Gossip (2000)

This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

Thanks for the memories!

Crappy film

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

Actually, I started watching this movie with my hopes down, ready to be bored to death and my only motive was that Norman Reedus being in it. Its IMDb rating of 5.6 is a HUGE understatement and is possibly preventing lots of people from watching it. The movie is quite interesting from the very beginning, and midway through it you start to feel as if you're in the college that the "rumor" has been spread around. The acting is outstanding and believable though the plot is a bit far-fetched, but it still is one of the best movies I've watched and in my opinion it deserves a nice big 8. If you like surprise endings and thrillers and you're having second thoughts about spending one and a half hours of your life on this movie, forget them and DO IT. Your time will not be wasted.

This movie is totally awesome. I rented it expecting nothing but a teenager thriller like "Urban Legend" and it eventually revealed itself as an excellent film.The acting is very good, Derrick Webb has such a villain vibe that I thought his character really killed Naomi. The directing is well done, along with a tense and entertaining atmosphere. The story is quite original with an unpredictable progression. The ending is absolutely unexpected, I don't remember the last film that had such great twist in the end. I just don't understand how "Gossip" is so unknown on IMDb and low rated, but I surely recommend this to everyone.

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.