Review: 'Bodies Bodies Bodies' is a sly satire of millennials, cloaked as a tense horror thriller
Equally nasty and funny, the horror-thriller “Bodies Bodies Bodies” is the sort of smart, snarky whodunnit that works because nearly every character is so unlikeable that audiences will be satisfied no matter who the killer is, or who gets killed.
A bunch of rich 20-somethings are planning to ride out a hurricane warning by partying in a mansion. The home is owned by the parents of the perpetually sarcastic Dave (Pete Davidson), who’s accompanied by his actress girlfriend Emma (Chase Sui Wonders). Alice (Rachel Sennott), who recently started her own podcast, has brought her new boyfriend, the mellow and much older Greg (Lee Pace). Jordan (Myha’la Herrold) is flying solo for this party, without her boyfriend Max (Conner O’Malley).
A late arrival, Sophie (Amandla Stenberg), Dave’s best friend since childhood, comes in with her girlfriend of six weeks, Bee (Maria Bakalova). Dave and Alice are more enthused about Sophie’s presence than Jordan and Emma, for reasons that become clearer as the night goes on.
Amid the party games, it’s Sophie who suggests they play Bodies Bodies Bodies, and — over the objections of Emma, who notes that the game always ends with people getting mad or crying — they proceed. The game goes like this: The guests draw lots, with one randomly assigned as the killer, who must “kill” another player in the dark, and then the lights come up and the players must vote on who the killer is. They play a round, and as predicted, the session ends with hurt feelings and arguments.
Not too long after that, one of the partygoers ends up dead for real, and everyone else is left trying to figure out who did it. Recriminations, accusations and suspicions start to pile up — as do the bodies, as the death count goes up and the number of suspects goes down.
Dutch director Halina Reijn, making her English-language debut, works with ruthless efficiency, using the cramped geography of the mansion to ratchet up the tension. Rookie screenwriter Sarah DeLappe’s script, adapted from a Kristen Roupenian story, plays on the modern obsession with sensitivity in language — with mentions of gaslighting, enabling and other buzzwords — to create scathing comedy and murderous tension.
The ensemble cast makes it work, playing against each other to heighten the suspense and make the jokes sting. Davidson, recently off his “Saturday Night Live” stint, and Pace engage in a sly game of toxic masculine jealousy, the real fun comes from the women — particularly Stenberg (“The Hate U Give”), Bakalova (from “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”) and particularly Sennott (“Shiva Baby”), who’s the stealth comedy MVP as the friend desperate to prove she’s not a frivolous member of the group.
“Bodies Bodies Bodies” isn’t perfect; for one thing, the clockworks mechanics of the plot don’t always land right, particularly in the final reel. But as a biting satire of millennial interpersonal strife, it strikes a distinctive chord.
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‘Bodies Bodies Bodies’
★★★
Opening Friday, August 12, in theaters everywhere. Rated R for violence, bloody images, drug use, sexual references and pervasive language. Running time: 95 minutes.