Film Review: Bodied Leaves You Dead With Laughter And Serious Thoughts

Racist! Homophobic! Sexist! Bodied is all in one and then some. Yet, the life of battle rapping is one that is absolutely build upon “mud-slinging.” You do not enter the ring of words unless you are willing to say and take all of them. Hence, the rise of Adam Merkin (Calum Worthy), a white, Liberal Arts student researching his thesis, becomes a fascinating and funny look into the systemizing of social interactions. 

When we talk about systemic oppression, we, usually, talk and think of the MASSIVE penalties, punishments, and policies that have historically eviscerated certain communities. Yet, you can only go MACRO if you have gone MICRO before. Frankly, a lot of us don’t know what and how to speak with compassion for others, and Merkin’s attraction to battle rapping is that “compassion” is THE LAST THING you should have. On the contrary, being “politically correct” is dangerous, and could lead you to being destroyed by your opponent, which gives battle rap scenes both a cringing and relieving impact on the crowd. On one hand, you hear every single negative thought you would get because of your race, gender, and general demeanor and personality. In this world, people hide their hate, rather than heal it, but Director Joseph Kahn shows that battle rapping is healing through exposure. 

Prospek (Real Life Rapper Dumbfounded), Devine Write ( Shoniqua Shandai), and Che Corleone (Walter Perez) are completely eviscerated and eviscerating with words on their appearances and their community stereotypes. Yet, hearing people say aloud what they quietly comment about you, your people, and their history can be oddly relieving because, no matter what, it is influencing their actions.This cast is exceptional and natural on the screen, which is why you are fascinated by how real it feels when they sharply go off on each other and  then go to have laughs and drinks. It is  is a strange dynamic to witness in this, particularly, hateful time. How can someone make fun of you for being Asian and then buy you a beer to chat?  Honestly, this film is so electric with its portrayal  of rap battles, you become enthralled by the nature of a world that asks you to be so ugly, for a minute, and then leave it there in that instant. Hence, Adam becomes enthralled with battle rapper Behn Gryhm (Jackie Long) whom also forms an unlikely bond with the verbose, young man eager to overcome his poet father’s shadow.

Worthy as Adam is riveting. The way he deconstructs both his raps and his surroundings makes you feel like he is the Holden Caufield of Hip Hop. Worthy gives Adam a quiet malice that is constantly boiling: even unbeknownst to him. From the minute, he battle-raps, he begins to look at the world with a judgmental eye; ready to tell people two or three truths about themselves, at least, in his head. His talent is undeniable, but, over the course of this film, you wonder whether his genuine meanness is deniable. While his school protests him for battle-rapping, claiming he is prejudiced, discriminatory, and culturally appropriating. Many, especially Professor Merkin (Anthony Michael Hall) cannot understand how and why Adam is entering and being accepted by such a world. They are perplexed by a community so open to cruelty.  I reiterate, Again!, these battle rap scenes can feel like an open, Reddit discussion on haterade! They GO IN!  Yet, as Adam becomes more competitive, and crosses the paths of characters like, Dizaster’s Megaton and Charlamagne Tha God’s Hunnid Gramz, he begins to enjoy, a little too much, the natural darkness of battle rapping.

Make no mistake! Bodied is a comedy, but it contains TONS of social and cultural commentary, particularly when asking both the audience and its characters to measure “lines.”  While battle rap is all about wiping away such notions of formality and morality, but, in the end, you cannot. By the final act, you start to feel like certain words and actions committed cannot be capped with a light-hearted chat and another beer. Therefore, I find Bodied so witty and smartly reviving. For a world, that is increasingly vicious and exhaustively demanding of forgiveness, Bodied questions what you should really give your anger to or, at least, your words. Bodied comes out in theaters on November 2 and on Youtube Premium on November 28.