Movies / Movie Reviews

Jennifer's Body

By Andy Frisk
September 19, 2009 - 00:24

No doubt, Diablo Cody has a knack for wittily wack dialogue that smacks with a smartness so sharp that you have to pause and rerun it in your mind to catch all of the different levels of satire and meaning encapsulated in each phrase. No doubt, Juno, Cody’s first screenplay, for which she won an Oscar, was full of these phrases and was a charming and touching tale of a teenaged girl living through an adult’s trials while growing and maturing beyond her years right before our eyes. With Jennifer’s Body though, we remain stalled in the teenage years, storytelling wise and thematically.

Yes, Jennifer’s Body is a satire of the horror genre, which purposely turns the damsel in distress theme on its head, giving us instead the distressed damsel turned heroine. No, I’m not referring to Jennifer (Megan Fox) but rather, Needy (Amanda Seyfried). Yes, it’s a take on the feminist rage theme. Yes, it’s a metaphor for the near demonic frenzy that is female (and male, for that matter) teenaged hormonal possession. Yes, it’s a metaphorical exploration of the cattiness, cruelness, and often downright evilness of female teenage friendships and animosity, which are often one and the same, and yes, it’s a darkly humorous, satirical comedy. It’s all of these things, and variably succeeds and fails in spots as these things. It’s just so obvious about it.

Juno was such an artistic and commercial success because it snuck up on you, and not just because it was a semi-indie film with lots of cred that found an audience because of its wit, charm, humor, and great acting, but because it started out as a teen pregnancy drama that by its end, had expanded into a very human drama with something all its viewers could be touched by, whatever their gender, age, or outlook. Jennifer’s Body stays rooted in the “high school evil” teen years, never maturing beyond its original premise, even though Needy does grow and “absorb” some of the sexual and supernatural power that is the demon Jennifer’s signature characteristics by the end of the film.

Perhaps though, we are looking for too much out of Jennifer’s Body after being so pleasantly and poignantly surprised by Juno. After all, Jennifer’s Body is a totally different type of film with only negligible thematic ties to Cody’s first work. Jennifer’s Body is about as subtle in its pretense and thinly veiled allegories as Megan Fox is obviously drop dead gorgeous, and limited as an actress. It’s as profound as a sophomore’s English Lit thesis paper, but that’s the point. Fox doesn’t need to stretch the acting skills. She’s supposed to be a sultry, slightly evil (at first) man eater (figuratively, at first also, and literally, later on) in the making. Fox pulls this off effortlessly, and really only needs to stand around dropping sultry stares on her would be victims to succeed in the role. Seyfried, who is way too pretty herself to be taken seriously as the unattractive, nerdy best friend, does the best she can to be Needy and needy at the same time. Neither one really seems to have the cynical yet loveable quality that Ellen Page simply radiated in Juno, nor the ability to deliver Diablo’s “Codyisms” as gracefully or strongly. Honestly though, they don't need to.

BFFs...well, not forever.

So, if Jennifer’s Body isn’t profound, what exactly is it? It’s a fun dark comedy/horror flick that’s as easy on the eyes as it is a slasher-gore fright/fun filled ride. The film pokes fun at some highly over melodramatic and emo(tional) recent films (can anyone say Twilight?), with its silly emo band “Low Shoulder,” their Satanic ritual recipe, which they believe will get them a rock deal (another thinly veiled analogy-selling your soul to the devil to get a recording contract), and their unbelievable belief that Jennifer could fill the role of virgin for their ritual. The melodramatic whining of Edward, and Bella’s wide eyed amazement at Edward’s vampire super powers is replaced with Jennifer’s ripping her arm open with a pencil and watching it close while she remarks to Needy, “Like some real X-Men sh*t” and Needy’s silent tears as she realizes her best friend has become a serial killing demon. Jennifer’s lines and Needy’s realistic sorrow are both welcome changes in today’s cinema plexes, which are full of films about melodramatic teens from the likes of Anakin Skywalker to Edward Cullen (who really isn't even a teen anymore!).

You have to take Jennifer’s Body for what it is. It's the film that is cursed with following up the brilliant Juno, and starring far less talented talent. It’s fun, creepy, and witty at times, but it’s not, and perhaps isn’t intended to be, Oscar material. Cody won’t be getting to make Academy Award speeches this year, but audiences will get to enjoy a different, if not terribly original, horror flick, and that’s not such a bad thing.

Rating: 6 /10

Last Updated: January 17, 2025 - 08:20