Bad B*tch

Okay so Bad B*tch is kind of insane. I mean that in a good way. Mostly. There's a lot going on in this movie and not all of it works but I walked out of it feeling like I'd just been smacked in the chest.

Let me start with this: the dance fight. Yes, there is a literal dance fight. It's unhinged and theatrical and honestly kind of brilliant. It reminded me of that scene in A Clockwork Orange where Alex and his droogs beat a man with canes while singing "Singin' in the Rain." You're horrified but also weirdly mesmerized. That same vibe.

Visually the movie is all over the place in a way that kind of works. Some shots feel ripped straight from early Robert Rodriguez stuff like El Mariachi gritty handheld camera work that makes you feel like the lens might get punched. There are scenes that feel super DIY and then others that explode with saturated color and weird lighting choices that shouldn't work but somehow do. It's inconsistent for sure but that scrappy vibe gives it charm. You can feel the filmmakers going for it.

Now performance wise Erica Boozer as Jojo is the absolute heart and soul of this thing. She's restrained and thoughtful and then suddenly terrifying when she finally picks up that baseball bat. Her transformation into the Bad B*tch is more emotional than physical which I didn't expect. Trenton Judson plays Colt with this perfect blend of sleaze and charisma. He's awful and you hate him, but you also believe why people might have followed him in the first place.

There are definitely rough patches. The pacing drags a bit in the second act and some of the dialogue gets preachy. Like I get the point but not every conversation needs to be a philosophy seminar. That said the stuff the movie has to say about power and beauty and what it means to really fight for something bigger than yourself is honestly moving. And when Jojo finally shows up with BAD B*TCH carved into her bat I almost lost it. It's ridiculous and amazing and maybe the most punk rock thing I've seen in a movie all year.

This movie has flaws. Big ones even. But I'd rather watch something this bold and messy than a hundred polished but soulless blockbusters. It's trying stuff. It's swinging big. And when it lands it really lands.

So yeah. Bad B*tch is wild. It's raw. It's not for everyone. But if you've ever wanted to see a woman fight a guy with a machete using her dad's baseball bat after calling him boring in front of his gang this is your movie.

Highly recommend.

Bad B*tch walks a tightrope. If The Breakfast Club had a bar fight with Roadhouse and then sat down for a long, hard talk about the internet, it might look a little like this. But Bad B*tch is not just a remix of classics. It stands on its own, and more importantly, it stays with you long after the credits roll.

On the surface, this is a film about tough women navigating tough situations. But beneath the punchlines and punches, there is something else entirely. The characters are layered, flawed, raw, and often unexpectedly insightful. The movie doesn't spoon-feed you its message; it lets it unfold through banter, conflict, and those quieter moments that catch you off guard. I found myself thinking about what they said about social media and not reading the comments long after I shut the movie off. That one line could have come across as throwaway, but here it hit me like truth in a bottle. The way it exposed our collective negativity bias, the way we gravitate toward what hurts instead of what helps, made me sit back and reconsider how I engage online. "There's so much not liking." It's true! When was the last time someone rushed to Google to create a great review for a restaurant or a film or to build someone up on their IG. That's what it's about! But, if we feel slighted in anyway, you better believe we start typing those keys or swiping that phone. I hope this awareness helps me change that some.

Bad B*tch makes space for these reflections without ever losing its pace or tone. Judson somehow found a way to mix stylized violence with genuine emotional weight. The villain and boat fight reminded me of Swayze's Roadhouse, but the confessional tone of the dialogue between the women is pure Breakfast Club. Only here, instead of talking in a high school library, they're adults talking over ice cream and stargazing trips, and it feels much more grounded in the mess of real life.

Of course, the film is not without its flaws. There are a few moments where the editing feels abrupt or where the audio dips just enough to notice. But I would take these small production hiccups over a sterile, over-produced studio film any day. You can feel the fingerprints on this movie. It's not made by committee. It's original, risky, and very alive. I'll take imperfect and bold over perfect and boring every single time.

What really surprised me, though, was how much I kept thinking about the conversations between the girls. There is a real intimacy to how they speak with each other, the kind of thing you usually only get in indie dramas or well-written plays. Their relationships evolve in a way that feels earned. Nothing is rushed. Nothing is forced. And by the end of it, I realized I needed to go back and watch it again. Not because I missed plot points, but because I wanted to hear more of what they said. I needed to sit with it. Understand it. Digest it.

Trenton Judson didn't just make a movie with Bad B*tch. He started a conversation. One about toughness, vulnerability, connection, and how we allow the world, especially the online world to shape how we feel about ourselves and each other. It is a movie about women, but it's not only for women. It is a movie about fights, but it is not only about violence. It is about what it means to be seen, what it means to be misunderstood, and what it means to choose kindness anyway.

It is flawed, but because it is fearless. And I'd rather follow fearless any day.

I had high hopes for this movie but it fell flat. The two main female characters had pretty good chemistry but their conversations dragged on too long. The transitions and camera angles were awkward at times. The "gangsters" didn't seem really tough and felt like they were trying to hard. Jojo wasn't a believable bad girl and her lame dialogue dragged on too long in the end scenes. The strong feminism tones were contradicted by a sheriff who ignores r**e and gets no consequences, showing that a woman doesn't matter. The makeup on Jojo at the end was horrendous and she looked like a raccoon, the singing and dancing was comical, and the ending was lacking. It felt like watching a 2 hour long high school play.

This movie takes chances. That's exactly what we need in the movies right now. With the plethora of movies being IPs, remakes, or the seventh installment of a franchise, originality has taken a back seat to trying to sell movies as commodities instead of art. I'm not saying movies shouldn't try to make money, but anymore movies just feel so forced and artificial. Here, we have a movie that actually takes some bold swings and to me, is really reminiscent of filmmakers like Kubrick and early Scorsese. There's a grit here that's tangible and the actors make everything so real. I think what separates this film is the humor. It is laugh out loud funny, but it still gets you in the feels. I'm impressed with editing too. The transitions were seamless and I got lost in the story very early on. Villain was incredible. There's this great scene by the gazebo where he reminded me of Denzel in Training Day, but not in a derivative way, in a unique and original way that was all his own. He was a force. Loved the poet too, the young actress. She was so beautiful and performed the words with such eloquence. I'm going to follow her career.

Absolutely LOVED this film!! The dancing scene was my absolute favorite! Loved the music, the acting, the costume and wardrobe were on point and the writing was crisp, thoughtful, and inspiring!! I've watched it 3 times already! THIS is why I LOVE indie film! It isn't afraid to take chances and go outside of the box and do something different! I found myself going back to scenes and rewatching them with a different critical eye, and I loved them even more. I'm so excited that there are still films being made like this! Cinema is STILL ALIVE!!! There were a lot of Easter Eggs references to classic cinema and they were not lost on me! A triumph!!!