Jennifer's Body | |
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Theatrical Release Poster
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Directed by | Karyn Kusama |
Produced by | |
Written by | Diablo Cody |
Starring | |
Music by | |
Cinematography | M. David Mullen |
Edited by | Plummy Tucker |
Production
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Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
Release date
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Running time
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102 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $16 million |
Box office | $31.6 million |
Jennifer's Body | |
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Soundtrack album by Various artists | |
Released | August 25, 2009 |
Genre | Pop punk, indie rock |
Label | Fueled by Ramen |
Producer | Josh Abraham, Bernard Butler, Ed Butler, Dave Cooley, JD Cronise, Max Dingel, Andy Ernest, John Feldmann, John Janick, Greg Kurstin, Larry Livermore, Randall Poster, Lissy Trullie, Kevin Weaver, Josh Wilbur, Hayley Williams |
Professional ratings | |
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Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | |
BBC | (unfavorable) |
Jennifer's Body is a 2009 supernatural horror black comedy film written by Diablo Cody and directed by Karyn Kusama. The film stars Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried, Johnny Simmons, and Adam Brody. Fox portrays a demonically possessed high school girl who kills her male classmates, with her best friend striving to stop her. The film premiered at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival and was released in the United States and Canada on September 18, 2009. The title is a reference to the song of the same name by alternative rock band Hole on their album Live Through This. As a tie-in to the film, Boom! Studios produced a Jennifer's Body graphic novel, released in August 2009.
Working with Cody again following their collaborative efforts on the film Juno, Jason Reitman stated he and his producers "want to make unusual films". Cody said she wanted the film to speak to female empowerment and explore the complex relationships between best friends.
The film had a lackluster performance at the North American box office, making $2.8 million its opening day and $6.8 million its opening weekend, and received mixed reviews from critics; whereas negative reviews criticized the narrative and, specifically, the horror/comic premise for "fail[ing] to be either funny or scary enough to satisfy", positive reviews praised the film for its dialogue, Megan Fox's and supporting performances, and emotional resonance.
Anita "Needy" Lesnicki, once an insecure and bookish teenager living near Devil's Kettle, Minnesota, is now a violent mental inmate who narrates the story as a flashback while in solitary confinement. She has been friends with a selfish and popular cheerleader, Jennifer Check, since childhood, despite having little in common. One night, Jennifer takes Needy to a local dive bar to attend a concert by indie rock band Low Shoulder. A suspicious fire engulfs the bar, killing several people, and Jennifer, who is in shock, agrees to leave with the band despite Needy's protests. Later that evening, Jennifer, covered in blood, appears in Needy's kitchen and proceeds to eat food from the refrigerator. Unable to digest the matter, she vomits a trail of black, spiny fluid and then leaves in a hurry as Needy calls after her.