Amandla Stenberg | Scott's Film Reviews-1,504 Reviews posted!!! RECENTLY LAUNCHED-MY TOP 250 FAVORITE FILMS AND TOP 40 HORROR FILMS!!!

Bodies Bodies Bodies-2022

Director Halina Reijn

Starring Amandla Sternberg, Maria Bakalova

Scott’s Review #1,321

Reviewed December 11, 2022

Grade: B

Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022) is an admirable attempt at merging straight-ahead slasher whodunit with a good dose of dark comedy and camp. It doesn’t always hit the mark, but it provides entertainment and is thought-provoking.

The film is never dull and will keep the viewer guessing. There is plenty of diversity with a twist at the end, which I’m still not sure is satisfying or not.

While watching the film, I wasn’t always sure if the dialogue was intended to be played for laughs (it’s sometimes terrible). I’m still uncertain whether the debut director, Halina Reijn, was poking fun at 1980s-style slasher flicks or paying homage to them.

The inclusion of Saturday Night Live alumnus Pete Davidson provides a bit of humor. He pushes the film toward comedy territory, though his character is more of an asshole than comic relief. It’s other characters who deliver the funny lines.

Having not heard of the film before, the premise was intriguing and made me watch it during a long international flight. I needed to spend about ninety minutes.

When a group of wealthy twenty-somethings plans a dubious hurricane party at a remote family mansion, they drink and use drugs. A party game goes awry.

I knew right away that an incident would occur, one that would see them knocked off unceremoniously, one by one.

A hefty dose of cattiness between both the male and female characters will make the viewer smirk with pleasure. The backstabbing and fake friends angle is as delicious as the offing of several characters.

I love that Sophie (Amandla Sternberg) and Bee (Maria Bakalova), the central characters, are a lesbian couple. Bee is from Eastern Europe, while Sophie is of mixed race and affluent, and Bee is working class.

There are many differences to explore, which can lead to an insecure relationship.

It’s suggested that they are a new couple, early in their relationship, and one of the other girls, Jordan (Myha’la Herrold), has previously had a relationship with Sophie. On top of all that, Sophie is a recovering drug addict.

I’m not sure the myriad of drama elements is all that necessary, but it does reinforce the complexities of the characters. At the end of the day, what the audience wants to see is violence and dripping blood, and I felt a bit cheated in that department.

Don’t get me wrong, people do die, but nobody is shown squealing or running for their life. Because they are playing a game, aptly titled ‘bodies bodies bodies’, the victims pretend to die but then wind up dead.

Besides Bree and Sophie, the other characters are unlikable. I slowly realized that’s the fun of Bodies Bodies Bodies. Since the characters are whiny, rich, and spoiled rotten, we want them to get their just desserts.

My main criticism of Bodies Bodies Bodies is that its intention is not always clear, which can be confusing. Is it a message movie, a slasher flick, or an argument over a spoiled and clueless generation?

As the credits rolled, I wasn’t even sure who the killer was or why. Turns out, my immediate hunch was correct, but I second-guessed myself.

In hindsight, I like the ultimate twist, but there are so many aspects to Bodies Bodies Bodies. Generation Z hatred, societal clashes, love triangles, and a potential serial killer all rolled into one. That’s a bit much for a ninety-minute affair.

Comparisons to April Fool’s Day (1986) and Scream (1996) come to mind. And, Agatha Christie’s novels, in which a group of characters flocks to a remote locale for a good whodunit, also occur.

As I absorb Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022) more and more, I realize that Reijn brings a fresh perspective to a sorely oversaturated genre, and that’s a good thing.

The film could have been fleshed out more.

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: Best Director-Halina Reijn, Best First Screenplay

Dear Evan Hansen-2021

Director Stephen Chbosky

Starring Ben Platt, Kaitlyn Dever, Amy Adams

Scott’s Review #1,258

Reviewed May 25, 2022

Grade: A-

From the very first scene, Dear Evan Hansen (2021) grabbed me by the collar and never let me go. Providing an emotional wallop that mixes perfectly with meaningful and catchy pop songs, the film is one that nearly everyone can relate to.

The oftentimes painful world of teenage angst is the central storyline, and the dangerous and unfortunately too timely pandemic of mental illness is examined in heartwrenching form.

Dear Evan Hansen has a relevance that I found to be powerful and profound, leaving me not soon forgetful of the experience.

I had never seen the hugely popular Broadway stage version, so I only had a limited understanding of what the story was about going in.

Still, as much as the subject matter is of great importance, the film’s follow-through is what is tremendous and emotional, with superb acting all around.

Tony, Grammy, and Emmy Award winner Ben Platt reprises his stage role as the anxious, isolated high schooler named Evan Hansen who craves companionship and understanding.

He suffers the same quandary that many fellow teenagers face in a world rendered impersonal and heartless. He tries to survive the pressures and the chaos of the social-media age.

Lonely, he meets a young man named Connor Murphy (Colton Ryan) who is as wounded as Evan is. They have an odd first (and only) exchange after which Connor steals a therapy assignment of Evan’s, a letter to himself.

Soon after, Connor commits suicide, and his parents, played by Amy Adams and Danny Pino, assume that the boys were best friends.

Evan lies about the events to spare Connor’s parents, which ultimately leads to events spiraling out of control.

I’m well aware of the outpouring of negative reviews that have been hurled at the film, and I don’t understand nor agree with any of them.

My hunch is that the stage version may have been even more potent because it’s a live production and the raw emotion is right there, but the film does right by it.

Sure, Platt looks older than a teenager. The actor was twenty-seven years old when he filmed Dear Evan Hansen and a mere twenty-two or so when it appeared on Broadway, but so what? With talent as superior as he is, why cast a movie star?

I didn’t hear anyone complain when Olivia Newton-John played the iconic role of Sandy, a seventeen-year-old in Grease (1978) at the ripe old age of thirty.

Sometimes a suspension of disbelief is required.

Platt is a terrific casting choice and encompasses the role of Evan completely. He is shockingly good in dramatic scenes or when he comically fumbles over his words. His dramatic voice perfectly infuses the production’s most recognizable number You Will Be Found.

Besides, there are big stars in Dear Evan Hansen. Amy Adams plays the emotionally drained but hopeful Cynthia Murphy, blessed with affluence at the price of losing a son. Julianne Moore plays the haggard nurse and financially struggling mother of Evan.

Both are fabulous.

The film is directed by Stephen Chbosky, who is responsible for the terrific and sorely underappreciated film adaptation of the novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012), which he also wrote. He knows how to tell a coming-of-age story.

There are a couple of foul balls to be aware of, but the emotion to be felt far exceeds these pesky matters.

The film occasionally overplays its casting with the inclusion of a few stock characters, like the Indian technology wizard and the perky, straight-A student with the same problems as everyone else. Still, the characters don’t have enough to do to make them bothersome.

The chemistry between Platt and Kaitlyn Dever as the romantic interest is only tepid, but I didn’t watch this film for the teen romance.

I could not disagree with the torrent of negative reviews for Dear Evan Hansen (2021) more, and urge anyone reading this review to take in the film and be prepared for a tearjerker that feels authentic and justified in its existence.