Jennifer's Body (*)

Jennifer's Body. 102 mins. R. Directed by Karyn Kusama. Written by Diablo Cody. Starring Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried, and Adam Brody.

Talk about a sophmore slump. Expectations were high for Diablo Cody's follow-up to Juno, but Jennifer's Body is DOA. It's a complete misfire from start to finish - almost nothing works. Having read some interviews with Cody, it's clear she was aiming for a horror comedy in the vein of Heathers, but Jennifer's Body doesn't even come close. It's neither funny, nor scary. Yes, there is some gore and plenty of blood to go around, but the tone of the movie as well as the direction by Girlfight director Karyn Kusama is a chaotic mess. Megan Fox plays Jennifer, the hottie popular girl in high school who, after a tragic run-in with a satanic emo band (yes, you read that right), turns into a demon and starts eating every boy she can. This doesn't sit well with best friend Needy (Big Love's Amanda Seyfried, whose talent is wasted here), especially when Jennifer targets Needy's boyfriend. Catfight alert! I really wanted to like this movie, but quickly grew impatient with the lack of competence and Megan Fox's "acting." She sucks, and so does the movie. Despite its pedigree, Jennifer's Body is nowhere near as clever as it thinks it is, and fails to achieve even it's modest feminist horror comedy aspirations. At 102 minutes, it feels much longer than it actually is. If you're looking for a fun scare flick, you'd be better off skipping Jennifer's Body and going to see Sorority Row instead.

- John