Jennifer’s Body (2009)

Jennifer’s Body (Horror/Comedy 2009)

Rated: R (sexuality, bloody violence, language, brief drug use)

Availability: In Theaters

Running Time: 1 hour 41 minutes

          When I first heard that Diablo Cody, the writer of “Juno”, had a new project that was a horror movie, it raised a great number of questions in my mind. What could this possibly be like? Could Juno become an evil demon feasting on the flesh of her fellow high school students to sustain the life of her baby? Would it still have the fun and witty dialog that made Juno such a breath of fresh air? Then I heard that it would star Megan Fox. (Transformers, Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen) That raised even more questions. Is this girl able to act? Her projects to date have pretty much asked her to look pretty/sexy and run around a lot, maybe even scream on occasion. She has done what has been asked of her admirably so far, but what would happen if she really tried to stretch? Would Diablo Cody’s script ask her to put up the acting chops she had asked for in Juno? Is Megan Fox anything more than a girl that looks great on film? Finally, would any of these questions even be answered in this movie?

          Luckily most, if not all, are addressed. Jennifer’s Body is the story of high school hot girl, Jennifer Catch and her best friend, nerdy Anita “Needy” Lesnicky. (Amanda Seyfried, Mean Girls, Mamma Mia!) After a trip to a local bar to see an up and coming band, Jennifer is possessed by a flesh-eating demon and begins to gobble her way through the student body…quite literally.  It is full of the same witty, intelligent, just a little too perfect and fun to be real, dialog that made Juno stand out among the sea of coming of age movies we’ve seen before. I’ve learned from her two feature films and her column in Entertainment Weekly that I could read Diablo Cody’s grocery list and probably be twenty times more entertained than I was during Transformers. (Although sometimes it is hard when she goes all fan-girl on 90210 or Melrose Place or whatever.) The turns of phrase caused many giggles from the audience and the dialog again stood out as a major strength of the movie that never tried to take itself too seriously. It also showed what a brilliant, and slightly twisted, mind she has. I think only Diablo Cody could bring us Jenny 867-5309 as the soundtrack to a ritual sacrifice! Brilliant if anything ever was!

          As far as Megan Fox is concerned, there is hope. Much of the movie was more of the same from her. Her job was to flounce around and look as hot as possible. However, there were quite a few flashes where she was asked to actually do some serious acting. In these times she performed well and was fairly impressive. Now I look forward to a time when she might be taken out of the “hot girl” crutch and cast as something that would really stretch her. She very well could be something much more than just a pretty face.

          For those of you that are true horror fans, enough of the trappings are still there to make the film a worthwhile horror. There are creepy buildings and long walks down darkened hallways. There is strange, otherworldly vomit and just enough entrails to push it solidly into the horror genre. It doesn’t, however, rely solely on those things to make it entertaining and worthwhile. Solid storytelling, characters, and, of course, the dialog make this movie a true stand out among horror. If you are a fan of good movies and like to mix some horror into you viewing every now and again, then Jennifer’s Body is a great find for you. I’m sure you will eat it up. (Yes, pun greatly intended!)

If You Like: Juno, Carrie, Scream then you might like Jennifer’s Body.

I recommend you: See It

Grade: B+