Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong
Bodies Bodies Bodies is a fun, fresh whodunnit with an outstanding ensemble of upcoming talent.
It follows newly-sober Sophie (Amandla Stenberg) and her girlfriend Bee (Maria Bakalova) who travel to Sophie’s rich childhood friend David’s (Pete Davidson) family mansion for a hurricane party. Once there, it becomes clear that all of Sophie’s friends are wealthy, self-absorbed, and drug-addicted. This makes the reserved Bee feel even more like an outsider. When the hurricane hits the eclectic group head inside where tensions rise. Sophie quickly suggests they play an old game: bodies bodies bodies. But when one of them actually turns up dead, the remaining Frenemies must find out who among them is the killer.
Crafting a Horror-Comedy is a challenging feat. However, Screenwriter Sarah DeLappe and Director Halina Reijn strike that delicate balance between laughs, suspense and bursts of scares. Bodies Bodies Bodies doesn’t invent anything new, however, it’s an unforgettable, revived take on a genre that’s been feeling as lifeless as one of the Film’s casualties. The murders are inventive and often take you by surprise. Additionally, Bodies Bodies Bodies is an impressive Whodunnit with many shocks, twists and turns along the way. This is thanks to the impeccable writing of DeLappe and a Cast that will have you looking at everyone as a possible suspect. It will have you guessing from the first dropped body to its unguessable reveal.
The laughs come at a rapid pace thanks once again to DeLappe’s Script and the comedic talents of the Ensemble. For instance, DeLappe hilariously decides that one friend, Alice (Rachel Sennot), brings along her 40-year-old Tinder Boyfriend Greg (a hilarious performance from Lee Pace) to the party. The humour that derives from this situation is endless. Davidson is cast perfectly as the rich David who’s pining after Alice while dating another friend. David’s immaturity shows through the jealousy he shows at Greg being with Alice. The rapport between Davidson and Pace is a highlight. Then there’s Sennot who’s cementing herself as the one to watch. She plays the coked-up, honest to a fault Alice with immense conviction. Her monologue near the end will have everyone in stitches.
Levelling-out all the comedic characters are Sophie and Bee. Stenberg brings her dramatic background to the Film and excels at showing how Sophie is torn between her old friendships and the new life she’s trying to live. While Bakalova once again shows her acting range. She’s shown her comedic ability in the Borat Sequel and her dramatic chops in Women Do Cry. Here, we see her fun take on a character in a Whodunnit Horror-Comedy. She proves once again her undeniable versatility.
At the centre of Bodies Bodies Bodies is the frenemy dynamic. It’s one that is written for the present Gen-Z characters these Actors are playing. However, their dynamic is one that people of all generations can relate to and have some nostalgia for. Even if this wealthy group might have more money and time on their hands than you do.
Sony Pictures Canada release BODIES BODIES BODIES August 12, 2022.
For advertising opportunites please contact mrwill@mrwillwong.com