There's a lot of pop culture hype surrounding the new possession film, Jennifer's Body.  Produced by Jason Reitman, fresh off an Oscar nomination for Juno, and scripted by his writer on that film, the stripper-with-a-pen-of-gold, Diablo Cody, there can be no doubt this is a film with firepower behind the scenes.  Then, of course, there's the inclusion of the fantasy girl du jour, Megan Fox, best known for her work in the Transformers films.  With that much clout, as well as the clever marketing campaign behind this film, it's reasonable to expect that Jennifer's Body will be at the top of the heap at the end of this box office weekend.  That would be a shame.

Directed by Karyn Kusama, who is responsible for the live action adaptation of Aeon Flux, as well as her far better debut, Girlfight, Jennifer's Body is rife with female influence.  Some have even proposed that this is a feminist horror film, but that's just not accurate.  What it is, at heart, is a horror-comedy with two female leads, but this isn't a film that concerns itself with particularly feminist ideology, taking the road more travelled as a teen shocker.

The film is told through the eyes of Needy, played by Amanda Seyfried, surely the bright star of this film.  Needy is seemingly on the fringes of the high school society she muddles through, although it is difficult to tell that for certain as the film doesn't establish much of a social pecking order beyond Needy's best friend, Jennifer.  Jennifer (Megan Fox) is at the top of the heap, socially-speaking, a beautiful girl with a razor-sharp tongue.  Having grown up with Needy from childhood, the friendship remains strong, leading to a trip to the local bar to see a band there called Low Shoulder.

razor-sharp tongue.  Having grown up with Needy from childhood, the friendship remains strong, leading to a trip to the local bar to see a band there called Low Shoulder.

While on the prowl for "salty morsels", aka attractive boys, Jennifer locks on to the lead singer of the band who is quick to point out to his bandmates that Jennifer looks like the kind of girl who's quick to flirt but reluctant to conjugate the verb, so to speak.  Sorry, I think I'm picking up Diablo Cody-isms through osmosis.  When the bar catches fire, Needy gets Jennifer out fast, but she's shanghaied by the members of Low Shoulder for a jaunt in their fan to the deep, dark woods.

When next Needy sees her friend, Jennifer's covered in blood, vomiting up bile, creeping around Needy's home and generally acting altogether ooky,.  Forgive me, but those Cody-isms are just so darn contagious.  The following day at school, Jennifer seems just fine... better than fine, in fact.  She's downright plucky.  We quickly realize that Jennifer has been through a hellish experience, one that leaves her with a taste for young boy-flesh.  Now, Needy must get to the bottom of Jennifer's condition, keep her boyfriend, Chip (Johnny Simmons), safe and rid the small town of its resident demon.

If only any of this were interesting.  Despite my slips into the world of slangdom (was that one, too?), Diablo Cody's dialogue ranges from the crass to the clunky.  Like when addressing Needy's shock at the bar fire that killed several local townspeople, Jennifer remarks, "Move on dot org".  I'm not sure how that even looked good on paper.  The script plays like that friend of yours that thinks it's just a hair cooler than it is, and it grows wearisome.  Worse yet, for a horror comedy, the movie just isn't funny.  J.K. Simmons and Amy Sedaris, two very funny actors, appear in supporting roles and provide some all-too-brief entertainment here, but, in my theater, I can only recall a single scene that garnered a laugh.

Seyfried, as I mentioned, does her best with the role of Needy, the far more interesting character.  Desperate to remain friends with Jennifer while living beneath her shadow, she has the most to do dramatically and does it well.  Megan Fox is a pretty face here and little else.  I'm forced to return to a familiar complaint of mine - these are characters that exist for the sake of the story rather than propel it, and it makes for tedious viewing.

The effects are brief, but competent, relying mostly on Megan Fox acting seductive, then growing sharp teeth and getting bite-y.  Technically, there's not much to complain about, and I was looking, having lost interest in the story at, roughly, the midway marker, when I just couldn't bring myself to care about a character who shifts from bitchy and vapid to vapid and evil.  The best moments are between Seyfried and Johnny Simmons, who both do a fine job of creating something of a tender love story that exists only between the lines of the script.

Ultimately, the film is about Needy finding her own strength and individuality, but that theme can't support a film that hurts the ear and wearies the soul.  This is a horror-comedy that is neither frightening nor funny and will certainly test the willpower of any viewer daring to view it and remain awake.

for the sake of the story rather than propel it, and it makes for tedious viewing.

The effects are brief, but competent, relying mostly on Megan Fox acting seductive, then growing sharp teeth and getting bite-y.  Technically, there's not much to complain about, and I was looking, having lost interest in the story at, roughly, the midway marker, when I just couldn't bring myself to care about a character who shifts from bitchy and vapid to vapid and evil.  The best moments are between Seyfried and Johnny Simmons, who both do a fine job of creating something of a tender love story that exists only between the lines of the script.

Ultimately, the film is about Needy finding her own strength and individuality, but that theme can't support a film that hurts the ear and wearies the soul.  This is a horror-comedy that is neither frightening nor funny and will certainly test the willpower of any viewer daring to view it and remain awake.