"Body Bodies" - a murder mystery, bad comedy, horror

If you want to watch a movie about a group of wealthy millennials basically playing out the real life among us, then

 Bodies Bodies Bodies is the movie for you. Directed by Halina Reigen, "Bodies Bodies Bodies" is the latest A24 movie, released on August 5, 2022. The film has a strong cast including Amandla Stenberg, Maria Bakalova, Myha'la Herrold, Chase Sui Wonders, Rachel Sennott, Lee Pace and Pete Davidson.

 

The Bodies Bodies story follows a hurricane party hosted by David (Davidson). Attending the party are his actress girlfriend Emma (Wonder of the World), David's childhood best friend Sophie (Stenberg), Sophie's new friend B (Bacalova), podcaster Alice (Synot), her best friend Greg (Pace) and their friend Jordan (Herold). The group of seven is having a great time partying until a game of Bodies Bodies, which has rules similar to the hit video game Among Us, goes bad when they find David with his throat slit. What follows is a murder mystery where characters navigate relationships and survival in a similarly dramatic fashion.

 

To start with the "body-body" pros, the actors have great chemistry with each other. From the start of the movie, the group's natural interactions make it feel like they've been friends for years. Bee and Greg, the new characters in the group, are reflected in their performances, as Bee is completely reserved while Greg overcompensates by bragging at every opportunity. On top of that, Davidson and Steinberg bounce off each other so well, and it's refreshing to see this male and female best friend relationship come to life on screen. Pace is also a great addition to the cast because it realistically portrays a man in his 40s trying to fit in with a group of millennials.

 

Another part of Bodies Bodies that works well is the setup. The entire film, with the exception of the opening scene, takes place in David's parents' mansion. The movie takes the time to establish the house well, from the ominous pool to the claustrophobic bedrooms. The fact that the hurricane murders happen at night also adds to the scary factor, as the outside world is understandably terrifying for the characters

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However, while the movie does a good job of setting up the characters and setting, it falls apart in the second half. About two-thirds of the way through the film, there is a long scene of four characters talking about their feelings and pasts with each other. During this scene, it turns out that almost all of the characters are terrible people, which makes it hard to get to any of them. If anything, the scene revealed a lot about these characters, when some mystery would have been best left to the audience's imagination. It's a great example of the old adage "show, don't tell," where telling the audience the backstory of all the characters at once seems contrived and takes away from the actual plot.

 

Another problem with the film is its genre. IMDb lists "Bodies Bodies" as a horror and comedy movie, but it's neither funny nor scary. Davidson laughs a little, but many of his jokes fail. Sennott also adds some humor to the movie, but it would be hard to call this movie a comedy because it probably has three good jokes in it. On top of that, "Bodies Bodies Bodies" isn't really scary, and it lacks the sheer horror that really great horror movies have. Perhaps renaming the movie as pure mystery would appeal to audiences better because the signs of comedy and horror seem like false advertisements.

 

Another problem with the movie is that the ending is weird at best and funny at worst. The film ends with revealing how David died, which is significant because his death began the night of the murder and mayhem. The cause of his death is sudden, but not in a good way, because it makes him look like a complete idiot. Likewise, the characters make a lot of stupid decisions throughout the movie, such as breaking up when they think the killer is at large. Lots of horror movies fall victim to this, but it's especially annoying in "Bodies Bodies" because all the characters are inept and frustrating to watch.

 

On the whole, "Bodies Bodies" is a good movie. The highlights are the world-building of the characters and settings, with a particular focus on the chemistry of the cast. On the other hand, the film struggles to reconcile the boundaries of the horror and comedy genre, making its characters likable and with a satisfying ending. I wouldn't recommend going to see "Bodies Bodies Bodies" in theaters, but maybe it's worth watching on the streaming service to laugh about with some friends.