Reviews
Jennifer's Body
Reviewed by: Jeff Allard
Rating: 8 out of 10
Movie Details: View here
Cast:
Megan Fox as Jennifer Check
Amanda Seyfried as Needy Lesnicky
Johnny Simmons as Chip
Adam Brody as Nikolai Wolf
Directed by Karyn Kusama
Review:
In all honesty, I sat down to watch Jennifer's Body with all the joy of someone sitting down to dine on a bowlful of cold barf. I felt I had a good idea of the kind of movie it was going to be (altogether too cool and pleased with itself) and I wasn't looking forward to the experience. I expected that self-consciously hip dialogue would be rubbing me the wrong way throughout Jennifer's Body and that's not my idea of a good time. I didn't believe I'd be laughing much and I knew for damn sure that I wouldn't be scared. On the later point, I was pretty much right. But that's ultimately no knock against Jennifer's Body. Even if it'd been played completely straight, the tale of a high school succubus was unlikely to ever be as scary to me as, say, Psycho, Carpenter's The Thing or The Blair Witch Project. On the former point, though, I was dead wrong as I laughed out loud frequently throughout the film. And yet Jennifer's Body is not a send-up or a spoof. From its tagline – "She's evil. And not just high school evil." – I expected (and dreaded) a sardonic, ironic pseudo-horror film but instead Jennifer's Body is a sensitively scripted character piece that just happens to involve one character becoming a demon.
As penned by Diablo Cody (Juno), this tale of two unlikely life-long girlfriends is about their unbalanced, borderline toxic, relationship first and about botched demonic sacrifices second. Anita 'Needy' Lesnicky (Amanda Seyfried, of Mama Mia) is the bespectacled, slightly dowdy chum to the Jennifer Check (Megan Fox of the Transformers films – in case you hadn't heard), the undisputed hottest girl in the small town of Devil's Kettle. But while this set-up may suggest that Needy is going to be a Carrie White or Arnie Cunningham-esque wallflower, Needy is not Jennifer's dork sidekick. Sure, she isn't as glamorous as Jennifer but that would be a tall order to fill for any ordinary high schooler. On her own terms, however, Needy has things together – being in the midst of a budding romantic relationship with her classmate Chip (Johnny Simmons). At the same time, being a devoted friend, she will drop whatever she's doing to cater to Jennifer's whims.
For her part, Jennifer is a man-eater well before she becomes a literal man-eater. But as with Needy, this character isn't written by Cody to fit an expected stereotype. For one, Jennifer is dumb about almost everything except her own sexuality. This is a girl who's keenly aware of the affect that her looks have on others but otherwise there's something poignantly average about Jennifer. She's cunning, but not very bright. She's aggressive about what she wants but shortsighted about life. Early on in the film, she and Needy are at a dive bar as some cheeseball (and, as it turns out, evil), Maroon 5-style band called Low Shoulder performs their brand of safe, pre-packaged pop rock and as the music plays, we perceive that it's just the kind of generic, teen-orientated fluff that Jennifer is happy to listen to. And yet the film doesn't mock her for it. This is a film that's understanding, rather than smug, towards its characters.
Once Jennifer becomes demonic, thanks to Low Shoulder's attempt to appease their Dark Lord by sacrificing Jennifer (who they mistake for a virgin) not quite going as planned, her evil wrath is strictly small scale. She isn't out to devour the school, or take over Devil's Kettle. She's the same high school vixen she was before only now she needs to dine on the occasional boy to stay alive. This lack of a substantial body count or real villainy on Jennifer's part may frustrate horror fans that were expecting more demonic action and more evil with a capital 'E' but carnage isn't what Jennifer's Body is about. Even as a demon, Jennifer is aware enough to know that high school is guaranteed to be the pinnacle of her life; this is where she will always be most adored. This isn't like some outcast being gifted with the powers of Hell; Jennifer has no reason to level a place that's been very good to her. This is someone who has never been able to walk down the hall without being asked on a date. But yet as much as Jennifer has it all, as much as life in her high school revolves around her, she nurses an almost pathological jealousy towards Needy.
In Jennifer's Body, boys may commit horrible acts (like human sacrifice, for instance) but they have simple, surface motivations. The actions of Jennifer, however, are more mysterious and less easily understood. We see Jennifer grotesquely lapping up the blood of a victim at one point but that's a physically driven, animal act of survival – it's hunger. The really heartless acts that Jennifer performs are the deliberate acts of cruelty that she inflicts on her supposed best friend as she chooses to stalk any boy that Needy may like or who may like her. Jennifer's Body is a film that's wise to the inexplicable ways that girls can be possessive or protective of and yet destructive towards each other – often times in the same moment. This would've been an easy film in which to make boys the bad guys and to have Jennifer transform into an 'avenging angel' of sorts, smiting boys on behalf of herself and Needy, but yet save for the rank amateur Satanists of Low Shoulder, the guys of Jennifer's Body are generally decent people. It's Jennifer's inability to be a good friend to Needy that's the source of the pain here. Seyfried and Fox are both excellent in their roles and although some might say that Fox is just playing a not-so-disguised version of her sex siren self, the fact that she's able to convey the different layers of Jennifer belies the assumption that what she's doing isn't really acting.
Like Cody's script, director Karyn Kusama's work here is stylized but not in a show off-ish, overly mannered way. One thing I loved about Jennifer's Body is that it isn't afraid to embrace having a slick, pop sheen to it. This isn't an example of retro-chic; Kusama isn't trying to score credibility with genre fans by evoking the horror heyday of the '70s, or '80s, or whatever. This isn't some faux-grindhouse film. It's an unabashed pop horror movie of 2009. Some might call that being trendy but 'trendy' is something Jennifer's Body is not. It's a quirky genre mishmash that will likely alienate anyone looking for a movie that plays it safe. Cody's trademark dialogue might continue to rankle some but save for a too-glib moment or two (especially during the climax), I think it worked perfectly here. Even if the dialogue isn't 100%, or even 20%, natural to how actual people talk, I think that's appropriate for a film in which demonic possession is supposed to be real. It's a fable-like horror-fantasy – to take some license in its language is permissible.
I expect this film will be receiving its share of "it wasn't scary enough" or "it wasn't funny enough" or "why didn't Megan Fox show us her boobs?" type of reviews but I found Jennifer's Body to possess an unexpected heart rather than just being too smart for its own good.
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Comments
Posted by: Morley on September 18, 2009 at 16:44:14
Okay this is the type of review I'm liking to hear. Can't wait for this, bloody living in Scotland!!! :D
Posted by: Irene on September 18, 2009 at 18:06:08
Great review. We were able to get Diablo Cody and Karyn Kusama at our screening and your dissection of the relationship between Needy and Jennifer as toxic was right on. They iterated that this wasn't a horror movie per se, but a movie about relationships. And that it was made for girls, despite what all the advertising might suggest, which Kusama seemed very bitter about too.
Jennifer's characterization and Megan's portrayal did leave me feeling oddly sympathetic toward Jennifer. I wish we could've seen more.
SPOILER ALERT!
Quick question: I'm not sure I understood the significance of the BFF necklace at the end. Why did Jennifer seem to lose some of her power (or altitude) when Needy pulled it off?
Posted by: Jeff Allard on September 18, 2009 at 18:58:11
Morley, Irene - thanks for the comments!
SPOILER response below:
I would say Jennifer's loss of power after Needy tore off the necklace had to do with Jennifer feeding off of her bond with Needy in some way - either emotionally, psychically, or both - and when that bond was severed, it diminshed her power.
Posted by: noob on September 18, 2009 at 19:04:40
gay... i wanted to see her boobs lol. i think i'll pass on it now lol.
Posted by: Objective on September 18, 2009 at 21:21:01
I'm sorry, but I'm still not convinced. It sounds like although the film wasn't in every way as predictable of a hip high school flick as the reviewer (Allard) first presumed, he's praising it for small details that otherwise would be minimal expectations for a film. I think he's reading more into smaller victories than he should be, such as Megan Fox lapping up blood out of hunger and the boys not totally being seen as the enemy. Sure, while these qualities aren't as cliche as the film could have made them does it still make the film deserve an 8 out of 10? Especially, when he said it himself that this horror/comedy is neither that funny nor scary. My intuition is telling me that due to his expectations previously being so low, his surprise of the film not being a total train wreck is causing him to give it more of a nod than it deserves. Is it actually that good or just passable? I'm not trying to be an elitist horror buff, or a "hater." But this review seems to be digging deep focusing on minuscule details. And, to me, simply doesn't appear to be looking at the big picture. I'll wait for a rental.
Posted by: Miles Finch on September 18, 2009 at 22:09:25
I'm not sure if I'll even check it out on dvd.
Posted by: Jeff Allard on September 18, 2009 at 23:09:05
Objective, my low expectations may have helped Jennifer's Body to pleasantly surprise me but I think that if it wasn't a solid, unusual genre entry I wouldn't have had the same positive response.
As for whether it's funny or scary enough - everyone's mileage will vary on that. I think whenever you have a movie that's a hybrid of different genres, it's going to come up short in one area or another for some viewers. For me, I thought this struck a good balance.
Personally, I thought it was very funny but I also think that, say, Raising Arizona is hilarious and some people may not crack a smile at that. This isn't funny in the way that The Hangover is funny - it's not going to make every audience laugh at the same moments.
What I most liked about this film was its attention to the psychology of its characters and that it didn't play ball with the obvious expectations of the material. If I brought up apparently minor details in my review, it's because I feel that sometimes it's the small details that make or break a movie - especially when so many genre films share so many of the same elements, it's how those elements are tweaked that make a difference.
This is definitely not going to be everyone's cup of tea. I didn't expect to be mine, either, but all I can do is report my reaction.
Posted by: Eo on September 18, 2009 at 23:51:01
man i was so close.. i called this site givin this movie a 9 in my rant about the ****ty reviewing i've been seeing lately..at least i was close
Posted by: Eo on September 18, 2009 at 23:54:41
oh and really cool of the reviewer to answer spoiler questions as a 2nd post of the review..who are you now Roger Ebert..
Posted by: Eo on September 19, 2009 at 00:00:52
Not tryin to pick fights jeff..not sayin you suck at reviewing..maybe im crazy i just think the reviews as a whole over the last few months have been differnt..thats not always a bad thing..but at the same time..for me its not a really good one either..i've read the reviews on this site for a year or so now and enjoy them because they are differnt then what we get in rolling stone and from all the old people **** talking movies aimed at a younger audience.. i used to agree with almost every review..havent agreed with a single one in 4 or 5 months now...shame on this site for giving movies like whiteout, H2, Perfect Getaway, and this piece of crap great reviews...
Posted by: Jeff Allard on September 19, 2009 at 07:38:24
Eo, as I said in my review, I was not expecting to like this movie. Before seeing JB, I would've guessed I'd be writing up a 4 out of 10 review at best.
As for answering the spoiler question, I thought I was just being polite. I didn't think that answering a question promptly would be an issue with anyone.
As for disagreeing with the reviews, well, I can't really help you. I didn't review Whiteout myself but it got a 6 out of 10 - that seems to be pretty middle-of-the-road to me rather than "great". And I slammed H2, so that was no love letter either. Perfect Getaway and JB on the other hand are two that I really liked.
Sorry we don't seem to have the same opinions about movies but we're bound to see eye to eye on something eventually.
Posted by: ScratStitch on September 19, 2009 at 09:37:31
Far and away the most satisfying horror film that I've seen in a long time. Not sure if all of that stuff during the credits was "required," though.
Posted by: Morley on September 19, 2009 at 11:04:51
I'm agreeing with Jeff here, sometimes it really is the small details that make or break a film. As a girl I'm loving the idea of the whole toxic relationship between Jennifer and Needy. The film just looks a whole lot of fun and I think Diablo Cody is wicked and as her brain seems to work in similar ways to my own, I think I'm gonna really enjoy this. It's just a shame I have to wait till November 6th for it!!!
Posted by: Jacinta on September 19, 2009 at 13:48:15
I saw this movie last night and I thought it was great. It was funny, but also on the scary side. I would watch it again.
Posted by: destinee on September 19, 2009 at 15:15:16
i heard that you had to be 21 to even get into the theater to see this movie...is that true?
Posted by: matt on September 19, 2009 at 16:46:27
I think I'm going to be renting this one.
Posted by: Seraphina on September 20, 2009 at 00:25:13
I'm with you Jeff. I thought the movie was surprisingly good - except, unlike you, there were a few parts I actually found myself a bit scared for (or, at the very least, bracing myself in anticipation for).
It was a novel idea - tongue and cheek comedy. There was so much about it that felt like a boring, basic high school drama and given the situation it was hysterical.****SPOILER**** I loved it when Needy was explaining to Chip how evil Jennifer was, and how she needed to feed on the flesh of men to be strong, and how doing this made Jennifer's hair so SO shiny!!!
Anyway, great review. I enjoyed reading as I enjoyed the movie itself.
Posted by: Setsunna on September 20, 2009 at 11:38:14
yo i agree with Jeff... i saw the movie last night and i didnt think it would be worth my time but it was a good horror movie... yes this movie may not please others but in all i really liked the story and i also agree with
Seraphina the history side of the demon is really dope! it made the movie even better in my eyes... thanx 4 tha helpful review Jeff peace and god bless
Posted by: I am Tetsuo on September 21, 2009 at 08:23:04
Soooo, Uhhhhh, does Megan Fox... Like... Get naked and stuff?
Posted by: Jenninfer's hot on September 21, 2009 at 16:20:53
I saw this movie and I knew I would like it regardless of the reviews. I think that Fox is more then just a super sexy pretty face. As long as her movies are diverse her career will last a long time, Jennifer's Body is alot different from Transformers and its a pleasure to see her as a literal maneater. Maybe if we all keep our fingers cross Miss Fox will change her mind about doing nude scenes.
Posted by: Ummmm on September 23, 2009 at 09:19:18
So, I'm a big movie buff. Usually I'm 99% right when a movie will be good or just crap. Well this movie was crap. I saw the bootleg, because no way I was going to pay for this, and I'm so happy that I didn't pay. I see a movie for what it really is. I read between the lines, really look at the characters, and etc.
To me this movie would have rated no more than a 3. It's along the lines of Zohan. Megan Fox was clearly playing Megan Fox(no acting was performed). The only acting I could say she pulled off was when she was crying(which anyone can do). She hardly had any real emotion come across her face no matter what she was saying or doing on flim. Also the film seemed more focused on how "hot" Jennifer was than focusing on the friends relationship and the concept of her eating boys.
*MAYBE SPOILER*
Even in the bedroom scene, they start making out instead of Needy just right off the bat saying "hey, didn't I just see you in blood and hit you with my car". No this comes after the much needless make-out scene which you know was just put in there for the "boys".
This movie didn't focus on the story like it should have. The movie in my opinion should have been called "It's All About Megan". When a films main focus is on how hot someone is and giving compliment after compliment (Transformer 2 is a good example also)throughout the movie, you are not doing a good job as a director or producer or even a writer if that is all your movie is pretty much based on with a side of oh look there is a plot here somewhere.
This is why I trust my reviews better than the MEN who review these types of movie.
(Brokeback Mountain wasn't reviewed by all because a lot of the male reviewers thought it was wrong for two men to kiss, but not so for women)Once again, as long as Fox is in it, we will not get an honest review.
Posted by: Sinister Twist on September 24, 2009 at 11:47:51
I'll have to check this out. While I don't think that Megan can act her way out of a paper bag, watching her movies is a guilty pleasure of mine. It's like eating a bag of potato chips- no nutritional value, but it's just sooo much fun! (Although I will say that she can act better than Shia LeDouche, but that's really not saying much. My toothpaste tube is a better actor than Shia is.)
I'm going to watch this as if it was a schlocky 80s horror flick.
Posted by: Aquarielle Singer on November 8, 2009 at 10:17:15
Saw It The Night Before Last; That Review Is Very Good Actually. I Loved It. Was Very Very Funny And Megan Fox Was Beautiful As Usual (:
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