Jennifer's Body - Movie Review

My biggest complaint with Jennifer's Body is that we never get to see it. What? You put Megan Fox in a movie with a suggestive title and then you don't deliver the goods? It's almost enough to make me want my money back. But then again, it was on Netflix, so it didn't cost me anything. (Insert smiley face here).

Jennifer's Body is a campy horror film that makes light of the genre while delivering healthy doses of suspense and gore. The title character is a popular cheerleader-type who becomes possessed by a demon creating a monthly hunger for human flesh (I wonder if that timing had any significance?) Jennifer's best friend, Anita (Amanda Seyfried), figures out that Jennifer is a, well...man-eater. Their cozy relationship comes to a head when Anita is forced to intervene between Jennifer and Anita's boyfriend, Chip (Johnny Simmons).

Throw in a wannabe rock band obsessed with the occult, a hit single that is mediocre at best, plenty of blood vomit and freaky special effects, and you have yourself a horror film. While Jennifer's Body takes the subject matter lightly (and with some predictability) it does manage some interesting suspense and gore, making it a horror film in its own right. But the effect ended up being milquetoast. It wasn't a pure spoof, nor was it a pure horror movie. The lack of clear direction resulted in a film that held some promise, but was barely average. The film delivers interesting characters (although poorly developed), weak dialogue, predictability...everything you would expect from a lowbrow horror film, but without the punch.

Dare I mention the acting? Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried actually did a decent job. Better than many of the horror films I have seen where the good looking girl in the skimpy clothes never utters an intelligent word. Fox is more than just a pretty face. She adds some depth to her character and definitely a layer of charm. I thought the performances were decent for an otherwise mediocre film.

Part of my reasoning for ordering this film was the writer, Diablo Cody. The setting is your typical Cody backdrop (rural Minnesota), but the writing lacked her usual fire. The dialogue was especially poor considering her writing in Juno and Young Adult. Both had exceptional dialogue.

Jennifer's Body is Rated R, although I saw an unrated version. The rating was pegged primarily to the violence. While there are suggestive themes, as indicated by the title, the film contains no nudity. It does contain a sex scene and plenty of adult situations and innuendo. Those factors did not seem contextual, so the least they could have done is thrown in some nudity for good measure. They stopped just short. The violence included a decent gore factor, enough to give younger viewers nightmares. I would suggest at least a teen audience for this film.

Jennifer's Body was a disappointment. It held promise, but never fulfilled it. I liked the concept, but found that the film fell flat in many areas. The dialogue was weak, the plot predictable and the comedy never explored or developed. The performances weren't bad, but they didn't have much to work with. The characters held some intrigue, although there could have been some more depth in that area, too. Cody let me down. In fact, I find it hard to believe this dialogue was created by the same writer who did Young Adult. I guess that's the breaks. 6/10. Decent enough for a rainy day.