In this psychological thriller, fear, paranoia, conspiracy theories, and claustrophobia link a deranged man and woman in a grungy motel room. This is the eerie screen version of Tracy Letts' play by the same title. Is there a conspiracy by the military and the U.S. government — or is it in their minds? Nothing is quite as it seems.
The screenplay adapted from Tracy Letts' 2004 off-Broadway success is a mind-bending nightmarish tale from director William Friedkin (The French Connection, The Exorcist). In a southwestern town, residents seem to be making ends meet on a daily basis. Such people are Agnes (Ashley Judd) who lives in a shabby desert motel and tends bar in a local dive with her lesbian friend R.C. (Lynn Collins) and suffers from the loss of her son who disappeared suddenly years prior. Agnes is living in fear of her abusive, recently paroled ex-husband Jerry (Harry Connick Jr). It doesn't help any that she has a cocaine habit, because the drug adds to her fear with paranoia.
One night at the watering hole where she works, R.C. introduces Agnes to an eccentric, nervous drifter named Peter (Michael Shannon). The strange and subdued Peter hangs out with Agnes one night claiming sex is not on his mind, but Agnes is lonely and a relationship between the two develops. The two characters pair off in offbeat and weird performances emphasizing desperation in their need for one another.
Soon after, Jerry the ex-husband shows up and friction is in the air. Harry Connick Jr. brings a sly and wormy presence to the screen in his character, which fortifies Ashley Judd's character's fear of him, but his part in the film seems to be limited.
Peter tells Agnes about a "bug" he contracted while in the military stationed in the Middle East and how it was deliberately planted in him. He convinces her that he carries the trait and perhaps it's a master plan that she's carrying the female bug that reproduces. All this seems to work well in the film, until military doctor Sweet (Brian F. O'Bryne) enters into the story and proclaims that Peter is a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic. It also complicates the plot with new elements of secret military experiments as the meat of the story.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Chris Beaumont
I'm looking forward to this, although I think the title is atrocious, sounds like a Sci-Fi Original.
2 - CMB
I'm 80 this year --- and this film is one of the worst that I have ever seen.
3 - Danielle
This film is truly terrible. The audience was LAUGHING it was so absurd. The only redeeming part of the film was Harry Connick Jr's bare chest!
4 - K.
This movie was a waste of 2 hours of my life. It sounded more like we were watching a comedy in the auditorium, due to all the laughing in scorn. I am not kidding when I state it is the worst movie I have ever seen. We wanted our money back. Simply awful.
5 - JCraig
This film tops the list as one of the worst films I have ever seen! Ashley Judd had no business starring in this film. I held this actress in such high regard until I saw this movie. With this genre being a first for her, I wish she would have read the script closely!!! PLEASE WHATEVER YOU DO DONT PAY TO SEE THIS MOVE...ACTUALLY IF SOMEONE PAYS FOR YOU...STILL DONT EVEN SEE IT! DONT BELIEVE WHAT THE PREVIEWS MAKE IT OUT TO BE!!!!
6 - Hillary
I wish I would have brought my Sudoku and nail file because it was a waste of 2 hours of my life that I could have been primping for.
7 - Alex
yep, this movie was rediculously stupid, a 10 year old could make a better movie then this peice of shit, last time i ever see a movie from these retard directors
8 - ben
save your money!! viewer beware this is a scam!! MOVIE SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! should not be shown at all!!!! SUCKS HORRIBLE NOT SCARY BAD!!!!!!!
9 - Shane Tucker
Total waste of time, money, and waste of paper to print the movie ticket. This is by far the worst movie I've ever seen. I thought it was a scary movie from what the previews made of it. The only good part about the movie was when it ended. I was so dissapointed. The theater was packed because the previews made it sound so good. When the movie ended everyone was yelling and talking about how dissapointed they were. Many people were like "what" is that it. I had wondered if I was watching the show I'd paid for. Don't waste you money on this one. Easily one of the top five worst movies of all time. Ashley Judd should be ashamed of her self.
10 - Kassie Tucker
This movie (if you can call it that) was over rated. I saw the previews and thought that it would at least be a thriller, however Bug was just that....It bugged me that my husband spent the money for us to see it. It bugged me that we wasted the time to watch it. Most of all it bugged me that the director who directed The Excorsist obviously forgot how to make a scary movie. For what its worth, don't waste the time to watch this movie... don't even spend the $4 to rent it when it comes out on DVD. By far the WORST movie ever made!!! I give this one a big fat F-!
11 - John
OPEN YOUR MINDS! 'Bug' was brilliant. If you think its stupid you don't get it.
12 - trev
haha... losers!! my friend and i left in the middle of the movie!! j/k :P but for real... it's too disgusting, i was so freaking scared for the first 15min and nothing happened... all i can say is, i rather do my homework instead of watching this movie .
13 - Drew
Me and two other friends saw this movie last night. I only have three words to describe it, WORST MOVIE EVER!!! The directing of this movie was just plain terrible. Nobody in the audience took this movie seriously, including my friends and I. Instead of screaming people were cracking up laughing! After the movie everyone was BOOing it and yelling "I WANT MY MONEY BACK"... that was actaully ME! This movie SUCKS, DONT SEE IT IN THE MOVIES OR WHEN IT COMES OUT ON DVD!!
14 - Tony Nash
I have never been so embarrased for an actor in my life. The previews and radio spots made me want to see this so bad. The Director of the Exorcist.....how can you go wrong?????
This movie sucked out loud.....DO NOT SEE THIS!!!!
15 - greg
yeah im going to go drink 2nite and im telling my parents im going to see this so ill say it was terrible too, thanks for comments. this movie sucks! even tho i didnt see it, still sux
16 - jordan
i like this movie. true it wasn't what the preview made it out to be, but the movie was still actually good. i wish there would of been more killing and more people getting "infected" but there wasnt, which lost a few points with me... i like the fact that a seemingly helpless man came in and totally brainwashed a woman into believing these "bug"s were infesting the house... that was the genius!
17 - Bernys
I saw this movie yesterday and I must agree that it has to be one of the worst movies I have ever seen. The movie had no 'BUGS' whatsoever & it had no type of concept. I didn't quite understand half of what they were talking about. About 3 crowds of people left in the middle of the movie and during the movie so many people were just laughing because it was so stupid. While we left the theater a lady that worked at the theater told us that it's like the 5th person to tell her that it was bad. Thank God we had movie passes to get us in for free cuz I would've been soooo upset if I really had to pay for it. Everyone that did pay let them know that they wanted their money back.
18 - GH007
I HAVE NEVER BEEN IN A THEATER WHERE THE ENTIRE AUDIENCE BOOED AFTER A FILM... IT WAS A DISGRACE. DON'T EVEN THINK OF WASTING YOUR TIME AND MONEY!
19 - amy
i just got out of this movie and had to search for reviews because it was so awful and i had to see how funny these reviews would be. when the movie ended EVERYONE in the theated began talking to eachother and laughing about how it was the worst movie ever. i basically laughed through every scene that was supposed to be scary. DO NOT SEE THIS MOVIE.
20 - Steve C.
So this is what happens when you let teeny-boppers and the ADD-addled run your marketplace -- a challenging, fierce work of art gets dismissed as laughable trash while the nonsensical three-hour pirate thing scores in the nine figures. Now I know why I'm so prematurely cranky.
21 - VLAD
DO SEE THIS MOVIE. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND TO SEE IT. STOP THINKING "Good" or "Bad" while you are watching it. SEE IT. You waste your 2 hours for MUCH MORE UNWORTHY and just pure stupid and no-value things. SPend these 2 hours for watching BUG, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND.
At the end, just ask yourself a question:
what sounded SO familiar in the movie? Or about me? Or about my neighbor John that still goes under family name Dow?..
The answer that will come or eventually catch up with you WILL BLOW YOUR MIND.
At least something you may never be able to forget all your life.
This movie is NOT for shallow-minded all-framed/all-programmed rigid-thinking folks, that's for sure.
jUST watch and when you come out of the movie theater do not ask yourself for a while 'was the movie good or bad?' It is good, and you know that, in terms of ACTORS PLAY AND OPERATORS WORK ETC. You know that. IT IS THE CONTENTS THAT MAKE YOU IRRITABLE AND ANGRY BECAUSE YOU HAVE NOT UNDERSTOOD WHAT IS ABOUT.
And it CAN be understood. Just slightly modify the CAGE in which your thoughts are framed, and you will be ASTONISHED !!!
This is the movie about the entire human civilization, about where from and where to we are going. And the prospect is not necessarity grim.
Vlad
22 - ron
A unbelievable piece of garbage. Fortunately we left the theater 45 minutes into it and walked into a different movie. I absolutely agree with the majority of people out there. This movie could not entertain even someone on crack! My friends were nudging me to leave 15 minutes into it.....but I tried to give the film a chance. This film should never be released to DVD if the studio has any intelligence. The studio should take there 4 million they already made and count their blessings they made that much off this incredibly BORING FILM!
23 - james
If you are a Paranoid Psycho you will no doubt love and embrace this movie.
For all the rest of us down to Earth people, this movie will make you long for movies which attempt to challenge your mind while entertaining you. Sadly, this movie does neither.
I painfully sat thru this film wishing I had a prior appointment with my dentist which would have spared me the pain. It also had me thinking maybe someone on drugs might find this entertaining, and maybe not.
It is truely painful to sit thru the scene where charaters actually argue over a bugs name and size! Does it make that much of a difference.....But a sign that this film had to fill in huge gaps of story that was not there.
For the majority of people who enjoy thoughtful movies....This movie will disappoint you.
For anyone searching for a new thriller.....well.....look elsewhere.
For those who search for mindless BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, and characters you quickly find uninteresting, this film is for you.
This film is easily a "is it over yet" movie.
24 - Chris Beaumont
Wow! Lots of hate for the movie!
I loved it.
You can see my review right here on BC as well.
25 - shaki
For all those people who say "this movie is really good you just have to understand it" understand my **** this movie was a piece of shit..ashley judd dissapointed me..there is no point in this movie i have rather watched SHREK 2...damn!! DO NOT PAY FOR THIS MOVIE..DO NOT PAY FOR THE DVD RENTAL EITHER..JUST WAIT TIL IT COMES OUT ON REGULAR TV