Buggin' Out | Bug

Ashley Judd is the ideal supporting actress. When surrounded by a cast of other actors, she shines. Unfortunately as a lead actress, her judgment is terrible. After several unconvincing lead performances in films such as Twisted, High Crimes, Double Jeopardy, The Eye of the Beholder and Kiss the Girls, she’s up to her old tricks in her latest film, Bug.

Judd plays Agnes White a loner who lives in a rundown hotel room, drinking her dinner and feeling sorry for herself. Constantly receiving anonymous phone calls, White is terrified that her ex-husband, Jerry (Harry Connick, Jr.) has escaped from prison and is after her. One day her lesbian friend R.C. (Lynn Collins) brings a strange man (that’s putting it mildly), Peter Evans (Michael Shannon) to her room. The two loners make an instant connection. There’s something about Peter that Agnes can’t put a finger on. In no time, she’s opening up to him and taking him into her bed, (instead of giving him and STD, Agnes gives him a BUG!) that’s when the madness really begins.

Peter shares with Agnes that he has escaped from a military hospital after they injected bugs into his body that now feed on his blood. As Peter slowly descends into paranoia and madness, he takes Agnes gladly along for the ride. Soon the two are holed up in a room covered completely in aluminum and hiding from the outside world. What will become of this twisted dynamic duo?

For the second time in less than a month, we see another film featuring White people in cheap motels. White folks in cheap motels go together like Judd and quality leading performances, NOT! Bug fares no better, devoid of any level of common sense. The longer the film continued the deeper it descended into total stupidity. After engaging in the one of the dumbest games of charades ever filmed, Agnes delivers the cheesiest film line of 2007, “I’m the Queen MotherBug,”

With apologies to Epic Movie, Bug is easily the worst film I’ve seen this year. With so many other choices at area theaters, don’t “bug”-out and see this mind-numbling stupid story.

This review also appeared on BET.com.