Jennifer’s Body

"Delicious, deviant fun with the hottest demon this side of hell"

Megan Fox may have been oddly cast as Sam Witwicky’s girlfriend in Transformers, but the role nevertheless heaved the toe-thumbed hottie into men’s dreams and women’s fears. But as the co-lead in Jennifer’s Body, there is no better fit than Fox. Chalk that up to the young actress having a knack for playing an aloof, predatory vixen — go figure! — and writer Diablo Cody’s (Juno) superb ability to give her characters the wittiest, sharpest of tongues (not to mention teeth). Less perfect is the overall story. While Jennifer’s Body will gift you with terms like “wetty” and “freaktard,” there’s less to take home from the narrative. Lesbi-gay (that’s another term for the film) director, Karyn Kusama (Æon Flux), succeeds at adding an excited style and pace to Cody’s story, which is BFF with the film’s one-liners.

Fox plays, Jennifer, the man-eating minor who feeds on high-school boys in order to stay taught and tempting. The film schools you in how the cheerleader-turned-prima-demon comes to snack on her classmates, but the backstory is light on effort despite involving the “agents of Satan, with really awesome haircuts.” Body leans more toward comedy than horror, which will leave avid fans of the latter a bit disappointed. Cody is pretty liberal with the rules of her succubus. On the other hand, those expecting an accessible sinister comedy may balk at the scene where Jennifer laps up her Emo friend’s innards. Whatever camp claimed, all will probably get a kick out of the sexual elements that pervade Body. And while one particular scene is wholly gratuitous, it will leave audiences talking (if not cheering).

Starring opposite Fox is the always enjoyable Amanda Seyfried, who plays Jennifer’s best friend, Needy. Despite the bubblegum nature of the film, Seyfried brings an emotional texture that is quite unexpected. As Jennifer’s mousy and unlikely non- to semi-romantic girlfriend, Needy is the first to understand Jennifer’s true nature and the threat she poses. When Jennifer takes an interest in Needy’s boyfriend, Chip (Johnny Simmons), the earrings come off in a raucous battle of the undead versus the uncool. Kusama thankfully spent a bit more on this throw-down, so it’s well beyond simple hair-pulling. And when the final blow is thrown, Cody gives us one of the best lines of the film.

Some may be thrown by the saturation of witty retorts and in-crowd lingo, which at times is trying and contrived, but the writing is certainly what gives Body its rich appeal. And when delivered from a bloody Megan Fox, it’s hard not to simply enjoy the sinister fun in it all. It would be interesting to see Cody ever spins a more sober yarn. When Jennifer eagerly commands, “I need you hopeless,” you get the sense that Cody is capable of more than just teenage banter.

Jennifer’s Body is certainly one of the better films to come along as of late, both in comedy and horror. The film’s mixing of the two is what makes it a unique and deliciously deviant treat. To boot, Jennifer’s Body manages to show that behind Fox’s smokey stare lurks an illusive talent. But unlike the demon in the film, Fox’s talent doesn’t appear very hungry so don’t expect to see it often.

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Release: Sep 18, 2009
Director: Karyn Kusama
Rating: R
Runtime: 1hr 42mins
Tags: Amanda Seyfried, Comedy, diablo cody, horror, J.K. Simmons, jennifer's body, Johnny Simmons, Karyn Kusama, Megan Fox
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