Cast: James Marsden, Lena Headey, Norman Reedus, Kate Hudson, Joshua Jackson, Eric Bogosian, Edward James Olmos
Director: Davis Guggenheim
Producers: Jeffrey Silver, Robert F. Newmyer
Screenplay: Gregory Poirier and Theresa Rebeck
Cinematography: Andrzej Bartkowiak
Music: Graeme Revell
U.S. Distributor: Warner Brothers
Somewhere, buried deep beneath all the verbal detritus that passes for dialogue in Gossip, lies the kernel of an interesting idea - how gossip, properly dispersed and nurtured, can be used as a powerful weapon. If the pen is mightier than the sword, then the spoken word is stronger still. Of course, this isn't a groundbreaking notion. Everyone knows that public figures are tried and convicted every day in the court of public opinion long before a jury has been selected. And any rumor, once started, can take on a life of its own. Fascinating stuff, to be sure. Somehow, however, Gossip manages to emasculate the idea in order to generate a second-rate thriller with cheap theatrics and an embarrassingly stupid ending.
It's all a matter of intelligence, and that's one thing not in evidence throughout the entirety of Gossip. The screenplay, which has more holes in it than a colander, isn't the only problem, although it is by far the most obvious one. Veteran TV helmer Davis Guggenheim may be directing from a script that could have been written by two trained chimpanzees, but he doesn't do much to enliven the proceedings. The camerawork is sloppy and there are several continuity gaffes. The tone is dull and plodding, with stagnant pauses standing in for suspense. And everything is wrapped up in an ending that won't surprise anyone who has been paying a scintilla of attention. Viewers who don't see this one coming ought to be ashamed of themselves (provided, of course, that they haven't fallen asleep).
Gossip is on thin ice at the beginning; 20 minutes into the film, everyone and everything is all wet. We are introduced to three college roommates - cocky Derrick Webb (James Marsden), shy and moody Travis (Norman Reedus), and perky Cathy Jones (Lena Headey). Incidentally, Cathy's introductory words, which represent the remnants of an apparently-aborted voiceover, seem like an apology by actress Headey: "I'm a girl with a problem. It's not like I don't know better..." Derrick, Cathy, and Travis are all students in a Communication Studies course taught by Dr. James Goodwin (Eric Bogosian) that concentrates on the similarities and differences between gossip and news. For their final project, these three decide to start a rumor and see how far it spreads and how much it mutates. Their target of their gossip is a rich girl named Naomi (Kate Hudson), who is known for a vow of chastity but was seen at a party disappearing into a bedroom with her current beau, Beau (Joshua Jackson). However, by the time the rumor has ripened, Beau has been accused of date rape and the police have been called in.
The cast is populated by a group of good-looking young actors who are likely to attract members of the target 17-24 age group. But the presence of up-and-coming stars like James Marsden (soon to hit the big-time as Cyclops in this summer's The X-Men), British-born Lena Headey, Joshua Jackson (the "Dawson's Creek" star recently seen in The Skulls), and Kate Hudson (the spoiled starlet in Desert Blue) doesn't guarantee anything. Nor, for that matter, do appearances by veterans like Edward James Olmos and Eric Bogosian. There isn't an interesting performance to be found throughout the whole of Gossip. None of the characters have any life or energy - they're all servants to an idiotic plot and aren't allowed to develop beyond what the storyline demands of them. No one is worth caring about, sympathizing with, or even being interested in. And, while the large collection of lackluster performances can't shoulder the sole blame for this, it's a contributing factor.
For a while - a very short while - it appears that Gossip may be attempting to travel the road traversed by last year's Body Shots, which dealt with the differences between perception and reality in cases of sexual politics and rape. Unfortunately, Guggenheim and his screenwriters aren't interested in something with that much provocative content. So they crank up the Hitchcock factor to absurd levels, adding all sorts of red herrings and plot "twists." Ultimately, it adds up to nothing. Gossip's silly story fails to engage, the characters are stale and lifeless, and the whole experience turns into an inane bore. When it comes to word of mouth, it's doubtful that this movie is going to get much help.
© 2000 James Berardinelli