Jennifer's Body Directed by: Karyn Kusama Cast: Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried, Johnny Simmons Running Time: 1 hr 45 mins Rating: R Release Date: September 18, 2009
PLOT: A high school girl (Fox) unexpectedly becomes a boy-devouring demon. The only person who can stop her? Her best friend, Needy (Seyfried).
WHO'S IT FOR? The young women who want to see a movie about two BFFs fighting, or the dudes who didn't get enough of Megan Fox when she ran in slow motion in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Either group has to be prepared for some self-aware camp.
EXPECTATIONS: This was going to be Megan Fox's show, but Juno screenwriter Diablo Cody was certainly going to share the spotlight.
SCORECARD (0-10)
ACTORS: Megan Fox as Jennifer: Her character puts the "whore" in "horror," but Fox doesn't do much for this role. Though she has the capability to spice up the role of "demon sl*t" (literally), she lets the special effects do the scaring and her body do the talking. Compared to her compadre Needy, there are only a couple of moments where Megan Fox impresses us beyond being Sam Witwicky's girlfriend for a second time. She is, however, a partial victim of weak character construction - despite being portrayed as the super popular girl, there's little background supplied to believe her as such. A person like Jennifer is certainly worth exploring. Score: 4
Amanda Seyfried as Needy: Playing Kato to the prettiest girl in school must suck. She looks even better in comparison, and in turn you receive maybe 1/7th of the boy attention. But in Jennifer's Body, being the priss' bookworm has advantages - Needy is a sanctuary for those overwhelmed by Megan's assumed "Fox"iness. Seyfried's performance can most stand on its own, but she receives a giant boost by being a much more interesting character, one whose moves are not as plotted as Jennifer. Score: 5
Johnny Simmons as Chip: Boys are dumb, sure, but they can be portrayed only so much as being one track thinkers before their writing starts to stink. The boyfriend of Needy has become one of Cody’s instruments in making this a grrrl power movie, as this king example is portrayed as completely powerless to females, especially when sex is in question. Simmons plays this character pretty blankly, probably because he is indifferent about his character being such a tool. Score: 4
TALKING: It's not bad that Diablo Cody tries to cram her random phrases down our throats - it's annoying. Vernacular like "salty" ("hot"), or "cheese and fries!" ("Jesus Christ!") is heard throughout, and is disorienting to the dialogue that works to be natural. At least other high school spoofs like Mean Girls had the idea to explain their made-up phrases. Forcing your assumed cleverness is so not fetch, Ms. Cody. Score: 4
SIGHTS: Overall, the visual horror of Jennifer's Body is subdued, with most of the killings done in innuendo (though the film never loses the chance to show the resulting maimed corpse). Seeming like a PG-13 horror with R-rated cuss words, it's obvious the film is trying to walk a fine line when it comes to violence, so as not to completely scare off those weary of blood. A person's lust for gore and Megan Fox in her underwear should be satisfied, though the film plays coyly with each. Score: 5
SOUNDS: Jennifer’s Body is also the title of a song by Courtney Love's band Hole, which may explain why this soundtrack tries to "rawk" more instead of improve your "indie" cred. Contemporary groups like Silversun Pickups and Panic at the Disco are heard throughout, and some seductive Snoop Dogg and Akon is thrown in for good measure. Hole’s “Violet” makes for a killer closing song. Score: 6
PLOT SPOILERS
BEST SCENE: Maybe when Megan Fox is wearing an Evil Dead shirt. Because I like that movie.
ENDING: The evil is passed on, and more vengeance is achieved.
QUESTIONS: None.
REWATCHABILITY: Maybe when doing a comparative study in screenwriting to Juno, but I'm going to at least wait a few years before I revisit this disappointment. Or maybe wait until "Juno 2: LOL TWINS!!!" comes out first.
OVERALL
The horror of Jennifer's Body is not Megan Fox ripping boys open – it’s that the movie spoils a few times over its chance to be a witty reflection of high school’s many absurdities. Instead it prefers to parody high school trauma, which is a far less unfunny subject than popular girls and dumb jocks. But there aren't too many laughs to chew on, as most of the humor centralizes from Cody's made up words or her vendetta against relatively outdated pop culture characters like Hannah Montana or Maroon 5. And even for a dark comedy, Jennifer's Body has some issues with tone. In the same way that the emulated Heathers failed, jokes are inappropriately placed in the most tragic scenes, which questions how serious even the seemingly pure dramatic scenes should be taken.
The story does have a few spurts of creativity, such as the Satan worshiping indie group Low Shoulder, or the mysterious black hole at the bottom of the town’s waterfall. But most of Jennifer's Body is disappointingly straightforward - Megan Fox eats dudes while balancing a story of unlikely friendship with the freaked out Needy. The most that Jennifer's horror can bring to the table is the unusual way her character is a champion of grrrl power.
This movie has a near naked Megan Fox, blood, demon teeth, Adam Brody taking a few jabs at Brandon Flowers of The Killers, and even the return of Juno screenwriter Diablo Cody. But I've seen girl fights in high school that were more wholly entertaining.
FINAL SCORE: 4/10