Chappell Roan’s music is everywhere, from presidential campaigns, to Marshalls ads, to trailers for movies like M3GAN 2.0 and now Bugonia.
Sure, some of these marketing folks are chasing a hot beat and a catchy chorus. But when it comes to the latest from Yorgos Lanthimos, the visionary behind such twisted films as The Lobster, The Favourite, Poor Things, and Kinds of Kindness, the subversion of Roan’s lyrics take on a deeper meaning.
Scripted by Will Tracy (The Menu), Bugonia reteams Lanthimos and Stone, with the latter playing a no-nonsense, high-powered CEO who is enjoying some sing-along time to “Good Luck, Babe” in her luxury vehicle — before being confronted by some clumsy but determined kidnappers.
Jesse Plemons co-stars as the lead kidnapper, a conspiracy theorist who believes Stone’s businesswoman is secretly an alien from another planet, hellbent on invasion. She might be a captive, but she’s not scared, declaring calmly, “There is no possible scenario where you benefit from this incident.”
Let the battle of wills begin.
Bugonia opens in theaters Oct. 24.