Movie Reviews

Gossip

14 Sep 2000

Gossip is another campus film, set in a college where everyone is incredibly good-looking. We've had a few lately (The Skulls, Loser, Road Trip), mostly starring (appropriately) graduates from the rash of 1990s high-school films.

The students in Gossip are, on the whole, just as attractive and as decadent as in any other film. As usual, the poorer kids are righteous, whereas the wealthy ones are immoral and irresponsible. (Considering how much money some of these young actors must earn, it's an ironic lesson to teach.) Once you realise that, however, Gossip comes across as an intelligent and effective thriller, with a deeper premise than most.

Derrick Webb (James Marsden), a smooth-talking rich boy, shares his flat with his classmates Cathy Jones (Lena Headey) and Travis (Norman Reedus), a spaced-out artist. Cathy is diligent and good-natured - no prizes for guessing her bank balance - but Derrick still convinces her to take part in a rather senseless rumour-mongering exercise. To study the spread of malicious gossip, the flatmates tell everyone that the frigid Naomi (Kate Hudson) had sex at a party with her boyfriend Beau (Joshua Jackson). OK, it doesn't sound especially exciting, but the story evolves like Chinese whispers. With some further twists along the way, it eventually goes dangerously out of control.

One of the strengths of Gossip is that, although we see the beginning of a rumour, the whole truth remains unknown until the climax. I'd like to mention, however, that I worked out the final twist well in advance. Perhaps it was just so obvious, but I think it had more to do with my intelligence. No, really! Anyone with any brains would NEVER have predicted such a ludicrous, farfetched outcome. It takes a film critic.

Happily enough, the predictability of the climax (and the silliness of it) does nothing to ruin the film's enjoyment. Writer Gregory Poirier and director David Guggenheim borrow the old chestnuts from Hitchcock down (even Derrick's flat is at the top of winding staircase), but do it rather well, aided by a cast who are strong actors as well as spunks. Hey, did you hear about its U.S. box office? Don't tell anyone, but I heard it should have done better...