Young love is complicated! This week, we’re going back to high school with two movies about teen girls exploring their sexuality despite the presence of evil – be it a literal demon or a figurative one in the form of a gay conversion camp. We’re talking about the iconic 1999 satire BUT I’M A CHEERLEADER and the 2009 horror-comedy JENNIFER’S BODY.
We’re answering the important questions, like how were low-rise jeans ever a thing, and why couldn’t they have gone the way of bisexuality in both of these movies and just ceased to exist? The bi-erasure is real.
But despite that, we’re celebrating a week where both films are made by female filmmakers! Is BUT I’M A CHEERLEADER as campy and wonderful as ever? Is JENNIFER’S BODY actually the feminist horror film it was intended to be? And can we all agree that regardless, Megan Fox deserves an apology for the YEARS of bullshit she’s had to put up with in Hollywood?
Both films tackle serious subjects through the lens of dark humor and satire while also depicting the beauty and angst of teen romance. Ultimately, the lesson is simple: Love is love. Unless, you know, it’s an actual succubus out to devour your flesh.
Episode Notes:
Interview with the director of But I’m a Cheerleader, Jamie Babbit, from July 2000
Interview with the writer of Jennifer’s Body, Diablo Cody, from September 2009.
Roger Ebert’s questionable 3-star reviews of But I’m a Cheerleader and Jennifer’s Body