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THE DARK KNIGHT RISES Set Visit Preview and 4 Awesome New Posters!JENNIFER’S BODY Review
by Matt Goldberg Posted:September 17th, 2009 at 10:23 pm
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Is “Jennifer’s Body” an allegory for a woman dealing with the aftermath of her rape? Is it a metaphor for the perceived threat of female sexual power? Is it about the dissolution of sisterhood as a result of turning attention to the pursuit of men to the neglect of all else? Is it commentary on gender roles in modern youth culture?
Actually, “Jennifer’s Body” is none of these things but it leaves them at the periphery in such a frustrating and non-committal manner that all you’re left with is a bland horror flick punctuated with Diablo Cody’s singular dialogue. Oh, and Megan Fox being attractive. Don’t forget Megan Fox being attractive. You may have forgotten that she’s attractive. You should know that before you see the movie.
The film opens with Needy (Amanda Seyfried) locked up in a mental institution and providing a voice-over of “how things weren’t always like this” and “We used to be normal.” We then go back to a magical time when she was a dorky teenager with a cute boyfriend (Johnny Simmons) and Jennifer Check (Fox), the hottest girl in school and Needy’s life-long friend. The film rushes through this relationship as we get a quick flashback of their eternal “sandbox love” and load up on Jennifer spouting Cody-slang like calling female horniness “getting a wetty” and calling attractive boys “salty”. For those that found Cody’s stylized dialogue a problem in her first film “Juno”, you’ll find this film intolerable especially since director Karyn Kusama has no idea how to match her direction with Cody’s script.
After we’ve learned that Needy is basically Jennifer’s conservative-yet-protective sidekick and Jennifer is over-confident and gets by on her looks, the movie thinks it’s ready to run out and have some fun but it’s already a mess. The rushed introduction undermines the rest of the movie as we don’t understand Jennifer and Needy beyond these broad character traits and their relationship lacks complexity. Also, while it’s believable that Needy would only have one friend, it’s a bit of a stretch to believe that Jennifer wouldn’t have dropped Needy by middle school and have a clique of other pretty girls following her around. Sandbox-love is strong but high school insecurity trumps all.
With these vague outlines barely established, Jennifer drags Needy to the bar “Melody Lane” so they can see the band “Low Shoulder” because Jennifer looked at their MySpace page and thinks the lead singer (Adam Brody) is hot. The only problem is that Low Shoulder worships Satan and after setting the bar on fire and killing most of its highly-flammable patrons, they’re able to lure a shell-shocked Jennifer into their van and take her off into the woods while Needy looks on helplessly.
Later that night, as Needy is walking through her unlit house (even though the electricity works fine so she could just turn on a light), she’s terrified by a blood-drenched Jennifer who proceeds to devour a Boston Market roasted chicken before vomiting black, spikey sludge across Needy’s kitchen and then racing out into the night
As it turns out, it’s not so much digestive problems brought on by Boston Market roasted chickens as it is that Jennifer is now a demon. Needy is the only one who sees her friend’s transformation and no one in the town has any explanation for why teenage boys are getting ripped to shreds. Meanwhile, Low Shoulder and their awful music begin a meteoric rise after the fire at Melody Lane and they provide the film’s funniest moments and inadvertently demonstrate the film’s key failure.
Cody’s sharpest commentary is reserved for bands like Low Shoulder, an indie band whose greatest aspiration is to be the next “Maroon 5″. The film absolutely nails this kind of bland “indie rock” music that fills the airwaves and we learn more about the main characters more through their taste in music than by their actions. If Cody’s devoted as much wit and energy to creating cohesive ideas and coherent ideas as she does to taking apart modern rock music, “Jennifer’s Body” would be a standout horror flick and cement Cody as one of the best screenwriters in Hollywood today.
Instead, the movie does the exact opposite. Needy’s wandering through her darkened house is not only generic but was done effortlessly to the point of parody earlier this year in “Drag Me to Hell”. Kusama clings to these stock horror tropes as a life raft when Cody’s script wants to venture out into the sea, away from the comforting shores of crackling dialogue. Instead of letting Cody give a spin to the horror genre, Kusama wants to keep it nice and tidy which makes the movie predictable and therefore not horrifying. It also makes Cody’s dialogue stand out like a gal who dressed up for a costume party and walked into a funeral (although that would be kind of funny and original and Kusama doesn’t want her horror and comedy to overlap). Cody’s words never lose their confidence but they’re out of place to the point where they’re almost gratingly non-conformist.
Finally, this movie won’t change your opinion on Megan Fox nor does it intend to. She is sexy. She knows how to deliver Cody’s dialogue. She occasionally gets to be threatening but even her threats sound a little sexy. Fox saying, “I want you helpless,” doesn’t scare; it arouses because that’s why you hire Megan Fox at this point in her career. “Jennifer’s Body” requires nothing else from her and that’s disappointing when you consider that a story told from Jennifer’s perspective would provide a challenge for Fox that she hasn’t yet encountered in her movie career. This film really belongs to Seyfried and she does a fantastic job by playing the role not as a scream queen but as the unlikely heroine who has to choose between her love for her best friend and protecting everyone else, especially her boyfriend.
The failure of “Jennifer’s Body” lies with the partnership between Kusama and Cody. They fail their movie in the one area where it could be something more than just a monster flick featuring a hot actress. Usually when you encounter a character so thinly drawn as Jennifer, the writer is trying to use that character as a symbol. Except is Jennifer a symbol of female empowerment? The perceived threat of female sexuality? There’s phallic and vaginal imagery scattered throughout the film but what purpose do they serve? I don’t know and neither does “Jennifer’s Body” because its fatal flaw is mistaking dubiety for ambiguity.
Rating —– C minus
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Related Links
- JENNIFER’S BODY Blu-ray Review
- New Images from JENNIFER’S BODY, THE ROAD and YOUTH IN REVOLT
- SDCC 09: JENNIFER’S BODY Screens Footage and Hunter Speaks with Megan Fox, Jason Reitman, Karyn Kusama, and Diablo Cody
- Amanda Seyfried and Adam Brody Exclusive Video Interview JENNIFER’S BODY
- Megan Fox and Johnny Simmons Exclusive Video Interview JENNIFER’S BODY
Thanks Matt, you saved me money. I will use that to help out Scott Bakula’s new movie.
Thanks Matt, you saved me money. I will use that to help out Scott Bakula’s new movie.
Pretty much exactly what I expected. Glad to hear I don’t need to spend money on this one.
Btw, I did like Juno and found the dialog quite humorous – especially when spoken by Ellen Page. Very good movie. But that doesn’t mean the hipster sp3ak should be used in all film genres and all the time. Not a good idea.
well i would check out the movie myself because while this person gives it a c- i give it an A+ one of the best yet not to scary horrors ever andf very sexy too
Pretty much exactly what I expected. Glad to hear I don’t need to spend money on this one.
Btw, I did like Juno and found the dialog quite humorous – especially when spoken by Ellen Page. Very good movie. But that doesn’t mean the hipster sp3ak should be used in all film genres and all the time. Not a good idea.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSymGHqbZhA
Megan Fox tribute
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSymGHqbZhA
Megan Fox tribute
I’m not gonna lie, this review is hella offensive and suggests that you’ve never actually known a lot of women and witnessed their relationships. Good job with that.
Can I also get a “good job” for exposing one of the last five people on the planet who uses the word “hella”? I’m feeling much better about that.
But you are right about not knowing a lot of women. I don’t meet very many up at the monastery. I say we need more chicks, they tell me to shut the fuck up. The monks aren’t as chill as I thought they’d be.
I’m not gonna lie, this review is hella offensive and suggests that you’ve never actually known a lot of women and witnessed their relationships. Good job with that.
Can I also get a “good job” for exposing one of the last five people on the planet who uses the word “hella”? I’m feeling much better about that.
But you are right about not knowing a lot of women. I don’t meet very many up at the monastery. I say we need more chicks, they tell me to shut the fuck up. The monks aren’t as chill as I thought they’d be.
Fair enough. Your dismissal of the rape theme is a bit harsh though. I really like this movie. It was smart, different, and looks great. Jennifer obviously written for Megan Fox. Alot of the critics don’t seem to give Megan her due on this one. Solid performance. Shallow and vapid, vulnerable and afraid, terrifying and merciless. She wasn’t afraid to be hideous. This is the greatest praying mantis horror movie to date simply because they used the most desirable woman in the world. Very smart move. Jennifer’s Body will have a huge shelf life. Cody has made herself a nice little cult classic. Megan Fox as a demonic siren who lures men to their death? That just makes sence
Fair enough. Your dismissal of the rape theme is a bit harsh though. I really like this movie. It was smart, different, and looks great. Jennifer obviously written for Megan Fox. Alot of the critics don’t seem to give Megan her due on this one. Solid performance. Shallow and vapid, vulnerable and afraid, terrifying and merciless. She wasn’t afraid to be hideous. This is the greatest praying mantis horror movie to date simply because they used the most desirable woman in the world. Very smart move. Jennifer’s Body will have a huge shelf life. Cody has made herself a nice little cult classic. Megan Fox as a demonic siren who lures men to their death? That just makes sence
Some movies are made just for you to sit back and laugh. Critics have a hardon complex, they tend to forget who the target audience is. It annoys me when critics give a review because they found a movie tasteless, but not everyone loves what they love. Imagine you’re a teenage boy or girl, do you really think the dialogue bothers us? Do you really think that 80-year-old women are lining up for this one? I loved the movie and I want to see it again. Keep up with the times a little….
So I’m supposed to put myself in the shoes of some vague composite of what I think is a particular demographic and then judge it from there? I may be able to fathom a guess at who may like this but I’m not going to take myself out of the equation and so I can guess how it will play in Peoria.
“Do you really think that 80-year-old women are lining up for this one?”.
No, but according to the numbers neither do the teens.
Thats what makes this movie’s failure so spectacular.
Some movies are made just for you to sit back and laugh. Critics have a hardon complex, they tend to forget who the target audience is. It annoys me when critics give a review because they found a movie tasteless, but not everyone loves what they love. Imagine you’re a teenage boy or girl, do you really think the dialogue bothers us? Do you really think that 80-year-old women are lining up for this one? I loved the movie and I want to see it again. Keep up with the times a little….
So I’m supposed to put myself in the shoes of some vague composite of what I think is a particular demographic and then judge it from there? I may be able to fathom a guess at who may like this but I’m not going to take myself out of the equation and so I can guess how it will play in Peoria.
“Do you really think that 80-year-old women are lining up for this one?”.
No, but according to the numbers neither do the teens.
Thats what makes this movie’s failure so spectacular.
Why is it that everyone traipses past the obvious misogyny of the premise & execution? Is it that 2 women were involved in making this self-hating spectacle? That does not change the fact that this is about a victim of butal gang rape is secondly victimized by demons, then (thirdly) made to suffer for their violent actions, by her female friend, who chooses a boyfriend over sisterhood. It’s woman-hate on 3 different levels, perpetrated by sellouts (Diablo is the perfect name for that no-talent hack).
Why is it that everyone traipses past the obvious misogyny of the premise & execution? Is it that 2 women were involved in making this self-hating spectacle? That does not change the fact that this is about a victim of butal gang rape is secondly victimized by demons, then (thirdly) made to suffer for their violent actions, by her female friend, who chooses a boyfriend over sisterhood. It’s woman-hate on 3 different levels, perpetrated by sellouts (Diablo is the perfect name for that no-talent hack).
I dunno guys. The whole thing is that people will mostly watch the movie for megan and that’s about it. I don’t have a problem with the dialogue but the storyline is very immature and to get straight to the point it kinda sucks because it’s so dumb. Ooooooh, all the small boys are dying lol, and what’s up with not switching the lights on when the electricity still works! Lmao, sorry but this is a no go for me
hehe!
I dunno guys. The whole thing is that people will mostly watch the movie for megan and that’s about it. I don’t have a problem with the dialogue but the storyline is very immature and to get straight to the point it kinda sucks because it’s so dumb. Ooooooh, all the small boys are dying lol, and what’s up with not switching the lights on when the electricity still works! Lmao, sorry but this is a no go for me
hehe!
This movie sucked. and I’m a 20 yr old woman Patrick.
This movie speaks to “women”. Trying to get us to see how we treat each other and woman power and all that bull. But they said it was a action and horror movie and it wasn’t. Point blank.
They used Megan Fox to draw in the men but men can’t understand the whole female aspect and they used that to draw in the women but most women wouldn’t know the film was about that because all the trailers exploits Megan to draw in the men. Makes no sense.
This movie sucked. and I’m a 20 yr old woman Patrick.
This movie speaks to “women”. Trying to get us to see how we treat each other and woman power and all that bull. But they said it was a action and horror movie and it wasn’t. Point blank.
They used Megan Fox to draw in the men but men can’t understand the whole female aspect and they used that to draw in the women but most women wouldn’t know the film was about that because all the trailers exploits Megan to draw in the men. Makes no sense.