Fausses rumeurs

Recently, construction on my home forced me to spend a few days at my 21 year old daughter's apartment which she shares with her equally 21 year old roommate. Hmmm... Reflectively, that's a pretty good premise for a light comedy. Or, a gritty reality show. I'm sure I'll see it next year, after somebody reads this and works it into a million dollars I won't share, but you saw it here first, folks! Moving on. This brief sojourn afforded me several nights alone, left to shift for myself. Evidently, 21 year old girls go out EVERY night. Naturally, I thought to while away some time with a fine feature film.

Enter culture shock. It seems that young women of this age possess very little of what their parents would consider watchable, let alone entertaining. However, sandwiched between classic Disney films, Bum Fights and a preponderance of films starring Orlando Bloom and Silent Bob, I found "Gossip".

Deciding to give it a try, I spent the next hour and a half or so with a growing feeling of nausea. This is a very disturbing film. The premise seems harmless enough. Three college students (James Marsden, Lena Hedley, Norman Reedus) decide to start an ugly rumor on campus for a "class project". They claim that a "friend", Beau (Joshua Jackson) had sexual intercourse with an unconscious date, Naomi (Kate Hudson) a notoriously virginal girl. Vicious as this seems, it remains relatively harmless until well meaning interference by other students convinces Naomi she has been "date raped", and this baseless, thoughtless lie becomes a criminal matter.

As a parent, this is a Class A nightmare. I STILL worry, much to my daughter's disgust. But, I also have a son, and the hellish circumstances faced by innocent Beau and his family resonates as well.

The performances of all of the young up and coming actors, none of whom, except Hudson, I have seen before, is earnest and intense, especially as the situation spirals out of control. Edward James Olmos is, as always, utterly convincing as the detective assigned to the case.

What I find so disturbing about the film is that it fails to make the point that gossip and rumors like these are not only ugly, they can be utterly destructive. Even if the subject is cleared in the end, the psychological damage to him, the girl, and both of their families is ongoing. I happen to be a big believer in justice, and I would have liked to have seen the three students responsible seriously punished, criminal records of their own being the least of the consequences.

I am also disturbed by the opinions of others regarding this film. Comments that solely praise the beauty of an actress or the excellent directing, and say NOTHING about the subject. In fact, one went so far as to state that this is just the way things are on a college campus. How sad is that? How far has our society's moral standards fallen as to brush this off as nothing unusual? This "Life Sucks.. So What?" attitude is more frightening than the threat of nuclear war. Dress it up any way you want, "Gossip" is a revisiting of the Salem Witch Trials. The general consensus that no one seems to care, or feel that the instigators deserve vilification, at the least, both sickens and scares the hell out of me.

Aside from that, there were serious reality flaws in the script. Forensic evidence, for one, or the lack of even more than a brief mention of it. The "evil" of Marsden's Derek revealed as if it were justification, both for the initial lie and the subsequent actions of the other two conspirators. The quick, and almost too pat ending.

This film had an opportunity to make a powerful statement about the effect these kinds of vicious head games have on the innocent. A good film can go far in the changing of perceptions, attitudes, even actions of those who watch it. Unfortunately, "Gossip" fails in its chance. I give this film an overall six because of the dedication of the cast. Other than that, I cannot recommend this film as anything other than a sad, sad commentary on the lack of moral standards of the up and coming generation. God help us if they don't wake up.

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 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.

'Gossip' requires a large suspension of disbelief. It's one of those "It could only work in the movies" things. If that bothers you then this probably isn't the one for you. If you are able to accept those types of scenarios in films however, you might just have a fun time with this one.

This movie has a real late 90s/early 2000s vibe about it. Back then these films were a dime a dozen and they were often quite good. 'Cruel Intentions' and 'Wild Things' were some of the best to come out of that time, but then only a few steps back were films like 'Gossip', that were still very good, but that missing that edge to make them memorable.

I liked this one though. It was only 90 minutes so it never outstayed its welcome. Its characters were either likeable or interesting. The dialogue was quite thoughtful for the most part. And the ending was.... quite something. This isn't must-see material but it's worth a look. 7/10.

"Gossip" barely got noticed when it was released. This reception was possibly due to the generally slow box office of April 2000, but also to the fact that, at times, the film's style compensates for its lack of substance. Still, the film is a fun way to spend a few hours and the screenplay provides a unique story.

The acting is pretty good, especially from the three leads - Lena Headey (Cathy), James Marsden (Derrick) and Norman Reedus (Travis). I saw Headey in some other films after this one, namely "Face" and "Ripley's Game", and was impressed not only by her emotional range, but also by her mastery of accents. Both Marsden and Reedus are better actors than they are given credit for.

The film's style and locales epitomize what I would personally call 'twenty-first century chic'. The loft is ultra cool, and so is the club. In fact, the film is worth seeing for its locales alone.

Overall, a nice little thriller. I give it a 7/10.