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Jennifer's Body Not So Hot

Critics lambaste new film from Juno screenwriter

By Jason Farago,  Newser Staff

Posted Sep 18, 2009 8:14 AM CDT

(Newser) – Megan Fox vehicle Jennifer's Body hits the screen today, and most if not all critics are unimpressed by this horror-comedy about a high school girl possessed by the devil.

  • "Jennifer's Body has an impressive writer in Diablo Cody, who won an Oscar for Juno, writes Claudia Puig of USA Today, but "it tries hard to be cool, gross, and nasty. It feels forced and misses the mark. Fox wears shiny lip gloss well, but Cody's acid tongue and snippy quips aren't convincing coming from her mouth."

  • "It's a paint-by-numbers story" that misses all its opportunities for fun and "doesn't even work as straight horror," says Toronto Star critic Peter Howell. "It comes across as Diablo Cody lite, something she seems to have dashed off in between talk show appearances and updating her MySpace page."
  • New York Times critic AO Scott is much kinder—the film is "an unholy mess, and I mean that as a compliment." Even Fox's "blunt, blank affect" is part of the pleasure. He predicts the film will win "a devoted cult following, despite its flaws."

Megan Fox, a cast member in Jennifer's Body, takes part in a Q&A session with crowd members at a fan event for the film in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2009.
Megan Fox, a cast member in "Jennifer's Body," takes part in a Q&A session with crowd members at a fan event for the film in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2009.   (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
In this theater publicity image released by 20th Century Fox, Megan Fox, left, and Amanda Seyfried are shown in a scene from Jennifer's Body.
In this theater publicity image released by 20th Century Fox, Megan Fox, left, and Amanda Seyfried are shown in a scene from "Jennifer's Body."   (AP Photo/20th Century Fox, Doane Gregory)
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The trailer for Jennifer's Body, which opens nationwide today.   (watchCulturetainment)

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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 4 comments
youngblood
Sep 21, 2009 6:38 AM CDT
Megan Fox deserves the bad reviews, whose acting is all about running and screaming now maybe she'll be running and screaming back to Michael Bay who she has been dissing!
youngblood
Sep 19, 2009 12:13 PM CDT
I Saw Cody's photos from the film festival, she's trying soo hard to be cool looking and Megan Fox, why doesn't she just do porno, their u don't have to know how to act.
drlarrymitchell
Sep 18, 2009 8:55 AM CDT
This looks like shit, so I avoided stepping in it.

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