James Marsden and Lena Headey start a rumor that Joshua Jackson had sex with Kate Hudson in this forgettable outing that isn't actually a bad film.Gossip is well made film featuring good performances from a pretty strong teen cast. The main characters using gossip as a sociological experiment is an interesting idea and is made the most of as we see how quickly and totally things get out of control. The film does lose a lot of goodwill with a lazy twist ending that provides easy answers and will change the way you look at the film on second viewing, I'd suggest for the worst.As mentioned above, the film is about three room mates, Derrick, Cathy and Travis who are all attending college together. Inspired by a communications lecture on Gossip (because of course everyone pays attention during college lectures) she decides to start a rumor and then track how it spreads. They go to a party and see Beau (Joshua Jackson) making out with save it till marriage virgin Naomi (Kate Hudson). So they decide to spread the rumor that the two slept together.The rumor quickly gets out of control, and people start believing that Naomi was raped. Unfortunately for Beau, she became unconscious that night and believes the rumor too, so Beau is up- on rape charges. From there this actually is a pretty good look at date rape and consequences. However this is ruined by the "twist" ending, which actually throws all of that insight away in order to tell a story of complicated revenge.Look. I give this a tick because it is well made and stylistically directed by Davis Guggenheim. It looks at serious themes, and for much of the duration, does these themes justice. However the ending is either to make or break the film for you. And I would suggest it would break the film for most viewers. However, if you were dissed b y the ending, watch the film again. It actually is a different experience the second time around and it is not terrible as a revenge flick.Anyway, not bad, but could have been infinitely better had it stuck to the issues of date rape and gossip culture. Give it a look, it will suck you in, but be prepared for an uninspired conclusion.

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.

Gossip (2000): Starring James Marsden, Kate Hudson, Joshua Jackson, Lena Headey, Norman Reedus, Edward James Olmos, Eric Bogosian, Sharown Lawrence, Mif, Marissa Coughlan, Kwok-Wing Leung, Poe, Vicky Lambert, Noam Jenkins, Kenya Massey, Stephanie Mills, Raven Dauda, Kristin Booth, Novie Edwards, Shanly Trinidad, Samantha Espie, Christopher Ralph, Kristen Holdenried, Robin Brule, Debora Pollitt, Sadie LeBlanc, Elisabeth Guber, Balazs Koos, Roman Podhora, Marc Hickox, Bill Lake, Jessica Greco, Aleksia Landeau, David Nichols, Marc Cohen, Sanjay Talwar, Norma Dell'Agnese, Charles Guggenheim, Marion Guggenheim, John Wills Martin, Meeka Schiro...Director Davis Googenheim, Screenplay Gregory Poirier, Theresa Rebeck.Director Davis Googenheim and screenwriters Gregory Poirier and Theresa Rebeck released "Gossip" in the spring of 2000, but this film was not a big hit at the box office and consequently went straight to video, cable and standard TV. The premise ? In an unidentified major Univeristy, presumably in the US, a group of college classmates, who are also roommates, take on a human/social experiment about the nature of gossip. They spread a rumor about the richest girl on campus, pretty, blonde Naomi Preston (Kate Hudson) who was once the girlfriend of the guy who is now exploiting her, Derrick Webb (James Marsden). Derrick and his wickedly careless and insensitive, cruel friends/roommates Cathy and Travis (Lena Headey and Norman Reedus) begin to spread the gossip concerning Naomi's date rape experience as well as other vicious and damaging lies. Before long, the entire school believes the lie and Naomi finds herself in the middle of a media circus and a public courthouse trial case. But she is determined to expose her colleagues and their malicious experiment and scheme. She consults investigators, among them Detective Curtis (portrayed by Latino actor Edward James Olmos) to seek out those who wronged her. Before long, Derrik, Cathy and Travis find themselves in big trouble and attempt to cover up their evil deed. This may not be a very powerful film or even a very great one, but it has a truthfulness and realism, played out with a "what if" kind of scenario that really carries the film, not to mention the great cast of actors giving it their all, despite being very young and good looking actors. As such, this film is for a young audience. At times, it appears as if it's an intensely dark soap opera intense and dark soap opera in which good looking people set out to harm others. In this case, it's a lot like "Cruel Intentions" ,which had been in theaters only a year earlier in 1999 (it had also starred Joshua Jackson and other hot young stars)which was in itself a modern take on the French novel and film "Dangerous Liasions". Clearly, the success of that film made this film possible. This is a very disturbing film and it's not suitable for even pre-adolescents, despite the young cast. It's really a dark drama about young adults but it's adult nonetheless. There is enough R rated material here to indicate that is intended to be viewed by a mature audience- violence, graphic sex (including rape) and profane language. Even with all this, the college classroom scenes are by far what provides the film with meaning. The professor and his student's conversations and eventual reactions to the rumor experiment is proof that people do indeed love gossip, but it's harmful and it dehumanizes and corrupts our society. The battle of the sexes discussion is also quite interesting and very well-handled. But the movie's heart lies in the fact that Derek Webb is the type of corrupt young man that actually exists out there and may be getting away with crimes, and all the more so because he looks harmless and is an attractive white male. Thus, this film is a caution tale, though this film is hardly Lifetime material, possibly because it has the independent Hollywood film signature all over it. I hope this movie opens people's eyes about gossip and about lies and how to value the truth which is the greatest human gift of all.

I finally saw this film last night (23 Jul 2006) after it somehow fell off my radar over the past six years. It starts off well enough, though away from any sort of reality. I kept getting distracted by questions, such as, How does the artist afford all of his snazzy equipment, electronics and supplies when he can't even pay rent? Why is smart Jones having sex with the X-Man when she knows his insert-and-discard history -- especially when she's living under his roof? Why is a club's bathroom next to a bedroom, with just a latch-handle door between them? Did the Dawson's Creek guy really go and leave the club with his girlfriend passed out on the bed? Wasn't she mad about THAT? And then it gets around to ending. Woo-hoo! I was already writhing on my bed, overwhelmed by the utter absurdity, but then it went RIGHT over the top. What was already implausible was made doubly so. I still can't untangle the inconsistencies of this film. If the ending is to be believed (snicker), then what about that big, bad investigation? Such as when the female investigator tells Jones how she's not such an a-hole, etc. That scene logically fits in HOW? And that last dialog exchange is such a howler! THOSE were the best lines that were decided upon? Wimpy and eye-roll-inducing. I was surprised that Paul Haggis didn't direct this film. "Gossip is bad. It can hurt people, and sometimes the gossip can be turned against its source and hurt the source, too -- and might even land him or her in PRISON." No rubber bras were worn during the making of this film.