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In the movie biz, there are generally a few people who get all the attention—the stars, the directors, and maybe even a producer or two. And then there are a whole bunch of people in the background, busting their butts for little or no recognition. Take, for instance, the screenwriter. It’s a critical role—one that often makes or breaks a film—but, unless the writer is also the film’s director, he or she often goes almost entirely unnoticed. Not so for Diablo Cody—the stripper turned screenwriting superstar who won an Oscar for her quirky script for 2007’s Juno. Back then, it seemed like the world was Diablo Cody’s oyster. And then came Jennifer’s Body.
Anita “Needy” Lesnicky (Amanda Seyfried) is just another geeky high school student—albeit one who’s somehow best friends with the hottest cheerleader in school—until her BFF, Jennifer (Megan Fox), drags her out to a bar one night to see a new band. After the bar goes up in flames—and Jennifer and Needy make it out—the kids in school start to look at them differently.
After the fire, Needy’s just the same old geek—but Jennifer really is different. She’s colder and meaner than ever before. And then there’s the fact that she showed up at Needy’s house late on the night of the fire (after riding off with the band in their creepy van) covered in blood and spewing some kind of spiky black stuff.
When the first of their classmates is found brutally mangled, Needy begins to worry—but even her boyfriend, Chip (Johnny Simmons), thinks she’s lost her mind. So when things get even worse, Needy decides to take matters into her own hands.
Diablo Cody’s edgy, hipster screenwriting style isn’t for everyone—and if you still cringe when you hear someone say “honest to blog,” you should definitely steer clear of Cody’s follow-up. Unfortunately, though, with Jennifer’s Body, even those who loved Cody’s eccentric wit in Juno will most likely discover that it is, in fact, possible to get too much of a good thing.
Of course, it’s perfectly understandable that Cody would want to highlight her screenwriting eccentricities in her second film. They did, after all, win her an Oscar. This time around, though, Cody’s quirky dialogue is overdone and exaggerated—making it feel awkward and forced. Instead of adding a bit of unexpected flavor to an already entertaining script, it’s glaringly over-seasoned—so much so that it’s all you’ll remember about the film.
But Cody doesn’t get all the blame for the crazy mess that is Jennifer’s Body—because neither of the stars can deliver the lines with Ellen Page’s pitch-perfect wry wit. Fox clearly didn’t get the part for her acting ability—and poor Seyfried seems to be focusing so much of her attention on trying really hard to be a dorky high school kid (complete with nerdy glasses and an ugly hat) that she forgets to deliver her lines. A bit of coaching from director Karyn Kusama might have helped—but she, too, seems to have been focusing her energy elsewhere (like on getting the best shot of Megan Fox’s cleavage).
While it tries to be an edgy horror version of the clever teen comedy, Mean Girls, Jennifer’s Body is, unfortunately, just a mess of forced humor, bad acting, and boobs. It has its amusing moments, but unless you have a thing for Megan Fox, it’s probably best to skip it and wait for Cody to recover from her sophomore slump.
Blu-ray Review:
As I mentioned before, Jennifer’s Body shows that it’s possible to get too much of a good thing. The film’s Blu-ray release, then, continues to make the same point.
The two-disc Blu-ray release of Jennifer’s Body includes both the theatrical and unrated extended versions of the film, along with a digital copy. Extras include plenty of the old standbys: two commentaries (one for each version of the film), trailers, a handful of deleted/extended scenes, and a gag reel that’s padded with behind-the-scenes footage and random shots from the movie. There are also a number of video diaries, which follow various cast and crew members around the set, as well as a faux PSA with Megan Fox and Megan Fox is Hot, a short feature of all Megan, all the time. There’s even a Fox Movie Channel special, Life After Film School with Diablo Cody, in which the famed screenwriter sits down to talk with three recent film school grads.
Though the disc offers a whole bunch of extras, none of them are especially noteworthy—except for the short making-of feature, Jennifer’s Body: The Dead Pool, which explores the film’s motives, themes, and effects. So if you have a few minutes to spare after watching the film, check it out. If you’ve got even more time to spare (and you’re especially interested in Cody and/or the filmmaking process), check out Life After Film School. And feel free to skip the rest.
