s a scene in this movie where everyone slaps (with varying degrees of force) the person next to them, and that’s pretty much what the entirety of Bodies Bodies Bodies feels like. This isn’t the sort of whodunit where you casually settle into it and then wait for a big reveal. No, this is a quick-paced, frenetically-shot affair that looks like it’s going one way but is actually off in another direction. It’s funny in the sharpest of ways but also silly in a manner that’ll make you roll your eyes. It’s emotional but it’ll take everything you have to decipher the real moments from the fake ones. It’s really just … pure entertainment. So, get in on this weird, fun, rollercoaster of a film (and its many great performances) when it hits theaters this Friday, August 12.

One Last Thought:

Lee Pace being in this movie is so random and nonsensical that my brain refused to acknowledge it was him on the screen. Seriously, I didn’t come around to him being that Lee Pace until long after I had left the theater.