• Pop Culture
    • Movies
    • Television
    • Comic Books
    • Video Games
    • Toys & Collectibles
  • Features
    • News
    • Reviews
    • Articles and Opinions
    • Interviews
    • Exclusives
    • Flickering Myth Films
    • FMTV
  • About
    • About Flickering Myth
    • Write for Flickering Myth
    • Advertise on Flickering Myth
  • Socials
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • Bluesky
    • Instagram
    • Flipboard
    • Linktree
    • X
  • Terms
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy

Flickering Myth

Geek Culture | Movies, TV, Comic Books & Video Games

  • News
  • Reviews
  • Articles & Opinions
  • Write for Us
  • The Baby in the Basket

Movie Review – Habit (2021)

November 20, 2021 by Robert Kojder

Habit, 2021.

Directed by Janell Shirtcliff
Starring Bella Thorne, Gavin Rossdale, Paris Jackson, Josie Ho, Libby Mintz, Larissa Andrade, Andreja Pejic, Hana Mae Lee, Ione Skye, Aarón Díaz, Jamie Hince, Alison Mosshart, and Hayley Marie.

SYNOPSIS:

L.A. party girl Mads gets a gig running drugs for Eric, a washed-up Hollywood star. When their cash gets stolen and Eric is slain by a rival drug lord, Mads and her two BFFs hide out by dressing up as nuns.

On paper, the concept of musician/actor Bella Thorne playing a Bible-thumping sex-positive drug addict in a pickle sounds like a recipe for something, at the very least, mildly entertaining. Unfortunately, Habit (directed by first-time filmmaker Janell Shirtcliff, co-writing alongside Libby Mintz) is a disastrous bore built on that one-note joke involving narration about her love for Jesus juxtaposed with raunchy behavior. The narrative is pretty much a failure from the beginning as it tries to illustrate Mads’ (Bella Thorne) devotion to God through a flashback montage. However, it somehow doesn’t teach anything about the character, meaning the ensuing 70 minutes of her antics (mercifully, the movie is incredibly short) are more aggravating than endearing criminal rebellion taking a swing at the patriarchy.

The direction and script are woefully incompetent, so for as awful as Bella Thorne is here (a stream of constant overacting and abysmal line delivery), it’s also hard to place all the blame on her considering the character is severely underwritten. Instead, watching Habit is like repeatedly telling the same unfunny joke, which I suppose is the real bad habit here from the filmmakers. In addition to rambling voiceovers and flashback imagery that amounts to nothing, there’s a desperate attempt to give the dialogue some punkish kick to it, also failing miserably. With supporting characters such as fellow musician Gavin Rossdale playing a former actor turned drug dealer supplying Mads (and her party animal friends) with cocaine to sell, all of whom end up tracked down by what is supposed to be a comedic crime boss, it’s not hard to see why. There’s not a single charming thing about any of these people or reason to cheer Mads and her group on to make up for the inevitably stolen money.

In the interest of trying to say something nice about Habit, the sequence where the girls realize that between their good looks and nun outfits, they can easily convince random people to spare some cash is amusing; they aren’t afraid to flirt or flaunt sexuality for money while still maintaining control. A better movie would have honed in on this aspect and how easy it is to get people, especially men, to lower their guard. As a result, the message of women sticking together and strength through numbers might have resonated slightly more, clichés aside.

Bafflingly, Habit always quickly reverts to wanting to explore Mads as a character but without actually doing so. It’s all surface value observations and lame jokes (the final punch line regarding all the Jesus inner dialogue is treated as a revolutionary thought when it’s actually nothing new and certainly not funny considering nothing about the story is engaging in the first place). Even as an exercise in something erotic and steamy, the direction falls flat and can’t even make a sexual encounter with a priest exciting. This is a terrible movie that is shockingly flat given all the hedonistic elements on display and one that never finds a reason to get attached to bad girls posing as nuns for easy money. Accounting for inexperienced filmmakers and an unqualified cast, Habit still has no excuse to be painfully boring given the ideas on hand.

Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ / Movie: ★

Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com

 

Filed Under: Movies, Reviews, Robert Kojder Tagged With: Aaron Diaz, Alison Mosshart, Andreja Pejić, Bella Thorne, Gavin Rossdale, Habit, Hana Mae Lee, Hayley Marie, Ione Skye, Jamie Hince, Janell Shirtcliff, Josie Ho, Larissa Andrade, Libby Mintz, Paris Jackson

About Robert Kojder

Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association, Critics Choice Association, and Online Film Critics Society. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor.

FMTV – Watch Our Latest Video Here

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

10 Iconic Movie Weapons Every Millennial Kid Wanted

The Essential Cannon Films Scores

The Best 90s and 00s Horror Movies That Rotten Tomatoes Hate!

8 Great Recent Films You Really Need To See

10 Essential Comedy Movies From 1995

David Lynch: American Cinema’s Great Enigma

Great Movies That Are An Absolute Masterclass in Acting

Ten Action Sequels The World Needs To See

Incredible Character Actors Who Elevate Every Film

10 Great Val Kilmer Performances

WATCH OUR MOVIE NOW FOR FREE ON PRIME VIDEO!

Top Stories:

Movie Review – The Man in My Basement (2025)

Movie Review – Rental Family (2025)

Desire is a dangerous game in trailer for erotic thriller Compulsion

Movie Review – Rabbit Trap (2025)

Movie Review – The Long Walk (2025)

Movie Review – Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale (2025)

Erotic horror-thriller Iconic hits the US and UK

Movie Review – John Candy: I Like Me (2025)

Movie Review – Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (2025)

Almost Famous at 25: The Story Behind the Coming-of-Age Cult Classic

STREAM FREE ON PRIME VIDEO!

FEATURED POSTS:

MTV Generation-Era Comedies That Need New Sequels

PM Entertainment and the Art of Rip-offs With Razzmatazz

10 Great Movies About Twins

Cinema of Violence: 10 Great Hong Kong Movies of the 1980s

Our Partners

  • Pop Culture
    • Movies
    • Television
    • Comic Books
    • Video Games
    • Toys & Collectibles
  • Features
    • News
    • Reviews
    • Articles and Opinions
    • Interviews
    • Exclusives
    • Flickering Myth Films
    • FMTV
  • About
    • About Flickering Myth
    • Write for Flickering Myth
    • Advertise on Flickering Myth
  • Socials
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • Bluesky
    • Instagram
    • Flipboard
    • Linktree
    • X
  • Terms
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy

© Flickering Myth Limited. All rights reserved. The reproduction, modification, distribution, or republication of the content without permission is strictly prohibited. Movie titles, images, etc. are registered trademarks / copyright their respective rights holders. Read our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. If you can read this, you don't need glasses.


 

Flickering MythLogo Header Menu
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Articles & Opinions
  • Write for Us
  • The Baby in the Basket