Body Shots Review
by "Berge Garabedian" (drsuess AT microtec DOT net)October 29th, 1999
BODY SHOTS
RATING: 5.5 /10 --> Not good enough to recommend
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The tagline to this film is "There are movies that define every decade..." which in my opinion, refers to either THE BREAKFAST CLUB or WALL STREET from the 80s, and yet unclear as to which movie from the 90s. FIGHT CLUB perhaps? One thing IS for sure and that is the fact that BODY SHOTS isn't that film! Creating this false sense of expectation sure isn't going to help this film's success either. Wake up, fellas, execs don't decide which film defines a decade...audiences do that!
PLOT:
Four single horny twenty-something guys prepare to go out to a nightclub in order to hook up with four twenty-something single young horny females. They drink, they meet, they dance and they f*ck. Some of the drinking, partying and sex is cool and fun, and some of the drinking, partying and sex is not cool and not fun. An accusation of date-rape is the center of the film's second half.
CRITIQUE:
This film seemed to have two levels of entertainment. One part of the film was about a bunch of guys and girls talking about sex like it was bubble gum, while the second part of the film essentially turned into an ugly date-rape situation, in which everyone is asked to figure out which half of the "he said/she said" scenario they are more comfortable believing. Or then again, as Roger Ebert mentioned in his review, this film is probably less about date-rape than it is about alcoholism. I tend to agree. Everyone in this film drinks...and I mean drinks! It's obvious by the end of this film that alcohol played a large part in the night of every one of these "kids", and that sex and alcohol could provide for a lethal combination. But does all this make for an interesting movie? Not really. I thought the actors were all okay, although not a one stood out of the pack. Actually, I take that back.
Mr. Ron Livingston was the highlight of this film with his hip doofus character sprinkling the movie with much needed humor from time to time. The screenplay did also provide for some interesting insight into the different perspectives on sex from both sides of the fence, with at least one engaging, yet overlong, deliberation about blowjobs sure to keep most guys interested for at least that little while. Other than that, most of the characters were kinda boring, each with their particular "way of thinking", and the direction of the film was needlessly over-stylized with several slo-motion shots and views of the city feeling out of place in a character-based story. The film also offered direct interaction with many of the characters, as each one spoke to the camera every now and again. This seemed like a good idea, but once again, the lack of charm or spark from most of the actors, and the director's camera trickery, just seemed to take away from anything which may have come from this addition. All in all, an over-stylized TV Movie of the Week for those folks who actually don't enjoy watching the classics like GO and SWINGERS over and over again. Luckily for me...I am not one of those people. And if you're really in the mood for a picture of rich, snooty kids who like to take drugs and f*ck the world, check out LESS THAN ZERO...now there's a good movie!
PS: Note to studio. If you want to label a film as one that will "define a decade", how about you make sure that all of the twenty-something characters to which we're all supposed to be able to relate, don't drive Mercedes Benz's, live in beach houses and have just signed $5Million contracts to play for the Oakland Raiders. I'm sitting in the theatre in a Tee and Bermudas with nachos running down my face, and somehow, I don't see myself in the same boat as these rich brats. But I digress. Burp!
Little Known Facts about this film and its stars:
This film was originally titled JELLO SHOTS, but was forced to change its moniker when the JELLO company threatened to sue. Considering the transgressions that occur after most of the characters in this film drink these "jello shots"- I can't say that I blame them. The film also went through two other titles including LAST NIGHT and THE NIGHT BEFORE. Strangely enough, the screenwriter of this film, David McKenna, is the same fellow who wrote one of 1998's Best Pictures, AMERICAN HISTORY X starring Ed Norton as a skinhead. This was only his second produced screenplay. His third is entitled GET CARTER and is set to star Sylvester Stallone. This is director Michael Cristofer's motion picture directing debut. He previously wrote and directed the TV movie GIA starring Angelina Jolie. He also wrote the screenplays for such films as THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK, THE BONFIRE OF THE VANITIES and MR. JONES.
Actor Sean Patrick Flanery is a triathlete with a black belt in karate. Jerry O'Connell's real name is Jeremiah O'Connell. He starred in his first film, STAND BY ME, at the age of 11. After that film, Jerry went back to school and did not become a full time actor until he graduated from college, although he did appear in several things along the way.
Actress Tara Reid began her career on TV in such shows as "Saved by the Bell: The New Class" and "Days of our Lives".
Actress Amanda Peet has also made her share of TV appearances including one on "Seinfeld", in which she played a character named "Linette" in the episode called "The Summer of George".
Review Date: October 28, 1999
Director: Michael Cristofer
Writer: David McKenna
Producers: Harry Colomby and Jennifer Keohane
Actors: Sean Patrick Flanery as Rick Hamilton
Jerry O'Connell as Michael Penorisi
Amanda Peet as Jane Bannister
Tara Reid as Sara Olswang
Genre: Drama
Year of Release: 1999
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(c) 1999 Berge Garabedian
Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
