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As P.T. Barnum once said, “There’s no such thing as bad publicity.” And when word began to spread about an edgy film about party girls dressed as nuns—and Paris Jackson playing Jesus—Habit definitely got some publicity. But when a film causes controversy, there’s always the question of whether it even deserves the hype.
Habit stars Bella Thorne as Hollywood party girl Mads. Once a devout Catholic girl from Texas, Mads now struggles to stay on the straight and narrow as she and her friends make their way through the clubs, using their looks to sell drugs. When they get their eviction notice on the same day that $20,000 in drug money is stolen from them, the girls find themselves in a difficult position with their supplier, Erik (Gavin Rossdale), and unhinged drug boss Queenie (Josie Ho)—so Mads hatches a plan to pose as nuns to take donations and earn the money back.
As Mads and her friends don their habits over their party dresses and red vinyl boots and take to the streets, the craziness of L.A. spirals out of control around them. Erik tries to dodge Queenie’s wrath, Mads seduces a hot priest, and the girls end up living with a generous widow. And wherever she goes, Mads finds herself in an ongoing conversation with Jesus, who’s not only benevolent, endlessly forgiving, and (she believes) actively helping with her schemes, but he’s also the man of her dreams. And while all of that may sound completely ludicrous, well, it’s just the beginning.
Everything here is flashy and spastic and just plain bizarre. It seems as though director and co-writer Janell Shirtcliff set out to make a Tarantino-style crime thriller—something edgy and quirky and wildly drug-fueled—while stirring up some publicity by throwing in a little bit of twisted sacrilege. But, unfortunately, it’s just not that interesting—and it’s certainly not worth protests and petitions. The main story is pretty simple and straightforward—and the crazy characters, the disorienting club scenes, the occasional over-the-top violence, and the religious references are all little more than flashy diversion tactics. Sure, it’s quite a spectacle, but it all feels pointlessly outrageous.
Habit definitely goes out of its way to be extreme. But this dizzying adventure isn’t really worth the attention that a little bit of controversy can bring about. It’s bizarre for the sake of being bizarre—and, after a while, the craziness of it all just feels tiresome.
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