Jennifer’s Body (2009)

Directed by: Karyn Kusama | 102 minutes | horror, thriller, comedy, science fiction | Actors: Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried, Johnny Simmons, Adam Brody, JK Simmons, Amy Sedaris, Chris Pratt, Juno Ruddell, Kyle Gallner, Colin Askey, Megan Charpentier, Josh Emerson, Emma Gallello, Dan Joffre, Ryan Levine, Nicole Leduc, Michael Brock, Genevieve Buechner, Sal Cortez, Megan Danso, Carrie Genzel, Eve Harlow, Aman Johal, Juan Riedinger, Cynthia Stevenson, Karissa Tynes, Michelle Andrew, Edwina Cheer, Kìer Mellour, Charlie Robson, Emily Tennant, Ashley Whillans

In the horror comedy ‘Jennifer’s Body’ three disparate talents come together. Director Karyn Kusama won prizes at the prestigious Sundance Festival with debut ‘Girlfight’. Writer Diablo Cody gained arthouse credibility in one fell swoop with the screenplay of art house comedy ‘Juno’. Actress Megan Fox (“Transformers”) has nada credibility, but her sexy appearance seriously confuses hordes of men.

The result of this wonderful collaboration is not easy. This is partly due to the mixing of genres. ‘Jennifer’s Body’ tries a combination that doesn’t work. The wisecracking humor kills the bloody horror, the horror can hardly be taken seriously with all those funny asides. And often those asides aren’t even that funny.

Unfortunately, the film has more ambitions than pure entertainment. ‘Jennifer’s Body’ pokes fun at collective mourning and the people who deserve it, denounces the speed with which modern people skip dramas, wearies us with lame pop-cultural references and also wants to say something about weak men and strong women. Because of all those side roads, the film loses focus and skips from one place to another. Except at the end, when the horror and the accompanying clichés take over and the film really gets boring.

Add to that the fact that ‘Jennifer’s Body’ has a high exploitation rate. Anyone who has ever fantasized about Megan Fox, kissing high school chicks or a few half-naked adolescent bodies, is served here. While it’s no punishment to watch Fox skinny-dipping or tongue-in-cheek with Amanda Seyfried in close-up, those scenes needlessly hold up the story. It undermines any artistic pretension the film may have.

Only quality of ‘Jennifer’s Body’ is that the film hardly bores. Due to the abundance of side roads you never know where you will end up and you remain curious about the next scene. That’s far from saving ‘Jennifer’s Body’. Only the fans of Megan Fox will get red ears from this. Fortunately for the makers, there are many.