Jennifer's Body (2009)
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43% of critics liked it
(167 reviews) -
37% of users liked it
(348,616 ratings)
Demon possession, devilish cheerleaders, and Satanic rock stars are all on the chopping block with this horror comedy from the production team behind Juno. Screenwriter Diablo Cody provides the script, with producing duties handled by Jason Reitman and Dan Dubiecki. The story centers on an impish… More Demon possession, devilish cheerleaders, and Satanic rock stars are all on the chopping block with this horror comedy from the production team behind Juno. Screenwriter Diablo Cody provides the script, with producing duties handled by Jason Reitman and Dan Dubiecki. The story centers on an impish high-school student (Amanda Seyfried) who has to protect her town against her best friend, Jennifer (Megan Fox), who after being bedeviled by an evil rock band, develops a taste for human flesh. Girlfight's Karyn Kusama directs the Fox Atomic production. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi
- Rating, Runtime
- R, 1 hr. 43 min.
- Directed By
- Karyn Kusama
- Written By
- Diablo Cody
- Genres
- Horror, Mystery & Suspense, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Comedy
- In Theaters
- Sep 18, 2009 Wide
- On DVD
- Dec 29, 2009
- Studio
- 20th Century Fox
Critic Reviews
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Joe Baltake, Passionate Moviegoer
'Jennifer's Body': Kusama-Cody's Post-"Carrie" Horror Feminism Is Inept
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Noah Berlatsky, Chicago Reader
The flashes of competence just emphasize the extent to which the film has no idea what it's doing.
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Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times
[Cody's] glib teen-hip dialogue mostly feels like self-conscious splatter over a sorely lackluster scare flick.
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Rick Groen, Globe and Mail
Apparently, there's nothing like lean and hungry times to awaken the undead.
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Adam Graham, Detroit News
There are probably worse ways to go out than being devoured by Fox... but the film squanders all the fun from what could have been a hilarious, gore-filled romp.
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Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post
Director Karyn Kusama finds resonant terror in details: the look Anita and Jennifer exchange before Jen's fateful ride, or a victim's last-minute ah-hah.
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Simon Foster, sbs.com.au
In trying to create a modern horror take on Mean Girls (2004), in which the protagonists redefine their rivalries through physical instead of verbal viciousness, she has merely delivered an updated, dumbed-down rehash of Carrie (1976).
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Cris Kennedy, Screenwize
With women calling the shots on this production, I'm sure we're supposed to think this is empowerment, but I'm not sure this is what feminism is really about.
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Nick Schager, Lessons of Darkness
Has substantial bite.
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Mark Pfeiffer, Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema
Kusama and Cody don't fully succeed in making Jennifer's Body as clever as intended, but...they unleash some potent ideas and subvert the genre
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Jeffrey Chen, Window to the Movies
Jennifer's Body's parts aren't working, so in its bid to become a clever cult movie, it ends up looking like it's trying too hard.
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Bill Gibron, PopMatters
Just when we think we 'get' where Cody and Kusama are taking us, they thwart expectations and cinematic standards%u2026but not always in a good way.
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Bryant Frazer, Bryant Frazer's Deep Focus
Jennifer's Body is full of ideas, but it doesn't have much in the way of tonal control.
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Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
Jennifer's Body is not funny, nor is it sexy (the girls keep their clothes on), nor is it scary (it's all just special effects).
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Staci Layne Wilson, Fantastica Daily
Come on in, the slaughter's fine.
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Jules Brenner, Cinema Signals
Some weakly constructed things are better left asleep in their coffins.
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Scott Nash, Three Movie Buffs
Like a sloppy episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
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Rossiter Drake, San Francisco Examiner
Diablo Cody and director Karyn Kusama seem less interested in cheap scares than in something more substantive: exploring the purgatorial existence of teens caught between being kids and adults.
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Kam Williams, NewsBlaze
Megan Fox needs to set her sights a little higher now that she has some clout in Hollywood.
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Paul Chambers, CNNRadio
By the time we know what's wrong with Jennifer's body, we just don't care. Movie just sucks the life out of horror fans. Paul Chambers, CNN.
Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
Featured Audience Ratings
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Michael M
Jennifer's Body has its occasional moments when it's actually kind of clever. But it has a thin story and frankly, it just isn't scary or funny enough. Megan Fox is quite simply the eye candy. But this is probably her best on screen performance. Unfortunatly, her… More
Jennifer's Body has its occasional moments when it's actually kind of clever. But it has a thin story and frankly, it just isn't scary or funny enough. Megan Fox is quite simply the eye candy. But this is probably her best on screen performance. Unfortunatly, her character is very dislikable. Amanda Seyfried is the only shining light in this dull flick (dull in the worst possible sense). But the team behind the camera are those to blame. Their biggest mistake was deliberately trying to make a cult film for groups of vampire girls and emo's. Cult films like that dont try to become popular in a selected audience's eyes. They try a broad target, fail and then if lucky enough they become cult movies. For example, The Nightmare Before Christmas. -
Martin S
For all you haters out there...It's a frickin' comedy. The film knows that it's cheesy and all that stuff. But it makes fun of the fact that it is. And it does it pretty good. So ease up... Megan Fox is good. But Amanda Seyfried really lifts up the movie. So from… More
For all you haters out there...It's a frickin' comedy. The film knows that it's cheesy and all that stuff. But it makes fun of the fact that it is. And it does it pretty good. So ease up... Megan Fox is good. But Amanda Seyfried really lifts up the movie. So from me...it's only 3 stars...but there's also a stamp of approval. -
Brad W
This was not a good movie, but it was much better than I expected. The plot was very boring, I never was having much fun and it seemed just like a way for guys to watch two hot actresses have sex and get naked. The cast was actually not bad, I really enjoyed Seyfrieds performance… More
This was not a good movie, but it was much better than I expected. The plot was very boring, I never was having much fun and it seemed just like a way for guys to watch two hot actresses have sex and get naked. The cast was actually not bad, I really enjoyed Seyfrieds performance and I was very surprised by Fox, she actually creeped me out in some scenes. It wasn't very scary, but it was gory and I found myself growing to like Seyfrieds character and you want everything to be all right for her in the end, and this was not a great movie, but it wasn't really bad either. -
Spencer S
Fresh from an Oscar win and a helpful hand in creating American teenage slang for the next three years, Diablo Cody should have delivered a product that entertained with the same malice and yet tenderness as Juno, or at least something as witty and eccentric. Instead we're given… More
Fresh from an Oscar win and a helpful hand in creating American teenage slang for the next three years, Diablo Cody should have delivered a product that entertained with the same malice and yet tenderness as Juno, or at least something as witty and eccentric. Instead we're given something that doesn't fall into any genre except teen oriented. It's supposed to have its moments in both a horrific and comedic premise, and all the time include the sexual appeal and eerie creepiness of Megan Fox. Instead of being scary we're given two extremely unsettling scenes of gore, which are more about cannibalism than demonic possession. The concept could easily have been successful if Fox's bitchy side could have been deeply explored, her relationship with Needy built up enough to conquer experimentation, and the dialogue wasn't purely just about Jennifer. Apparently she's very important, socially superior, and this almost demi-god in the personality department, and yet Jennifer comes off as an unintelligent, slightly cheesy caricature of a high school prom princess. It just doesn't mesh with the horror element at all, which is not in any way truly explained except for a snippet in a book. Then we're suddenly bombarded with information, only to not care with all the anti-climactic buildup from earlier. None of this is funny, at all. Perhaps a line or two are shock funny or bitchy funny, but not actual comedy in any sense of the word. It's shallow, thinly constructed, and unintelligible; the title seems to be the only thing basing this movie in reality. -
Martin B
It is what it is. But I have to comment on one thing - casting. I don't buy Amanda Seyfried as a high school student for ONE second (and it's almost creepy when she's with her boyfriend, who <i>does</i> look 16), and Megan Fox playing a teenager is… More
It is what it is. But I have to comment on one thing - casting. I don't buy Amanda Seyfried as a high school student for ONE second (and it's almost creepy when she's with her boyfriend, who <i>does</i> look 16), and Megan Fox playing a teenager is equally laughable. They couldn't have done the same story set in college? Speaking of Fox... She's not sexy, she's just trashy (and not in a good way). As frumpy and plain as they tried to make Seyfried look, she's 100 times hotter than Fox. -
Dead A
Megan Fox's character really suited her. She would have done the same thing (murdering people to look pretty) in real life. I kinda liked this movie. Not mind blowing or anything but quite enjoyable. -
Tony G
Idiotic "Jennifer's Body" is pointless as a teenage parody, inept as a horror film and ridiculous as a film. Diablo Cody overindulges in her first post-Juno gig and bangs out a bumbling screenplay that works very little. Paired with the disastrous "Aeon… More
Idiotic "Jennifer's Body" is pointless as a teenage parody, inept as a horror film and ridiculous as a film. Diablo Cody overindulges in her first post-Juno gig and bangs out a bumbling screenplay that works very little. Paired with the disastrous "Aeon Flux", director Karyn Kusama seems to have lost any goodwill she earned with her competent first feature "Girlfight". Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried can and should brush this off their resume. There's no reason to covet "Jennifer's Body" - it's better left untouched. -
paul s
Jennifer's Body doesn't really have all that much to do with...Jennifer's Body, other than it gets possessed by a demon - gee, what an original premiss. OK, I was entertaining a niece of a certain age, and had this film in reserve. She enjoyed the off-beat (and… More
Jennifer's Body doesn't really have all that much to do with...Jennifer's Body, other than it gets possessed by a demon - gee, what an original premiss. OK, I was entertaining a niece of a certain age, and had this film in reserve. She enjoyed the off-beat (and addmittedly sometimes funny)teen speak humor, but you could pretty much tell this was a paint by numbers teen flick all the way. The acting was so so, the camera work nothing to write home about - just typical of the genre in so many ways. I believe the only saving grace was some of the funnier lines - an example: when attacked with an exacto knife, Jennifer replies "do you get all your weapons at Home Depot, how butch". I suppose I'm saying that if you went in looking for a teen comedy wrapped around a cheap horror film - you get what you wanted - does that make for a great film - of course not, but I suppose of the overwhelming number of teen films, this one rises slightly above the crowd. -
Aditya G
The makers of "Jennifer's Body" probably knew that what they set out to make wasn't to be taken too seriously! How else would you explain Oscar winner Diablo Cody penning such a laughably ridiculous teeny-bopper-gothic-satanic-horror-comedy and… More
The makers of "Jennifer's Body" probably knew that what they set out to make wasn't to be taken too seriously! How else would you explain Oscar winner Diablo Cody penning such a laughably ridiculous teeny-bopper-gothic-satanic-horror-comedy and whatever-other-genre-you-wanna-add picture! Megan Fox stars as Jennifer, the flirtatious teen who is the hottest girl in school and best friends with one of the nerdiest girl with specs, Needy (Amanda Seyfried). Both of them venture out to a rock concert in one of the local bars at Devil's Kettle (the name of the town they live in). That is where the fateful events depicted in this funny film start to take shape! At the outset, it seems like some stupid teenybopper horror flick with lots of stupid dialog. But then it seems to get cleverer in a couple of scenes or more! The dialog gets better too. Further in the film, the 'horror' premise does show a little bit of promise, but ultimately it all comes down and what is offered to us is the same old nonsense that you may have seen in countless B-horror films albeit with some fresh faces and that's about it! That said, this film does have some juicy moments for those looking for some wet-dream-come-true moments and plenty of gore to go along with it! Fox and Seyfriend deliver good performances to make this film at least somewhat watchable in its approximately 107 mins running time. Otherwise it is passable fare! Watch if you have nothing better to do and you just happen to run into a dvd of this! 4/10.. -
♥˩ƳИИ &
Cast: Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried, Johnny Simmons, Adam Brody, J.K. Simmons, Amy Sedaris, Chris Pratt, Allison Janney, Kyle Gallner, Josh Emerson Director: Karyn Kusama Summary: After a supernatural romp with a satanic emo band, hot cheerleader Jennifer (Megan Fox) is transformed… More
Cast: Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried, Johnny Simmons, Adam Brody, J.K. Simmons, Amy Sedaris, Chris Pratt, Allison Janney, Kyle Gallner, Josh Emerson Director: Karyn Kusama Summary: After a supernatural romp with a satanic emo band, hot cheerleader Jennifer (Megan Fox) is transformed into a demon with an insatiable appetite for high school boys. Now, it's up to Jennifer's BFF, Needy (Amanda Seyfried), to protect the guys from the bloodthirsty man-eater. My Thoughts: "Just as I thought, cheesy. The movie in a whole is a bit ridiculous, and the script doesn't help it. But I think that's what the writer's intent was. The acting is solid in this. Although I didn't think Adam Brody was the right fit. He just felt out of place in this film for me. Although I thought Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried made a great duo and were believable as friends. Megan played crazy well. I thought they were both great in this. It wasn't scary, but it was a bit funny. A few good one-liners here and there, but that's about it. Overall it just ended up being a silly, bloody, wanna be horror film. Not at all good, but not bad either." -
Sanjaya &
Truly disappointing... I even didn't believe that the story was wrote by Diablo Cody, Oscar winner for her debut scriptwriter in 'Juno'... Not just the story feels weird, but the directing style from Karyn Kusama was really bad... Even they have the name from two famous… More
Truly disappointing... I even didn't believe that the story was wrote by Diablo Cody, Oscar winner for her debut scriptwriter in 'Juno'... Not just the story feels weird, but the directing style from Karyn Kusama was really bad... Even they have the name from two famous young actress, Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried, this movie still sucks like a slasher B-class movie... Overall, this movie is truly disappointing, not only the story which is totally absurd, but the directing style and even the act from the cast couldn't help it all... Still, I can't believe that this movie was written by Diablo Cody... -
Rachel F
Awful. Megan Fox may look nice, but her acting skills could use some work. Amanda Seyfried is this movie's only saving grace. -
Lenny M
Diablo Blody no thanks, juvenile writing. I guess the studio thought the attractive cast and Blody's "Juno" style writing would make this a cult hit, truck that mess. Adam Brody's occult indie band was kind of funny though. -
KJ P
Jennifer's Body is Strange, Messed Up, Brutal, and Dumb, but I actually liked it. This film has a few funny scenes, but not enough to satisfy anyone, however, it alright, because this movie is actually interesting and had me on the edge of my seat. It may not be a good horror… More
Jennifer's Body is Strange, Messed Up, Brutal, and Dumb, but I actually liked it. This film has a few funny scenes, but not enough to satisfy anyone, however, it alright, because this movie is actually interesting and had me on the edge of my seat. It may not be a good horror movie, in fact, it's a terrible horror movie, but it seems as though that is what it is going for. This movie is violent and Suspenseful, and I never thought I would say this, but see Jennifer's Body! -
Veronique K
frankly i think "jennifer's body" is an interesting choice for megan fox as her first real acting project. same for amanda seyfried who just steps out of her prop-stage from "mean girls"...it has all the high-school cliches like the beauty queen and her dorky… More
frankly i think "jennifer's body" is an interesting choice for megan fox as her first real acting project. same for amanda seyfried who just steps out of her prop-stage from "mean girls"...it has all the high-school cliches like the beauty queen and her dorky follower as well as other miserable stereotypes..BUT what really distinguishes "jennifer's body" is its self-mocking humour, and it's done in such a blatantly shameless way that you almost admire megan fox for daring to ridicule or uglify herself as well as the drop-dead gorgeous looks which've made her popular and famous. i absolutely agree with roger ebert..watching jennifer's body is definitely much much more fun than twilight, which is about a mousy whining vampire boy who's so afraid to get laid or accept himself as vampire (lame).....megan fox rocks much much more! and you could pardon and almost rejoice with her for those bitchy trampy words coming out of her pouty mouth because she's such a supercunt! and i cannot help but be amazed at (or swooned by) her chiseled features and immaculate shape..(she's far from ugly even with dark eye-cycles or gross-out blood smeared all over her) amanda seyfried's dorky girl is NEEDY(her name) with a boyfried named CHIP. the humour is obvious. from every line, there's some smirky dark-humour, such as "i'm not eating humans, i'm eating boys"..(you could read more in imdb quotes, i suppose). the story developement is surreally deranged enough to keep you on the focus: the beauty queen gets kidnapped in a tavern concert and made sacrifice by the evil rock band leader as tribute to satan. and she survives the series of ferocious knife-stabbings for not being a virgin despite she lies she is (surviving for not being a virgin? lol. high five!)...and the town for those high-schoolers is called DEVIL'S KETTLE.(what a name).but the evil reurgitates back into her so she turns out as the flesh-eating "zombitch" (the word seyfried uses on fox in their last confrontation, what a word)...so she utilizes her sex appeal to buffet on the gullible high-school boys to feast her impeccable beauty. so this zombitch is running rampantly until she targets her best friend's boyfried..to this point, needy has to stop her by the necessary killing. the plots about nobody rock band praying for success from the devil by sacrificing the beauty "virgin" queen is delirious..and the movie begins with needy in asylum (for killing off fox), and needy gains some supranatural power from getting scratched by jennifer then she hurries to massacre the teammates of satanic rock band in the hotel while the background plays courtney love's (the hole) VIOLET! it's so incredible!!! it's like a maniac roller-coaster joy-ride in which you giggle from the moment you're seated!!! (by comparison, twilight is SO stupid and its ideas aren't even cool or original...and there's no humour. how could teenagers are so tasteless? jennifer's body is much much more fun, it deserves bigger box-office than crappy twilight, lol.) by the way, do you know that jennifer's body is also the name for one of the songs in courtney love's (the hole) "live through this" (when nirvana kurt cobain blows his own head with a shot gun)...WHAT A PUN!! furthermore, this movie features a scene where megan fox sneaks into amanda seyfried's bedroom, and there's some steamy tongue-touching french kissing going on between these two hot young women (even seyfried has to hide her beauty with nerdy glasses. besides it's megan fox by her side. no woman could be foxier than fox) that kiss's definitely worth the ticket! and it would make your day for sure! lol. (ps) needy is the one who betrays jennifer. jennifer at least didn't eat needy when she was hungry. in the bedroom scene, she rejects jennifer in jen's weakest moment. then friendship disintegrates. to me, jennifer is the vulnerable one who runs thru misfortunes, desperately survives it and tries hard to act tough and cope with this ghastly transformation. her best friend just rejects her when she tries to be honest. people will just tag jennifer as evil because she acts bitchy and so unapologetically confident about her beauty, and they all forget jennifer is the victim of demon-sacrifice, shouldn't she deserve some sympathy at least? -
Nani V
It wasn't too bad. I was still able to enjoy it and follow the story. I still think it's worth a watch if you're up for a silly/horror movie. -
Alexis N
A very unusual girl power chick flick. Megan Fox is a total babe and she goes around giving boys exactly what they deserve as a whole. Beware of BFF's with box cutters. -
Creep F
Fun flick. The dialogue wasn't overdone by Diablo Cody as it was in Juno. It was kept at a minimal level of redundancy and never became repetitiously stale. The script was simple, smart, and witty. Quite funny at times too. Jennifer's Body has a simple, not too original (and… More
Fun flick. The dialogue wasn't overdone by Diablo Cody as it was in Juno. It was kept at a minimal level of redundancy and never became repetitiously stale. The script was simple, smart, and witty. Quite funny at times too. Jennifer's Body has a simple, not too original (and I don't mean this in a derogatory way), but a plot that offers nothing we haven't seen before. I mean this, regarding a film of this kind, as a huge compliment. Because being, as it seems, when it comes to this genre, Hollywood is running out of smart ideas. And it's still very possible, like with Jennifer's Body, to make a great horror movie with the lightest material and the simplest of subject matters. From the rash of garbage we've been offered this year as horror fans, Jennifer's Body stands on it's own and shines big, along with other films such as "Drag Me To Hell", "The House of the Devil", and "Orphan". At least in my opinion anyway. And a few others belong on the list as well. But like I said...just "a few". And you don't have to be a John Carpenter or a Craven to know your shit when it comes to horror. Let me just include every male in this category because what I really mean is you can be female and still make a bad ass horror flick. "Near Dark", classic - directed by Kathryn Bigelow. "Pet Sematary", horrifying - directed by Mary Lambert. "American Psycho", brilliantly twisted and darkly hilarious - directed by Mary Harron. Now Jennifer's Body - directed by Karyn Kusama. I know it also comes with a good script, sure that helps a bunch, but I'm talking about structure here. These movies I mentioned, scripts aside, were shot ingeniously skillful, with great executions. Chillingly portrayed for the human eye. It's what we call talent. And as for Karyn Kusama's talent...talk about great execution! Visually, Jennifer's Body is stunning. Amazing use of colors, filters, and perfect choreographed cinematography. Film wise, it bleeds with perfection. Yes, other horror movies share this same formula, BUT what it lacks in most, and what Jennifer's Body does have, is a great script, an amazing pace, and some top notch acting...don't forget a great sense of humor. Not too stale. Never dry...But always smart! It's good fun! Scary? No, not really...just good fun. This movie would have fit perfectly in the mid to late 90's when teen horror was at it's prime. Jennifer's Body brought back memories for me, and only good ones. It was like a blast from the past. After all these years, finally, an awesome teen horror flick. One with spirit and passion for the genre, all the elements which made it work starting in '96 beginning with the movie "Scream". I highly recommend this. And it's not the best horror has to offer, but for the time being, this one is definitely up there. <img src="http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm89/JDHallowEEn/Horror/JennifersBody.jpg"> -
Film C
wow what a pile of rubbish! this is the most ridiculas movie ever, its probably only made so they could flaunt a bit more of megan fox who proves talentless in this movie! Its a stupid storyline with a stupid concept to be followed throughout the movie, i dont know how this movie… More
wow what a pile of rubbish! this is the most ridiculas movie ever, its probably only made so they could flaunt a bit more of megan fox who proves talentless in this movie! Its a stupid storyline with a stupid concept to be followed throughout the movie, i dont know how this movie can be liked based on story when alll its about it jennifer gets possessed and needs to drink blood every so often to stay strong and then thats it apart from that there is no other point to this story its boring and pointless and i have no idea why amanda seyfield would agree to do this movie when she has actual talent! Stupid movie wouldnt recommend it to anyone!
Cast
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Megan Foxas Jennifer -
Amanda Seyfriedas Needy -
Johnny Simmonsas Chip
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Adam Brodyas Nikolai -
Sal Cortezas Chas -
Ryan Levineas Mick
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Juan Riedingeras Dirk -
Colin Askeyas Keyboardist -
Chris Prattas Roman Duda
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Juno Ruddellas Officer Warzak -
Kyle Gallneras Colin Gray -
Josh Emersonas Jonas Kozelle
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J.K. Simmonsas Mr. Wroblewski -
Amy Sedarisas Needy's Mom -
Cynthia Stevensonas Chip's Mom
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Nicole Leducas Camille -
Aman Johalas Ahmet From India -
Dan Joffreas Raymundo
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Candus Churchillas Nutritionist -
Carrie Genzelas Jennifer's Mom -
Emma Gallelloas Little Jennifer
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Megan Carpentieras Little Needy -
Jeremy Schuetzeas Craig -
Valerie Tianas Chastity
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Gabrielle Roseas Colin's Mom -
Adrian Houghas Colin's Dad -
Michael Beanas Priest
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Bill Fagerbakkeas Jonas' Dad -
Marilyn Norryas Jonas' Mom -
Cut Chemistas DJ at Dance
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Emily Tennantas Gossiping Girl -
Karissa C. Tynesas Other Girl -
Michael Brockas Goth Boy
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Eve Harlowas Goth Girl -
Genevieve Buechneras Goth Girl #2






