Jennifer’s Body

In keeping with current vampire trends (think Twilight and the new Channel Four TV series True Blood) is the release of Jennifer’s body, a dark comedy/horror movie that follows the story of high school student Jennifer, who becomes possessed by a hungry demon. Written and executive produced by Diablo Cody (of Juno fame), the basic storyline follows two best friends, Jennifer (played by Megan Fox) and Needy (Amanda Seyfried). Companions since childhood, they remain friends despite having little in common. While Jennifer represents the stereotypical American ‘it’ girl- the beautiful, confident, arrogant captain of the cheerleading squad – Needy is her geeky, reserved, “plain Jane” sidekick.

The action of the plot begins when Jennifer takes Needy to see a rock band (fronted by Nikolai- played by Adam Brody) at a local bar. After a suspicious fire at the venue, and amid the panic that ensues, Jennifer is carted off by the rock band to nearby Devil’s Kettle Falls. Here they perform a satanic ritual, sacrificing Jennifer to ensure their success in the music industry. Unfortunately the ritual does not go to plan and a devil is channelled into her. The film follows Jennifer as she seduces and then feeds on her male-shaped prey, in the manner of a succubus, in a bid to curb her insatiable appetite. The plot builds to a dramatic clash between the two protagonists, as Needy is forced to take action to protect her boyfriend Chip.

I must confess I approached this film with certain expectations. Produced and written by those responsible for critically-acclaimed films such as Juno and 500 days of Summer, I was intrigued to see how such talents would translate to an alternative film genre. Sadly the joint venture of a clever writer and talented director has yielded disappointing results.

The objectives of this film are ambiguous. At times the director seems to aim for a satirical piece about the horrors of adolescence (the opening line of the film being “hell is a teenage girl”), with Jennifer’s behaviour serving as a metaphor for the back-biting that goes on between teenage girls. Cody has claimed she wanted to explore the complex relationship between best friends, yet the friendship between Needy and Jennifer presented to the audience is not complex- it is simply unconvincing.

Comparisons with the film Teeth seem inevitable; we are presented with a female protagonist who has suffered physical assault and abuse and subsequently develops (or in the case of Teeth, discovers) physical traits that allow her to wreak her revenge on the male race, perhaps serving as a metaphor for the dangers of teenage sexual urges. The majority of the male victims are lured by the promise of ‘Jennifer’s body’ and pay a heavy price for their desire. Unfortunately any such comparisons do not serve this film well – Teeth achieves both horror and humour much more successfully.

Which brings us onto the major shortfall of this film – as a ‘comedy slash horror’, it is neither funny nor scary enough. This is not to say that the film does not have it’s moments; there are certainly times when Cody’s Juno-esque humour shines through (most notably in an awkward but endearing sex scene between Needy and Chip which would not have seemed out of place in Cody’s earlier, more successful, work). However, such moments are not frequent or sustained enough. Similarly, the film fails to deliver on the scare front so those seeking cheap thrills will be sorely disappointed.

Nonetheless, the film does have some redeeming aspects. Worth particular mention is Amanda Seyfried, who gives a surprisingly strong performance as Jennifer’s nerdy companion. Similarly, there are times when the film succeeds as a comedy-horror; it is simply unfortunate that more successful attempts at such a genre have preceded it. Nevertheless, approach this film with low expectations and you may be pleasantly surprised.

Last edited: 19th February 2010

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