Bad Girls (2021) User Reviews

Daddy Issues

[nogodnomasters · 3/10 · 2 March 2022]

Three strippers (Morgan Shaley Renew, Shelby Lois Guinn, Sanethia Dresch ) kill their boss and steal his drugs and money. They drive away on a killing and crime spree, kidnapping lead "singers" in punk rock bands, who are not so reluctant.

I expected a little more. Like a back story. Grindhouse throwback that could have been done better.

Guide: F-word. Sex. Brief stripper extra nudity.

A bad fever dream..

[ezgolucky · 3/10 · 13 February 2022]

Ever have a fever with night sweats in combination of nightmares? This would be the definition of this film. A low budget movie fueled by drugs and equally cringe worthy acting. Hard pass on this one...

heavens to murgatroyd!

[A_Different_Drummer · 5/10 · 3 February 2022]

One of the strangest genres of films to review -- or even watch! -- are the so-called "grindhouse" knockoffs where the film-maker deliberately set out to recreate the sort of films you would have found in the early 70s playing at theatres where a double or triple bill (of similar films of course) was the norm, and often the most exciting part of the experience was wondering if you would survive the trip to the restroom and back. Here is the paradox. If the film-maker (Bickel in this case) fails, then the film is flawed. But if the film-maker succeeds at essentially creating a loud, raw, and massively imperfect film -- does that deserve praise??? Several reviewers here seem to have thought YES, and rated this film on par with Matrix and Avengers and Godfather. Not this reviewer, however. Like most things today, a matter of personal choice.

How did this got rated so high?

[lunkentuss-49303 · 2/10 · 3 February 2022]

Another example of family and friends that writes the reviews to rate the film up. First of all the three leading actresses are all horrible at acting which of course makes it one of those movies hard to even watch through. I did it to give it a fair shot but it didn´t get any better and as stated above, such poor acting can´t save any movie. The only good thing is that the girls seems to have a fun time doing the movie. Good for them that they enjoyed it because i bet it will be a long time until they get casted again.

Cast, friends & family fake votes

[supermellowcali · 1/10 · 5 February 2022]

Skip this one. I can't think of anything good to say... the acting, makeup, direction, editing, all a mess. I lasted 16 minutes, which pushed my patience but I wanted to find out if there was something redeeming or interesting, maybe a movie in a movie or a dream or.... nope, nothing worthwhile detected. I rarely give a 1-star rating; it's probably a 3, but minus 2 points for the obnoxious fake 9 and 10 star reviews that only cause disappointment.

I can handle a bad film

[GoldenGooner04 · 1/10 · 30 January 2023]

It can be on in the background, the acting might be ok, the plot might be watchable, and there might be some decent scenes.

But this after 5 mins I kept zooming forward, it is actually one of the worst films i have ever seem. And believe me in all my years on this Planet i have seem thousands of films.

I can't say one good thing about this film i am truly amazed these "actors" were actually paid. That they made this pile of dog dodo. The music is just a noise, the girls are not even nice looking. Maybe they are made up that way to look horrible But this is simply the worse thing ever for me and I find that pretty amazing.

There should be a warning on the case, which says "Warning if you want to watch total cack" Then buy this, at least people will then know.

I have seen the LIGHT and it is BAD GIRLS!

[grandnagus-40593 · 10/10 · 12 February 2021]

I have been looking forward to many indie & underground films people are making...but probably none more so than Christopher Bickel's BAD GIRLS (2021). For me, it would be very, very hard to top his previous classics The Theta Girl and Vampyras Psychedelikas. But...... Bickel, his film making team and the BAD GIRLS (Morgan Shaley Renew, Shelby Lois Guinn, Sanethia Dresch) themselves did it. The gauntlet has been thrown down and the Fiend 'O' Meter exploded.

The opening 3 minutes of this film quickly set up the entire plot and are better than most filmmaker's entire features.

Chris has taken his love of old exploitation and 90's drug films and added his own modern twist. This is a very low budget affair that through a solid team of people and some smart & innovative film tricks, BAD GIRLS is next level. The script is dialogue heavy and pretty speedy, scenes move at a very quick clip...barely a slow moment to be had here.

The violence is insane and over the top. Bullets fly, knives are inserted and bottles busted over heads. The drugs are top shelf and ingested often. So many questionable and deviant things going on.

Note on the drug sequences... I am just stunned by the visuals they came up with. Even more trippy than what we saw in Theta and Vampyras...it's so wild, it might have actually happened for real!

The music totally kills too...

Overall, this is one of the best modern underground exploitation films I have seen in a bit. I don't know how Chris can top it (maybe get the aborted SISTER VENGEANCE back on the docket) but I know he will do it. Kudos to all involved, everyone is going to get more work from this. If you told me this was a 500,000 to a 1 million dollar picture, I wouldn't question it. Seriously blows everything out of the water. It's mind boggling good.

Fiend 'O' Meter hits an 11/10

Wow. Just wow!

[BandSAboutMovies · 9/10 · 13 March 2021]

Dude, where did Christopher Bickel come from? This is the second movie I've seen from him after The Theta Girl and he's taken the trope of the bad girls on the run into tomorrow with this film, a blast of loud obnoxious music filled with violence, bad men and worse women. More to the point, why aren't more people making movies like this?

After robbing a strip club, three desperate teenage lovedolls - Val, Mitzi, and Carolyn (Morgan Shaley Renew, Sanethia Dresch and Shelby Lois Guinn) hit the road with money, drugs and several boys in thrall. They're running from the law, they're running from death, they're running from, well, whatever you have to run from, all with no real place to go other than to experience whatever's really left of rock 'n roll by sleeping with Bard Gainsworth (Cleveland Langdale) and Zerox Rhodesia (Micah Peroulis).

Meanwhile, the woman-hating Cannon (Mike Amason) and the somewhat even-keeled McMurphy (Dove Dupree), are that aforementioned law that the girls can't get away from. There's nothing but blood, bullets and the end in their future, but would you rather live for a day in the crosshairs or a life in a hospital waiting room waiting to die?

Also, of course they go to South of the Border. Hello, Pedro.

When one girl wants to live for death, another wants to survive and a third just goes along for the ride, things get out of control. I'm all for movies where women outdo, outdrug and outfight men and this movie stands up bravely in that genre that frankly deserves more company.

While I love The Theta Girl perhaps a bit more because, well, there are moments of borderline religious drug insanity - actually, it's an entire movie of them - this is more focused and yet rawer at the same time. A rare feat.

This was co-written by Shane Silman, who was an incendiary force of nature in Theta, but here shows up as, well...a rocker turned movie director that you'll definitely recognize.

I hate when people tell me, "Well, we didn't have the budget." This movie cost less than my house. Hell, I could have bought a car - not a great one - for what they had. And this is something special. From the first song to the last, I knew I was watching someone's vision and not just something made to get content onto Amazon and make some money.

So good it's good

[djpanzerschlag · 7/10 · 5 February 2023]

I really enjoy bad movies. Watching 80s B movies is a favorite pastime of mine. This film came across my radar on some unrelated 80s movies, and I decided to give it a go.

As far as B/indie movies goes it's really good. If this was released in 1989 this would have underground cult classic status. The movie doesn't take itself too seriously, and for what it is the acting is not half bad. The cinematography of the movie is also spot on, for the most part. The style and theme of the movie somewhat breaks down in the third act, and it feels like the movie didn't really know how to end itself.

But looking at it from the perspective of B/Indie movie cheap thrills and laughs the movie has you covered. Essentially a cast of characters sourced from a goth club partake in sex, drugs, rock and roll, and a gracious topping of over the top violence.

Great way to spend an afternoon.

Crime spree movie with a Repo Man vibe

[jimf-78797 · 8/10 · 27 June 2021]

I heard that this was one of those super-low-budget movies you need to watch, and the movie reviewer over at ArsTechnica rarely steers me wrong, but I still spun up the shiny disc this evening with my expectation bar set very low. As if.

I loved this movie. Sure, it's uneven here and there as you would expect from an indie flick with a capital INDIE, but it does a hell of a lot with so very little.

It's got some great cars, great lines, guns, lots of action, a raspy soundtrack that works well, characters that I would have never guessed at the start that I would come to identify with by the end, and some of the most inventive trippy drug scenes ever.

If this doesn't turn into a bona fide cult flick then there is no justice in the universe. Find a copy. Watch it. And tell your friends.

I hope the real Danny Lucifer sees this.

[rwsbvb · 8/10 · 21 March 2023]

Coughs Danzig coughs. Heck it even properly portrays his totally nondescript house that he moved out of a few years ago that ended up online and the stupid net shirt from the Mother video. This movie was great but most of the audience didn't seem to get it. Then again there's a big shocker these days. I swear it was completely above most peoples heads, and it's sort of sad when you think about it. This is the perfect parity to many of those 80s movies I remember from USA up all night back in the late 80s to early 90s. After watching this, it generally makes me wonder about the public because the movie is smarter than most people give a credit for. Thinking the vain of planet terror and you nailed it.

Bickel's sophomore effort hews closer to grindhouse ideal

[timconklin · 7/10 · 8 March 2021]

Christopher Bickel's second feature builds on what he learned from his directorial debut, The Theta Girl, to create a modern-day grindhouse classic that owes more to that genre than its more existential predecessor. In doing so, it has its own strengths and weaknesses, but is no less impressive an effort.

Working once again on a shoestring budget ("the cost of a used car," as Bickel often puts it), Bickel takes us on a 90-minute drug-fueled journey with three ex-con strippers hellbent on carving out a dream existence for themselves while laying nightmare waste to all standing in their way. Plot and character exposition are given minimal service in favor of machine-gun visuals, notable quotables, and buckets of blood and guts.

The film moves along at a fast pace with little drag, and there's solid acting throughout, even if the characters and characterizations tend toward the one-dimensional. And kudos for the repurposing of an old-school roadside attraction as "Mexico."

The Theta Girl, Part II, this isn't, which is admirable in itself. In not playing it safe (and in taking an active role in co-writing this film, along with Shane Silman), Bickel has paid full-throated homage to his grindhouse influences that were only hinted at in his first film. That may have its drawbacks in terms of story and narrative, but Bad Girls is a much faster-paced and ultimately more engaging cinematic experience as a viewer. Between the two films, though, it's clear Bickel still has more to offer if he can put it all together in his next film.

Full disclosure: I've known Bickel for 20 years and I had a "blink and you'll miss it" bit as an extra in Bad Girls.

It's exciting! It's funny! It's sexy! It's maximum smashism!

[marteltalentagency · 10/10 · 12 February 2021]

The opening of this movie gives you a good idea of what you're in for as the first few minutes packs a feature film full of action right in one montage.

We get 3 bad ass girls in a bad ass car kicking ass and taking names all while being chased by two cops one with a vendetta against woman kind and especially against the antiheroes of Val, Mitzi and my personal favorite Carolyn.

Along the way we get blood, guts, sex drugs, and rock n roll. If you're a fan of classic grindhouse cinema and the newer wave of films in that vein you'll love Bad Girls!

FLIPPED my Chitlin Switch!!!!

[stevengdaniels · 9/10 · 4 June 2021]

HOT DAMN!!!! Bickel comes out of the gate swinging, full velocity, jumps right into the good stuff, and doesn't take his foot off the audience's throat until the very bloody, chaotic end. Unadulterated, audacious, trashy fun. Shot on a ridiculously low budget (by most standards) , there is so much heart, passion, and sheer-force-of-nature-energy behind the whole affair, it's impossible not to like this film. This being his 2nd feature length (no small feat) Bickel pushes his humble DIY ethos to the next level of craft. The cinematography, lighting, editing, sound design / mix (love those gun shots) , and practical gore fx are expertly handled. Great casting, and the actors fully commit to their, albeit pulpy, roles with dedicated, wild abandon. Films like these are simply not being made in the South, and "Bad Girls" should be championed, celebrated and studied as the high bar that it is in regional independent filmmaking. The film's credits end with the very inspiring "there is nothing stopping you from making your own movie." Hot damn indeed.

Fast and Fun!

[teresaplaag · 9/10 · 22 February 2021]

Bad Girls is almost as good as my favorite show: Elvis! on channel 32?..... Fans of Bill will feel me here.... Seriously though, this movie is fast and fun. Those baby legs!!!! It did leave me wanting to know more about the girls' backstories though - I think a prequel set in the women's prison / reform school is definitely in order.

Great hyperviolent druggy silly trash Exploitation trash wt Style.

[surfisfun · 8/10 · 4 February 2022]

For what it is, this is wayyyyyy above average. Hi octane ,frenectic, well construct. Here we have 3 females going Insane on a rampage.

Great electonic beats 70 disco/80 alternative soundtracks that keep the movie momentum and style super alive. OMG, what about the death apeed black metal or whats not.

Great cast, solid direction, fun script.

The edit is nervous, 16mm style at times, lots of imagery. Some may found it too artsy, too cheap but i say F that, it was fitting like a glove. Think Analog, not digital.... Nearly every situations cranked to 11.

. Super High Value low budget film.

A wild crazy ride

[yodieloki · 8/10 · 25 March 2021]

Most movies I find are predictable and follow the rules. This movie is wild and has no clue there are rules. Anything can and often dies happen. The characters are unique and I have met people that make bad choices and imagine most of this could happen. I would certainly watch more from the creators.

This one was worth waiting a year for the final edit.

[mikeamason · 9/10 · 6 March 2021]

Bad Girls is what Thelma and Louise could have been if they had already been criminals and left for the weekend in a much more exotic automobile with a bag full of money and drugs and the trunk full of automatic weapons, intentionally went looking for sex, dope, and cheap thrills, and been chased the whole time by the Keystone Cops who were repeatedly frustrated in finding them due to tripping over the trail of corpses they left in their wake.

You might be titillated, enraged, grossed out or amused (sometimes all at once) by this darkest of comedies, but it's guaranteed that from the opening scenes you will be focused on the screen, afraid to blink for fear of missing something. It moves like a bullet train, the guns stay hot, the blood flows like Niagara, the bodies pile up, the dialogue crackles, romance is in the air, and the characters are people everyone has met before and can delight in either loving or hating. This will be the wildest ride you will take in 2021, with more sex and violence than a marriage license.

I could go into all sorts of technical detail about influences and talk about how it's damned near impossible to make any kind of credible movie on a such minuscule budget (less than the price of a stolen car), but all of that has been covered in detail by the critics who are far more knowledgeable than I am about these things. I'll leave them to debate the finer points. All I can tell you is that this movie is fun, with a Capital "F". I am delighted and humbled to have been allowed to participate in its creation. Just see it. I'm betting you'll want to do it again, at least once more.

A great bit of fun if you like this sort of thing!

[kiltedoriley · 9/10 · 15 April 2021]

This movie moves quickly and is full of unnecessary violence. If you want a big budget film with huge names, move along. If you love the independent scene and are looking for a great film with heart, this is it. No huge, flashy explosions, but some really intense close knit scenes really bring you into this ride. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to like the girls by then end, but the movie is called "Bad Girls" and in that sense, they will not disappoint.

I'm really digging the work of this director and look forward to more of his craft, as I you, the reader, will as well.

Excellent

[josh-768-732816 · 8/10 · 10 September 2021]

Sydney Underground Film Fest continues to deliver the goods with Bad Girls, equal parts Russ Meyer, Alex Cox and Homer's Odyssey, this four-on-the-floor epic rides roughshod over its budget deficiencies thanks to the very sure hand of writer/director/everything else Christopher Bickle. If you like in your face energy, inventiveness and wit, this is for you.

These Girls aren't playing around

[punisherversion1 · 8/10 · 13 March 2021]

Bad Girls Directed by Christopher Bickel. Written by Christopher Bickel and Shane Silman



I sure am glad to be back. I took a bit of a sabbatical from reviewing flicks to sit back and enjoy. As my favorite places on Earth are in danger of disappearing, I have to take one step at a time. That's okay. I'm still here resting comfortably in the Movie Chicken Shack watching movies. My first movie back is an independent picture coming from South Carolina filmmaker Christopher Bickel who is certainly embracing the drive in way in this movie. You could even call it the grindhouse way.

He embraces that style for this movie here about three criminal strippers who after escaping from prison decide they're living in the moment. They're taking what they want when they want and consequences be damned. We spend no time getting right into the mayhem of the proceedings. Bad Girls takes off like a bat out of Hell and wastes no time. It gets your heart racing. You had better be ready because this movie will not slow down to take a breath for about an hour.

I do have to applaud Christopher Bickel and his team's ability to make excellent use of their limited budget. They really go for it. Not many independent films even think about production design but Bad Girls does its best to immerse you in this lop side world. Christopher Bickel uses plenty of tricks up his sleeve to keep the movie moving right along.

This is also a movie that has no problem getting down and dirty. Nobody is safe and they make sure you know it loud and clear. The scene at Wendell's Ammo Cafe makes that explicit. Wendell launches into this speech about his duty as a soldier in Desert Storm and how he wasn't about to be pushed around by these three girls. A woman walking with her small child in a stroller can be seen just outside the door. Let's just say a shoot out ends poorly but with the best black gallows humor line delivered by Carolyn. You can't help but laugh.

Speaking of humor, the bands in this movie are worthy of a chef's kiss. The more punk rock band whose lead singer is kidnapped by Val is called Christmas Tits. How could you not like that? I would happily buy an album by the band Christmas Tits. It is begging to be done. That's not all though. We also have Poltergasm which takes a more theatrical approach and Zerox is the lead singer and Mitzi takes a liking to him.

You do have some sympathy for the bad girls of the title. Their lives were absolute crap and the world has stomped on them on more than one occasion. The men in this movie are absolute garbage people to them until you get to know them on an individual basis. I won't spoil it because the turmoil in the group is what really cranks up the end.

There are some drawbacks. Some of the acting leaves a lot to be desired. This was not the main trio. They played their roles to perfection and I loved all three of them in this. I envision big success in their future. Val played by Morgan Shaley Renew holds onto the chaos and bitterness present in her soul. You see it and even though she does reprehensible things, you feel her pain. Mitzi played by Sanethia Dresch is the cooler head of the two. She balances the madness and anger from Val and the devil may care aloofness of Carolyn played by Shelby Lois Guinn.

Now the low budget does get the best of the ending. By this point you're either on the ride or you've checked out. It doesn't hurt the film much. This is 90 minutes that drags you kicking and screaming into this spree. You're experiencing it whether you like it or not. I give this movie a B. Check it out.

Hilarious, Fun, and way deeper and better than it has any right to be!

[lcblangdale · 10/10 · 6 March 2021]

If this is an example of modern indie cinema, then count me in, what a great film!

Bad Girls

[chrstphrmixon · 10/10 · 21 February 2021]

The opening scene grabbed me and from there moved right along and kept my attention. The music, unsurprisingly, was super rad. I liked the story and, in the world of these type films, it didn't seem far fetched or too "out there". The performances from the actors were superlative. Those folks really shined. Carolyn and Rusty were standouts. The use of "Burial Ground" by Boo Hag was perfect and anything with In/Humanity in it is going to be okay with me. The "Hostility" prayer made me legit laugh out loud. The details were spot on. The flyers in the background were great. "Mexico" and it's accompanying scenery will have anyone who has travelled down I-95 in NC laughing. Wanted posters, it was all so cool to look at. As someone who has admired Chris's projects since the 90's, this being as good as it was came as no surprise. Ordinary people doing extraordinary things . This movie is that. Bravo. 2 thumbs, way up.

Non-stop Thrill Ride!

[lordofruin · 9/10 · 25 March 2021]

It's apt that Bad Girls is centered around stealing cars and driving fast, because the pacing of this movie doesn't slow down any more than the beautiful classic cars that they're driving. I've watched a LOT of movies during the pandemic, but very rarely did I come across one that maintains this kind of breakneck pace for almost the entirety of the movie. The cast is great, especially Shelby Guinn as Carolyn (the foil to the more outre' other two Bad Girls.) What was most surprising to me was not just the good cinematography, acting or music choices, but the excellent special effects, both practical and digital. I know this film was shot on a shoestring budget, but you wouldn't be able to tell it from the FX, which were both fascinating and elegantly executed. 9/10 stars, Ellis says check it out!

Very cool movie

[johannmcloughlin · 10/10 · 4 February 2022]

Despite the fact that the lead actress' eyebrows look like Red from Angry Birds, I found this to be a weirdly entertaining movie. I'm not a critic or anything and I know the acting is really bad as well as the special effects, however I still enjoyed it very much. It has all the ingredients for a great movie. To sum it up, I found it to be something like: Fear & Loathing meets Sharknado meets Angry Birds. One can feel how much effort and work went into this and everyone had fun, that's all that matters. For a obvious low budget movie, I think it was a success, that's why I am going to give it a 10/10. Well done guys 👍