Bad B*tch

I didn't expect Bad B*tch to absolutely wreck me emotionally and then leave me cheering like I was at a championship game but here we are. This movie is raw funny uncomfortable powerful and above all fun in the most fearless way.

At the center of it is Jojo played with such grounded strength by Erica Boozer. She's a character you don't often see. She's smart, unpolished, and deeply principled and not interested in fitting into society's idea of beauty. She builds homes for people who need them, reads philosophy for fun, and doesn't care if you don't get it. Honestly, I kind of want to be her when I grow up.

Her best friend Estella, played by Grace Field is the kind of friend every woman deserves. Their conversations about life meaning and right and wrong are so sincere and refreshing. Their bond feels real and intimate and the fact that the movie takes time to build it up makes the later events hit that much harder.

Then there's Colt McGammon played with an unhinged magnetism by Trenton Judson. Colt is the town's nightmare. He's charming to some terrifying to others. When he crosses the line from bully to abuser the movie takes a turn that is genuinely disturbing but handled with care. It is not about shock value. It is about showing the power dynamics that too often go unchecked.

But what really floored me is Jojo's transformation not just in how she looks but in how she decides to take back her power. She doesn't abandon who she is. She channels her values into action. It is theatrical and maybe even a little absurd but in the best way. It felt like reclaiming every time I'd ever been told to sit down and be quiet.

The fight scenes are wild and completely over the top in the most satisfying way. But what sets them apart is Jojo's conviction. She is not out for revenge. She is fighting for what is right. There is a moment where she has Colt at her mercy and instead of finishing him off, she tells him how women deserve to be treated. That moment gave me chills. It is not about becoming a monster to beat one. It is about power with purpose.

The ending left me misty eyed and proud. Jojo does not return to who she was. She evolves. She learns what her own version of beauty and strength looks like and the town around her learns too. For a film that includes a dance fight and a vigilante makeover montage it still manages to land something very real that when women stand up for themselves and each other entire systems can change.

This is not just a revenge story. It is a wakeup call, a love letter to every woman who has ever been underestimated and a blast to watch. Bold bonkers and surprisingly beautiful Bad B*tch is the movie I didn't know I needed.

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.

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.

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.

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.