November 2009
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Jennifer's Body (15)
Posted 4th November 2009

Take one “so hot right now” screenwriter (Diablo Cody – Juno) fresh from a debut script Oscar award and add a nuclear hot “really, really ridiculously good looking” actress (Megan Fox – Transformers) and what do you get? No, not the fruitful collaboration of Hollywood’s two rock chicks du jour but a lukewarm horror-comedy team-up. Oh...

The problem is that the potential, the hope of what Jennifer’s Body might have been, was hyped to be, only enhances the disappointing experience upon actually viewing the distinctly-average finished film. Because it is in no way awful. Or bad even. Just very, very okay.

High School hottie Jennifer (Megan Fox) is her small town’s most desirable. Until she accidently gets possessed by a succubus during a ritual sacrifice that leaves her with an insatiable appetite for meaty teen boy snacks. Correctly deducing that she’s gone to the dark side, lifelong gal pal Needy (Amanda Seyfried – Mamma Mia) is forced to put aside her unswerving loyalty for her BFF for the sake of the town’s boy population, including that of her own dorky boy-toy Chip (Johnny Simmons – Hotel for Dogs).

On an entirely surface level, there’s much to find agreeable in Jennifer’s Body. Obviously, for starters, there’s gratuitous Fox to gorge upon. Which will never be a bad thing. It’s the perfect vehicle for the still-blossoming actress to showcase a greater range than she’s been afforded before by either the ‘Formers films or her pin-up part in How to Lose Friends... Sorry naysayers, but it’s true, Megan is much more than just a pretty face and killer bod: she can act. Having said that, she is completely outacted and outclassed by Seyfried. This is one of those performances that should really put Seyfried on the leading lady map. It’s a shame Snyder’s latest, Sucker Punch, is fully cast ‘cos you can imagine she would be perfect for that on this basis. But I’m sure there’s plenty just around the corner for this talent.

Gratuity, for your gorging pleasure.

As there probably is for director Karyn Kusama, who shows off some skill behind the camera and an eye for a well-judged showy shot (split-diopter anybody?) that was entirely absent in her previous abhorrent-effort Aeon Flux. It’s gonna be interesting to see what she does next actually. I’d suggest perhaps give Kathryn Bigelow a call and see what projects she might suggest / entrust to her. Kusama could certainly do much worse for a female role model / career-groomer than the BIGelow (Near Dark, Point Break, Strange Days, The Hurt Locker).

But the problems for Jennifer’s Body begin when you start looking beyond this surface level. Because there isn’t anything. There is no depth. There are no deeper meanings. There is just superficial sheen and an empty vacuous space underneath, just like its protagonist and almost all teen-friendly horror’s doing the multiplex rounds at the minute. Not that Cody or Kusama would have you believe that, I’m sure. They’d argue it’s about body horror (it isn’t, watch Alien or The Fly instead) and / or a metaphor for teen’s going through puberty (it isn’t, watch Ginger Snaps or Carrie instead) and / or a film about female empowerment (it isn’t, watch Death Proof or Aliens or T2 or any number of other films instead). These are the sort of things that good horror is made of.

Instead, Jennifer’s Body is purely-and-simply exploitative genre fiction. Take for example the lesbian kiss centrepiece. I’m sure Cody and Kusama strongly believe and would vehemently argue that there’s a profound point to this scene about the dynamics of female friendships or something. Doesn’t seem that way to me though. It doesn’t lead anywhere, it doesn’t explain Jennifer’s power or influence over Needy in any different way than we’ve already witnessed during the film so far, it doesn’t further the story in anyway, it doesn’t affect any great change in the dynamic of their relationship, it’s not even some tonal weird-out Lynchian moment that serves no higher purpose than just being. What it is is titillating. In a Wild Things sorta way. Which there is nothing whatsoever wrong with. In the right context and when done without pretentions. And therein lies the problem. This isn’t. Had it been, this would be a very different review.

What is interesting to ponder though is whether there was a more extreme and violent and deep and powerful and interesting film there originally on paper (and perhaps film reels) before it hit the editing suite? Perhaps? Or perhaps this is just a case of being the “difficult” sophomore project that has claimed many victims before? Cody can do what she wants without interference or guidance and what she wants isn’t actually that great. I guess we’ll never know. What we do know, off the back of Jennifer’s Body, though is that Cody has a ways to go yet to prove she really is the “next-big-pop-culture-Tarantino-type-thing".

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