Rumores

Actually, I started watching this movie with my hopes down, ready to be bored to death and my only motive was that Norman Reedus being in it. Its IMDb rating of 5.6 is a HUGE understatement and is possibly preventing lots of people from watching it. The movie is quite interesting from the very beginning, and midway through it you start to feel as if you're in the college that the "rumor" has been spread around. The acting is outstanding and believable though the plot is a bit far-fetched, but it still is one of the best movies I've watched and in my opinion it deserves a nice big 8. If you like surprise endings and thrillers and you're having second thoughts about spending one and a half hours of your life on this movie, forget them and DO IT. Your time will not be wasted.

I viewed Gossip in a classroom setting with 26 college freshmen as a unit in a class devoted to transition to college. I was pleasantly surprised at the discussion engendered by viewing the film in a classroom setting. The students responded enthusiastically and thoughtfully to the many ethical issues presented. I recommend the film for this purpose.

The first 80 minutes or so of this 90 minute suspense thriller reminded me of some of the earlier films of Brian DePalma. It is nicely shot at an urban university (NYU?), and the colors and angles add to the introduction of the main plot device - an "innocent" rumor started as a group project for a communications arts class. Notice how many right angles and sharp points are present in the party and residential settings. The students felt this contributed to the intended feeling of edginess engendered by the first 20 minutes.

The first 80 minutes are well-conceived and intricately-plotted. The plot reveals itself at an excruciatingly pleasurable pace, and a nice twist is that the character of Derek appears to know no more than we, the audience, do.

The ending is abrupt and somewhat derivative, but, in post-viewing discussion, we were able to identify a number of clues to the ending which the director has sprinkled throughout.

A dark, cine noir feeling to the production results in a film a bit out of step with the 21st century, but one that should be satisfying to fans of the genre.

This a surprisingly interesting and well acted film considering the rather common plot. Three college roommates cynically decide to spread a rumor to see how far it would go and then are surprised and frightened by the results. The plot does have a few nice turns but Marsden's lead isn't developed enough and in the end the writer "sold out" for the safe moralistic ending when he could have added a few more twists to make the film memorable.

This is one of the rare current films which takes the trouble to combine good acting and an interesting plot with excellent filming and directing. The viewer is left to think about the "harmless" thing called gossip, and about the views and moral codes of today's young generation. It is pleasant to note that the characters are quite realistic. We have all known, in high school and college such "artistic weirdos" as Travis, such hysterical "golden girls" as Naomi, such intellectuals as Kathy Jones, and such successful athletes as Derrick--popular and admired, and yet feared somehow, for the little diabolical flash in their behavior. It is a tribute to the talent and skill of these actors that they inspire belief in the viewer while playing the roles of abstracts. It should be noted particularly that James Marsden, usually an underestimated actor, manages by his skill to inspire sympathy, and in the end, a certain amount of bewildered admiration for his character. One may argue whether lying and manipulation are immoral--but doing both of them well, and professionally, is worthy of respect. To conclude--this is a film that is rare in the genre of youth films, in that it gets the viewer to sit back and think about the life these characters live, and the life which all of us saw firsthand in school and college. The life of gossip, of lies, rumors, reputations . . . a life in which words have power over reality. The Director shows this well, and the talented and skilled actors make us believe in the reality of their characters, their deeds, their emotions, and their thoughts.

I happened to like this intense twisted movie, despite the poor reviews by some. I thought the plot was original and cleaver. I didn't know that what was going to happen at the end would happen. I'm still trying to figure things out. I liked the characters, especially new comer Lena Heady. I thought they all did an excellent job. I don't feel this film is just another teen flick, it has substance and creativity. I hope people give it a chance because I think it's worth it. I loved it and plan on seeing it again. I give it a B.