The titular body belongs to Jennifer ("Transformers'" Fox), a popular high school sex kitten who is BFF with the less-cool, nerdy Anita, nicknamed "Needy" ("Mamma Mia's" Amanda Seyfried). Their friendship began way back when in a sandbox. Everything is going so well for them, until one night when they hit a local club to see a band called Low Shoulder (fronted by an eyeliner-wearing Adam Brody). From there, a damaging fire and a failed Satanic ritual leave Jennifer, well, not quite herself.
The giveaway: She shows up at Needy's house late at night covered in blood, smiling with a hint of evil and vomiting a prickly-looking, black liquid substance all over the floor. Jennifer may appear normal the next day at school, but Needy knows something is up, especially since she's acting even more insensitive than usual and the male population of small-town Devil's Kettle is dwindling. "You're killing people!" Needy says. "No, I'm killing boys," Jennifer responds, omitting that she eats them afterward.
There's a "Heathers" feel to "Jennifer's Body," likely a deliberate move as Cody is schooled in all things pop culture, especially from the '80s and '90s. She sprinkles her trademark banter all over the script, from "You're jello" (jealous) to "It's true, I saw it on Wikipedia!," under the direction of Karyn Kusama ("Girlfight"). Say what you will about Cody, but there's nobody else who would think to incorporate the song "867-5309/Jenny" into an attempted murder scene. It works perfectly too.
As for the performances, Seyfried is the one to watch. She's a skilled combination of mousy, emotional and not-so-secretly in lust with Jennifer -- there's a brief "Cruel Intentions"-esque makeout scene to prove it -- despite her bond with boyfriend Chip (Johnny Simmons, who brings a needed level of humanity to the movie). Fox is rather voluptuous, even with her ice-queen bitch vibe, and "Jennifer's Body" is a perfect outlet for her limited talent. But the thought of her using an accent and appearing in a serious drama is almost as funny as one of the characters assuming she is a virgin. Yeahhh.
"Jennifer's Body" can't touch the simple magic of "Juno," in part because it lacks any ounce of emotional heft, but it's an out-there way to get your dark comedy and blood splatter on. As the devilish J.D. says in "Heathers": The extreme always seems to make an impression.
| Movie title | Jennifer's Body |
|---|---|
| Release year | 2009 |
| MPAA Rating | R |
| Our rating | |
| Summary | Demons and high school and blood thirst -- oh my! |
