GOSSIP
Review by John Beachem
* *
Directed by: Davis Guggenheim Written by: Gregory Poirier
What happens when a writer has an interesting idea for a film, but is so thrilled by his idea that he apparently forgets to write a script to go along with it? It would seem we get a movie like Gregory Poirier's ("Rosewood") "Gossip". This is a movie which sounds vaguely interesting at first, only to start off poorly and grow worse and worse from there. While this is mostly Poirier's fault for writing such a pathetic script (assuming he bothered to write one at all), part of the blame can also land firmly on Davis Guggenheim's (NYPD Blue) shoulders for not bothering to direct. The movie simply flounders about, attempting to be hip, profound, and chilling all at the same time. Instead, however, it comes off as confusing, disjointed, and shallow.
Derrick (James Marsden), Cathy (Lena Heady), and Travis (Norman Reedus) are roomates taking a class on communications. Their current topic is gossip and the ways in which a rumor can grow and change, till the rumor is more readily believed than the truth. The trio decide to start a rumor and track its growth for a class paper. Derrick happens to catch two students, Naomi (Kate Hudson) and Beau (Joshua Jackson), making out at a party. Naomi passes out drunk and Beau leaves, but Derrick starts the rumor that the two actually made love. Soon the rumor grows and grows to the point where Beau is accused of rape, Naomi is being called the campus slut, and there seems to be no way of stopping the rumor. The interesting thing is that Derrick seems to have no desire to stop his lie, no matter what damage it may be causing.
I am one of those people who has the ability to suspend my disbelief quite a bit. For example, earlier this week I watched and enjoyed "U-571", despite the fact that it was more than a little implausible. "Gossip", on the other hand, is so ridiculously implausible that it pushed my suspension of disbelief to the limits, and then it finally snapped. While things may start off somewhat hard to believe, it's easy to forgive. By the film's ending, however, things were so insanely outlandish that the few people in the theater were actually laughing at the movie's serious moments. A good example of one of the more ridiculous scenes would be one in which Derrick claims Travis is the son of Mick Jagger to a bar tender. The jaded bartender, who has no doubt heard it all, leaps at the idea and gives Derrick, Travis, and Cathy drinks on the house.
The very young cast at work in this movie is, unfortunately, rather talentless. This is made even worse by Guggenheim's apparent lack of ability as a director. James Marsden's ("Disturbing Behavior") acting style seems to consist of him grinning a lot, while trying to make his lines sound serious. Lena Heady ("Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book") does nothing but pout a lot, which I suppose is more Poirier's fault than her own. Joshua Jackson ("The Skulls") is a talented actor in desperate need of a new agent. His part in "Gossip" is little more than a cameo in most respects. Lastly, we have Norman Reedus ("8MM"), who somehow manages to breathe some semblance of life into his part as a slightly disturbed, shy art student who creates a rather interesting wall mural about the events unfolding around him.
Allow me to name a few more irritating aspects of "Gossip". The camera work is quite obnoxious, jumping all over the place even while two people are merely sitting and talking. The soundtrack is nothing more than a mix of modern, popular songs used at all the wrong moments. Then we have the so called "twists" sprinkled throughout the movie. The twists are always either ridiculous and implausible, or so obvious they can hardly be called twists. I wish I could say there was more to like here than simply the basic plot ideas, but there really isn't. I can't honestly recommend "Gossip" to anyone, and if you think the previews look interesting, I would still advise you to catch a matinee or wait for video (given the poor attendance at the showing I witnessed, it shouldn't take long for this one to hit video). "Gossip" runs only 90 minutes, but it feels quite a bit longer. I give it two out of five stars.
Comments? Feel free to e-mail them to: johnbeachem@dependentfilms.net For past reviews, movie news, and other fun stuff, visit: http://www.dependentfilms.net
* * * * * - One of the best movies of the year, see it now. * * * * - Great flick, try and catch this one. * * * - Okay movie, hits and misses. * * - Pretty bad, see it only if you have nothing better to do. * - One of the worst movies ever made. See it only if you enjoy pain.
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