Bad B*tch

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!!!

I didn't expect to finish watching a show called Bad B*tch feeling like someone had reached into my chest, pulled out all the fire, fear, and fierce tenderness I've spent years collecting, and shaped it into a story. But that's exactly what this film did.

JoJo isn't just a vigilant, she's a mirror (and there's a beautiful connection to the mirror embedded in the story). Watching her talk to her father with a jaw set like steel and a heart held together with old wounds reminded me too much of myself when I had no one to fight for me, so I had to fight for myself. She doesn't wait for permission, doesn't explain her anger in a way that makes it more palatable. She just is. And I found that deeply, viscerally validating.

The way JoJo navigates the ugly side of survival like trauma, revenge, justice twisted in her own hands-felt raw and real. But what truly cracked me open was Estella. Her best friend, this bubbly force of light who calls JoJo out, lifts her up, and makes her laugh even when the world is on fire. I know that dynamic. I have that Estella in my life. That one friend who keeps your rage from eating you whole, who dances with you after a night of chaos and blood, just to remind you you're still human.

There's a scene where JoJo breaks down, not during the violence, not during the chase but when she's by herself and when everything catches up to her. That hit me harder than any of the action sequences. Because it's those quiet, late-night unravelings I know best.

Bad B*tch is beautifully shot, unflinching, and laced with humor that doesn't undercut the darkness, it balances it. I only docked one point because the third act rushed through what could've been a deeper emotional climax, especially for Estella, whose loyalty deserved more payoff. Still, it's rare for a film like this to let women be this complicated, this angry, this tender and not apologize for it.

For women who've ever had to be both their own weapon and their own shield, JoJo is not just a character. She's proof. And Estella is the reminder that we don't have to do it all alone.

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.

Dude!!! This movie has the makings of one of the great cult classic films. I'm reminded of Evil Dead in the horror genre, Tangerine in the drama genre, and Slacker in the comedy genre. There is just something special about a movie that isn't technically perfect but captures the genre so well. It's this beautiful, molded clay that doesn't quite have the shine of a glaze on it but is almost more stunning without it. This movie is the action version of that! You can tell after viewing it that there's something timeless about it, something that people will keep coming back to. I'm predicting here that the next project the director does is going to be something that captures the whole culture! You heard it from me! But, for now, I think this film is something for me to simmer on. The characters are so well fleshed out and the dialogue is very smooth. The lines keep playing in my head, which is always an amazing sign that there's good writing! Recommend watching it with an open mind. There's a lot to appreciate.

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.