Average User Rating: 
Rated R
There is a phenomenon in the entertainment industry that has existed for as long as it’s been around. Its effect is felt in music, television, movies, and books. Companies spend millions in an effort to avoid it
They try everything from preemptive maneuvers such as casting or recruiting to post-production actions such as an advertising blitz or endorsements. It is both acknowledged and feared. And it’s something that struck this past weekend.Fox recognizes what both of these women represent in the minds of their audience and wanted to capitalize on their reputations in an effort to try and woo back the audience that Juno won over.
It’s called the sophomore slump. And this weekend it struck Diablo Cody.
Diablo Cody (real name: Brooke Busey) rose to prominence a few years ago when her memoir, inspired from her blog that was based on the year she worked as a stripper, became a best seller. Her success in print led to a deal to write for the silver screen. What came from that deal was a movie called Juno. Juno opened in just seven theaters in Los Angeles and New York originally, but due to overwhelmingly positive word-of-mouth spread to 13 more cities and eventually gained a nationwide release. All of this eventually led to her winning the 2007 Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.
I loved Juno. It was my fourth favorite movie of 2007. On my blog, I originally wrote of it, “It's a very popular thing to like Juno right now. But popular or not, it's great. It's like Napoleon Dynamite, but with a plot, heart, good actors, and great writing. So, really, it's not much like Napoleon Dynamite.” But all of those things that I liked about Cody’s first foray into screenwriting are, regrettably, absent in her follow up.
If you saw any promotions for Jennifer’s Body (and if you watched any primetime television in the past month, you surely did) you were bombarded with two names: Diablo Cody and Megan Fox. And this marketing technique was very much intentional. Fox recognizes what both of these women represent in the minds of their audience and wanted to capitalize on their reputations in an effort to try and woo back the audience that Juno won over.
Cody, for all of the reasons that I’ve listed above, has come to represent what Hollywood has become famous for lacking. She’s smart, she’s funny, and she’s… well, she’s a she. She has a perspective that’s totally different from other writers in Hollywood because she’s a woman! Or, at least, that’s what they want you to believe.
Megan Fox, on the other hand, has been positioned at kind of the other end of the spectrum from Diablo Cody. Not to say that she’s not smart, but the studios don’t want you to think of her like that. When you hear Megan Fox, Hollywood wants you to mainly think about one thing: sex. Some have called her the second coming of Angelina Jolie. (Which I have to believe is weird for Jolie to think about.) She is meant to represent sensuality, lust, and danger.
So when the studio chose to concentrate their advertising on these too women, they chose to focus their message to say that Jennifer’s Body was smart, funny, dangerous, sexy, scary, and fun. Did it deliver on any of these things that it promised? I’ll focus my message so that it’ll be easy for Hollywood to understand: No.
Jennifer’s Body is the story of two girls, Jennifer (Fox) and Needy (Amanda Seyfried), who live in a tiny town where nothing ever happens. When Jennifer’s favorite band comes to play at the local bar, she drags Needy along to see their show. After the band accidentally burns the bar down, killing some of the townspeople, they convince Jennifer to come with them…in their van. (I have to believe she did this because she was in shock from the fire, as I would hope no one would actually get into an old conversion van with strangers.) They take her far into the woods and sacrifice her as a virgin to Satan in an effort to gain rock and roll stardom. But since Jennifer’s not a virgin, the ceremony backfires and she is possessed by a demon. When she wakes up, she begins seducing and feeding on the local high school boys. When Needy discovers what’s happening with her best friend, it’s up to her to stop Jennifer before she kills anyone else.
While many would be ready to blame Megan Fox for this. After all, it’s not as if she’s shown real range in the Transformers movies. (Show stomach! Run from big explosions! Repeat until Linkin Park song plays during end credits!) But she actually does better than expected. Amanda Seyfried even turns in a halfway decent performance. The real problem with this film lies in its story. Where Juno soared, Jennifer’s Body crashes. Does the dialogue contain Cody’s signature pop culture references and slang? Yes. But while it has its share of quotable lines, it lacks meaningful conflict. After all, if Jennifer is the killer, and Needy is the good guy, and Jennifer only kills boys, what reason do we, the audience, have to be scared? None. This, combined with the order in which the story is told, just left me feeling frustrated…and bored.
Jennifer’s Body is a perfect example of how, no matter how much the Hollywood hype machine may try to push something, if the movie isn’t enjoyable, it won’t work. If you’re really interested in seeing a horror/comedy movie, grab the DVDs of Shaun of the Dead, Army of Darkness, or The Frightners. Or if you want to see a great movie in theaters right now, go see Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (the funniest movie I’ve seen this year). Otherwise, let Jennifer’s Body slither back into the darkness…
Josh Treece is scared of the dark, enclosed spaces, heights, birds, and something happening to his teeth. But he’s not scared of this movie. Because it stunk. When he’s not being scared, he can be found ministering to teenagers.
Thanks for your comments guys. Phil, in response to your comments, I agree with you. The promotional materials, including posters, commercials, etc., clearly demonstrate the content of this movie. And regardless of what profession you have, rocket scientist or youth veteran, any discerning adult can tell this movie contains things that could be considered offensive. However, my guess is that, if you have already decided that this movie isn't worth viewing based upon its promotional stuff, you don't need someone to tell you that it doesn't line up with Philippians 4:8. You're just not going to see it. Which is great. But, there are some who don't agree that this type of movie is one to avoid. Not to mention those who are not Christians (many of them teenagers we serve), who head out to see movies on a weekly basis. I would also venture to guess that you don't need my help in talking with a non-christian about why this movie doesn't line up with what the Bible says we are to dwell on. But maybe I can offer some insight, from an entertainment standpoint, that can augment your conversations with people about this movie. It was my intention in writing this review to let you know that, based on an entertainment standpoint, this movie isn't worth the $10.
Josh Treece 2:10:14pm on 10/05/2009
OffensiveIt doesn't take a rocket scientist, or a youth veteran like Walt Mueller, to know that this movie shouldn't be on the list as "Must See" movies, especially for those that name the name of our Savior. Just look at the cover or poster of the movie and judge for yourselves. I was particular disturbed, though, that the reason we should not give this movie the time of day is not that it lacked anything on the Phil. 4:8 list, or that it is utterly corrupt as a story, but that it fails to entertain us! Ahh! Just another example of why the world thinks we Christians have an irrelavant message! We're no different than them, we're just harder to please!
Phil 2:10:12pm on 10/04/2009
OffensiveGood review. I haven't seen it yet. It looked like a rental. I do think Diablo has some interesting insights into teen culture (hmm...that's an interesting sentence). So for that purpose primarily I think her movies will be worth keeping an eye on. Again good review. Keep up the good work.
tsharrison 12:10:51pm on 10/02/2009
Offensive
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