Perhaps best known for releasing breathtaking original films such as “Moonlight” and “Midsommar”, the film distributor A24 is also enchanting youthful nihilism. The co-produced HBO series “Euphoria,” in which teen sex bombs dress their thousand-foot glances in glittering eyeshadow, is a simple example. This now also applies to ‘Bodies Bodies Bodies’, a horror film directed by Halina Reijn that is full of pompous irony. This is a film that is perfectly tailored to one of A24’s key demographics: spark plug 25-year-olds who value brand value over substance.
It’s not that “Bodies is Bodies Bodies” poor. It’s visually appealing and beautifully acted. But this film is nothing special, and like its superficial characters, it is constantly oblivious to its own madness. Filled with new talent – Maria Bakalova (“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”), Rachel Sennott (“Shiva Baby”) and Chase Sui Wonders (“Generation”) are among the glitzy cast – this could be a scathing satire. Instead, “Bodies Bodies Bodies” is so focused on exuding cool-kid apathy that it serves a whole lot of nothing.
If you’re a fan of slashers, you’ll recognize the plot: young, hot people get trapped in a secluded environment and are picked out one by one. The hotties in question are a group of twenty-somethings embittered by lifelong friendship (save for a Tinder date played by the tragically underutilized Lee Pace); the locale is a distant country house. The volatile Sophie (Amandla Stenberg) has just come out of rehab and is eager to show off her newfound love, Bee (Bakalova), to her estranged besties.
Unfortunately for Bee, Sophie’s friends – and probably Sophie herself – are horrific. Sophie’s sobriety gets a lukewarm “Yay!” before her buds slurp champagne and sniff Coke. Petty arguments and selfishness underline any interaction. David (Pete Davidson), whose parents own the estate, is especially troubled by Pace’s character, Greg, who he says is “not so hot.” (Spoiler alert: He is.) The movie gets its name and premise from a game the gang plays, a kind of manhunt-meets-mafia that starts where everyone takes a shot and hits the person next to them in the face. In case you don’t get it, these are not good people.
The one thing that really sets “Bodies Bodies Bodies” apart is its place in A24’s hype machine, where it doubles as a 95-minute ad for cleavage and Charli XCX’s latest single. Overused Twitter talk such as the words “toxic,” “narcissist” and “gaslighting” have been criticized in many other projects, as has the vulnerability of wealthy young people. There are certainly other slashers in this vein. The genre persists, in part because audiences love to watch fat cats.
These privileged suckers get their due, sure, but the moral lands with a wail instead of a bang. This is little more than a movie about horribly rich people made in such a way that other rich people can laugh at it and think, “Thank God I’m not terrible.” Everyone else will just have to bear the cost of the movie ticket.
Bodies Bodies Bodies
Rated R for bodies, bodies, bodies. Running time: 1 hour 35 minutes. In theatres.