Gossip

Surprisingly good! I was pretty much expecting your basic by-the-numbers Teen Beat thriller with “Dawson’s Creek” written all over it, but actually got a pretty original movie about the power of a rumor (gossip) in today’s society, and how one person’s words can quickly turn into another person’s realistic nightmare.

The film moves fast, introducing us to three roommates attempting to put together a school project on gossip, and quickly turns into a “who is telling the truth about what?” game and I, to be perfectly frank, was quite into it. One of the main reasons that I was so engaged by this plot is because of the work done here by lead actor, James Marsden. I really liked the way that he walked the fine line between his lies and the truth, always leaving some of it open to interpretation and tossing all kinds of charisma our way.

I was taken by his performance, and manipulated into some of the theories myself, until the film’s over-the-top, yet somewhat understandable, ending put it all into perspective. That is the one thing that I did definitely hold against the film though, and that is the fact that it simply ended too quickly, and did so with a twist so complex, that its three-minute explanation just didn’t do it justice (some flashbacks to the real events might’ve helped, a better breakdown of when things turned into what they ended up at, etc…).

The film also works under the guise of some pretty nifty style, with everyone looking and smelling real pretty (yeah, they looked so good that you could just smell ’em!). I was also pissed off at the HUGE PLACE that these three punks lived in, but what the hey, one of them was apparently stinky rich, so I guess he could afford the faux-“Friends” pad.

I watched the DVD and “cheated” the conclusion somewhat by watching the “alternate ending” on the DVD as well. It lasted an extra 2-3 minutes and really closed the book on the open-ended matter at the end of the film. I still have a couple of questions about the logistics of it all, but like I said before, the story itself, along with the believable performances, were good enough for me to enjoy the film pretty much the whole way through.

And damn…do these kids ever drink or what?!? It’s like a night at my house, for God’s sakes!! See it for an original story told with plenty of style.

(c) 2021 Berge Garabedian