August 22: Jennifer's Body (2009)
Oh, what to say about this one. I first saw it a couple of years ago and loved it, but this is only the second time I've watched it. The reason I didn't post this last night was that I had too much to say and was too tired to say it, so here goes now.
Jennifer's Body was directed by Karyn Kusama but written by Diablo Cody. An earlier film for which she is well-known, Juno, was taken as some kind of pro-life manifesto because the titular character briefly considers having an abortion but chooses to carry the pregnancy to term instead. Cody is pro-choice. Like Jennifer's Body, Juno focuses on a teenage girl coming to terms with her sexuality and the complexities that result, but the central relationships in that story are between Juno and her baby's father, her own father, and the woman who wants to adopt the baby. It's a very good movie from what I remember, but you can see how conservatives might twist it to support their agenda regardless of Cody's intentions.
She made sure that would not happen again!
Jennifer's Body is reviled by people who loved Juno for two reasons. The first is protagonist Needy's (Amanda Seyfried) queer, polyamorous desires for both her boyfriend Chip (Johnny Simmons) and the titular Jennifer (Megan Fox). While she loves Chip, her complex friendship with Jennifer both predates and certainly threatens their relationship. The other reason is that Jennifer's body is one that consumes males rather than existing for male consumption. The scene that struck me the hardest on this rewatch comes after Jennifer's first onscreen kill when she takes a swim in the lake, leaving all her clothes on the dock. It is so similar to a scene in Ti West's X that I wonder if it played some role in inspiring it. However, when Maxine Minx takes her nude dip in the lake, there is an alligator pursuing her, and when Jennifer takes hers, the only beast in the water is her.
There's something very appealing about a character it is no real stretch to call a rape survivor becoming so formidable. I have to wonder if Jennifer's name isn't an homage to Jennifer Hills, the protagonist of the 1978 rape revenge thriller I Spit on Your Grave. Although this Jennifer is not avenging her own rape, she certainly uses her sexuality to lure boys to a fate that benefits her but has very little to do with sex. Megan Fox is perfect in this role. I've seen her acting criticized a lot, but you can't write a character as "the hot girl" and be surprised when the actress doesn't turn in an Ingrid Bergman performance. She is a hot girl, but here she gets to be hilarious and powerful too. People hate to see a woman have fun!
Finally, even though Needy does kill Jennifer in the end, it's not just about avenging her slain boyfriend. She also sets her sights on avenging what was done to Jennifer to set all this tragedy off. In the end, it is a rape revenge narrative, it just takes a very wild ride to get there!