I think Diablo Cody and I might be kindred spirits. Or at least kindred movie spirits.
I know there are some now who scoff at the mega-hit Juno, but I still find the thing pretty damn lovable – a girl who plays it tough and indifferent on the outside in order to mask the fears and insecurities on the inside. We know how wise cracking, anarchist teens are supposed to act, but Cody’s script messed with our expectations. Young Juno grows a heart.
Well, the same sentiment could go for Jennifer’s Body, probably the most unexpected horror film of this year (it hits DVD tomorrow). Horror films have always been about strong women – usually fighting back against their fears – but Jennifer’s Body inverts the roles and gives us Megan Fox as a most unlikely monster. She’s not fighting to survive, but the one doing the killing. Her secret weapon? Young male hormones. (See Techland’s top 10 sci-fi films of the decade)
Cody’s script was smart and subversive, and also a little screwy. She took the standard horror film formula and spun it on its ear. I like that. I like her.
The movie studio was kind enough to give us an exclusive bonus feature from the DVD – an interview with Cody in which she confirms many of my assumptions: She digs strong female personas, she had a hard time here of finding just the right balance between terror and humor, and she’s always had an affinity for the way some horror directors have framed women as resilient and defiant. (watch the clip above)
Reportedly Cody is next working on a script for a musical, called Burlesque and plans to adapt the Sweet Valley High book series into a film. I would have expected her to do neither of these things. I’m sensing a theme there.
