User reviews

"Gossip" barely got noticed when it was released. This reception was possibly due to the generally slow box office of April 2000, but also to the fact that, at times, the film's style compensates for its lack of substance. Still, the film is a fun way to spend a few hours and the screenplay provides a unique story.

The acting is pretty good, especially from the three leads - Lena Headey (Cathy), James Marsden (Derrick) and Norman Reedus (Travis). I saw Headey in some other films after this one, namely "Face" and "Ripley's Game", and was impressed not only by her emotional range, but also by her mastery of accents. Both Marsden and Reedus are better actors than they are given credit for.

The film's style and locales epitomize what I would personally call 'twenty-first century chic'. The loft is ultra cool, and so is the club. In fact, the film is worth seeing for its locales alone.

Overall, a nice little thriller. I give it a 7/10.

My boyfriend and I have been on this wave the last week, just rewatching or watching 90s/early 2000s horrors and thrillers, and this one landed on our list.

It's important going into these movies not expecting today's standards and accepting them for what they are. With that in mind the movies are so enjoyable, and this was no exception.

The film had an interesting and dark enough premise, and althought it is a little all over the place in terms of storytelling and there's very little character delevopment, it's a good romp and kept me guessing. I also highly enjoyed the ending, so I would recommend it for a fun time where you don't need a 2 hour long 8. something rating on IMDB.

Oh, and this is an early 2000 galore fest, which I highly enjoyed.

A vicious rumour is spreading like fire through the university, three journalism students planted the story, hoping to trace how it changes as it burns its path; but what goes around comes around.

With a young and talented cast, including James Marsden, Lena Heady, Norman Reedus and Kate Hudson; Gossip deserves more credit than it seems to have received.

The story is full of twists and is genuinely compelling to watch and easy to relate too; the direction is pretty stylish and achieves the necessary feel for the plot to play out, and the cast all contribute with solid performances.

It's either been overlooked or harshly criticised by far too many people, come on! It's a good thriller. 7/10

This is one of the rare current films which takes the trouble to combine good acting and an interesting plot with excellent filming and directing. The viewer is left to think about the "harmless" thing called gossip, and about the views and moral codes of today's young generation. It is pleasant to note that the characters are quite realistic. We have all known, in high school and college such "artistic weirdos" as Travis, such hysterical "golden girls" as Naomi, such intellectuals as Kathy Jones, and such successful athletes as Derrick--popular and admired, and yet feared somehow, for the little diabolical flash in their behavior. It is a tribute to the talent and skill of these actors that they inspire belief in the viewer while playing the roles of abstracts. It should be noted particularly that James Marsden, usually an underestimated actor, manages by his skill to inspire sympathy, and in the end, a certain amount of bewildered admiration for his character. One may argue whether lying and manipulation are immoral--but doing both of them well, and professionally, is worthy of respect. To conclude--this is a film that is rare in the genre of youth films, in that it gets the viewer to sit back and think about the life these characters live, and the life which all of us saw firsthand in school and college. The life of gossip, of lies, rumors, reputations . . . a life in which words have power over reality. The Director shows this well, and the talented and skilled actors make us believe in the reality of their characters, their deeds, their emotions, and their thoughts.

'Gossip' requires a large suspension of disbelief. It's one of those "It could only work in the movies" things. If that bothers you then this probably isn't the one for you. If you are able to accept those types of scenarios in films however, you might just have a fun time with this one.

This movie has a real late 90s/early 2000s vibe about it. Back then these films were a dime a dozen and they were often quite good. 'Cruel Intentions' and 'Wild Things' were some of the best to come out of that time, but then only a few steps back were films like 'Gossip', that were still very good, but that missing that edge to make them memorable.

I liked this one though. It was only 90 minutes so it never outstayed its welcome. Its characters were either likeable or interesting. The dialogue was quite thoughtful for the most part. And the ending was.... quite something. This isn't must-see material but it's worth a look. 7/10.

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.

Thousands upon thousands of film students have great ideas for films. They soon find out a basic premise is not enough. They need a good script.

Someone forgot that with Gossip. They thought if they could emulate the style of Shallow Grave, and the intergroup tensions of Flatliners, they'd pull this one off. James Marsden and Lena Headey put in strong shifts as the leads. The film is stylishly shot. After that, you are struggling to say anything positive about this infantile non-event of a film.

The leads are supposed to be undergraduates, though they all look about 31 but talk like 12-year-olds. They are 'shocked' that a dating couple might have had sex. They drink hard but never touch drugs. They only seem to take one class, about 400 of them packed in one room (no empty seats?) where the professor (who wrote THIS guy's lines??) picks on them because... well, I never figured that one out. And the three flatmates who initiate proceedings just would not be friends in real life.

The ending is as bad as you have heard. You see it coming, but the only surprise is that you assume they will not go down this path, it is just too absurd, too against the flow, and so you writhe in shock and embarrassment when they 'reveal' their trick. And what exactly is Kate Hudson's supercilious smile at the end supposed to convey? "I was raped, but YOU are going to be gossiped about."

Some victory. This film is glib and thoughtless, and probably would be offensive if you could remember it five minutes after ejecting the DVD.

This was -over-all- a pretty decent movie. Nothing that would make my favorite shelf, but a movie I could definitely watch a few times a year. It's got an interesting plot and story-line, and most of the actors were top notch.

Now that being said, there were two things that kept this movie from being an excellent movie. The first one was Lena Headey; her acting was mediocre at best, and in certain parts, down right awful. But this normally wouldn't be enough to knock off too many points, but the second problem...

The ending -while decent- was definitely one that required you to suspend your disbelief. It leaves you wondering, "What was the point?".

But the acting by James Marsden, and Norman Reedus were amazing, and almost make up for it. Marsden plays the manipulative liar, who really isn't a bad guy, one who almost leaves you feeling a certain amount of pity at the end. Reedus was amazing; probably one of my favorite performances from him. The shy, SoHo, bohemian artist thing works really well for him. The interaction between the two men are some of the most interesting parts of the movie, and show the dominant/subservient or leader/follower relationship perfectly.

Passable performances by Joshua Jackson and Kate Hudson. Nothing stellar, but nothing to complain about either.

Again... Decent movie, one that could have been a hit with a few tweaks, and a different actress for Jones, but nothing that will make a 'favorites' list any time soon.

Based on R2 DVD 87 min.

Gossip starts off well, an interesting premise, pretty people a suggestion of a good thriller to come. Alas somewhere around the 60 minute mark the script writer must have run out of pencils. The story takes a witless fantasy turn that left me feeling cheated.

The so called alternate ending is just a longer and more unrealistic one.

5/10 catch it on TV

Telephone...

...Telegram...

...and tell a woman

Apologies for that old fashioned joke but it did make me smile and apologies too that anyone might think it's actually true because I know fine well from bitter personal experience that idle or malicious gossip and two faced chit chat that can affect a life is just as likely to be started by males as much by females . I guess everyone already knew that ?

Interesting to note though that women like this film slightly more than men . I have to confess that I wasn't too keen on it . Now this had nothing to do with sexism and had everything to do with the way the story was developed which centres around rumours of a rape and before you can blink the rumours have spread all over college campus and a student finds himself facing charges . Other reviewers have rightly pointed out that the story is entirely dumb so I won't bother reiterating the points they've raised except to say " What about forensic evidence ? for a charge to be brought " . I also have a problem that it's a movie that's entirely made for a teen market which means the cast is young and good looking and we have to endure the MTV type of filming which totally negates any type of drama

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.

On a beautiful college campus , three college students (Lena Headley , James Mardsen , Norman Reedus) base their class project around gossip . By day they slouch through Eric Bogosian's communications lectures , by night they flock to glam warehouse parties in the meat-packing district . But something ugly is about to be spread around Naomi Preston (Kate Hudson) and Beau Edson (Joshua Jackson) . A bit of gossip that was told is starting to take a frightening turn . How fast it spreads , which soon spirals out of control . Everyone does it, no one talks about it. It's only words. How ba!d could it be? It can turn you on, or turn on you. If it were a game, would you play it? If it were a drug, would you be addicted? If it were a weapon, would you pull the trigger?.You know you love it . Ever heard a killer rumor?. Ever hear a killer rumor? You know you love it !. You Know You Love It. Who could it have offended and how far will the person on the other side of the gossip handle the embarrassing situation !.

A twisted and surprising story of three collegue roomies who hatch a rumor as a class project that naturally gets way out of hand , resulting in fateful consequences ; but any dropout could guess these twists and turns . The film's most fun while it's just wallowing in its good looks. There's nothing more spoilt than a student with money and the crew duly go town on the trio's lifestyle . Further the self-indulgent sets are initially complemented by a swagger in the actors' steps and a verve about the editing . Veteran director Joel Schumacher is the executive producer of this thrilling film , well directed by David Guggeheim , starred by a fine cast of young actors , such as : James Marsden (X Men) , Lena Headey (Game of Thrones) and Norman Reedus (Walking Dead) , along with Kate Hudson , Joshua Jackson, Marisa Coughlan , Eric Bogosian , Sharon Lawrence and Edward James Olmos as Detective Curtis . The story lasts to take off , but once the tale gets to crank itself into a ¨Shallow Grave¨style post-boiler and it results to be a passable movie that turns into unalloyed gibberish .

It packs colorful and brilliant photography in super 35 by cameraman Andrzej Bartkowiak . As well as a modern and thrilling musical score by composer Graeme Revell. Feature film directorial debut for TV director David Guggenheim providing an acceptable direction . He's husband of famous actress Elisabeth Shue with whom has three children. Guggenheim is a notorious writer/producer/director who has contributed in succesful films and TV series , such as : ¨Aftershock¨ , ¨Deadwood¨, ¨Wanted¨ , ¨The Visitor¨ , ¨Alias¨ , ¨24¨ , ¨The Unit¨ , ¨Numb3rs¨ , ¨Waiting for Superman¨ and ¨An Inconvenient Truth¨ . Rating : 6/10 . Well worth watching .

"Gossip" is a glossy, college-bound thriller with an attractive cast and a fast-moving script.

The beautiful Lena Headey is very watchable as the female lead, Cathy Jones.

The rest of the cast is also strong and it contains some familiar faces - James Marsden, Norman Reedus, Kate Hudson, Eric Bogosian and Edward James Olmos. With this smörgåsbord of talent, it's not surprising that this is an entertaining suspense-ride.

I'd never heard of "Gossip" until I watched it (for me, "Gossip" was a blind-buy at the DVD bargain bin where it was practically being given away). It's not cinema-hit material but it does make a good evening's viewing at home.

7 stars.

When i first heard that Gossip was being released i thought it was going to be another "Wack" Teen Murder Flick. I was surprised to find out it wasn't. Although the story line was weak and a lot of the events that transpire are somewhat predictable it was just plain out fun to watch. James Marsden is without a doubt the highlight of the film and its cool watching him lie and manouver to try and get out of every bad situation. I was a fan of the ending and the music throughout rocks especially Tonic's "Mean to Me" at the end credits. So if your looking to kill an hour and a half, check it out.

Well, it begins promising enough. After that though, it makes a slow descent, then a nose dive into cliches and predictability.

It's yet another film that panders to the Gen X crowd but fails to understand what this audience is really looking for, namely, material much more interesting and sophisticated than this. "Gossip" is a made-for-tv movie with swearing in it.

The film is about a class project that (supposedly) turns deadly. Its central characters, roommates, pick out two people they don't like, a couple who both come from rich families, and decide to start a rumor about them. The idea is to see how long it takes for the gossip to spread through the campus and back to them. It works, but not without unexpected, devastating consequences. Someone needs to tell this writer that a college campus does not work the same way as a high school campus (a misconception he got from "Revenge of the Nerds" apparently). Not everyone knows everyone else in college. By the time they enter college, heck even by the time they're seniors, they've grown up anyway. These characters all behave like ninth graders.

Like I said, it begins interestingly enough and actually engaged me for the first 45 minutes. After that it becomes an episode of Scooby-Doo, complete with the climactic scene where everyone gathers in one room to uncover the real culprit. Instead of ooh-ing and aah-ing at its cleverness, you'll be covering your face in shame.

Grade: D

I saw this when it was initially released when I was 20. I thought it was pretty wild. Revisiting it all these years later it definitely more subdued but still effective and with a great cast that includes Kate Hudson (Almost Famous), James Marsden (Hairspray), Lena Headey (300), Joshua Jackson ( Urban Legend) and Norman Reedus (Walking Dead) amongst others. Basically it's about a group of friends who make up a rumor that ends up up having dire consequences as it transforms. They do it as sort of an experiment but one of them may have more insidious intentions. The movie is intriguing and engaging but slightly lackluster. In the end it doesn't seem to be about much but it still makes for decent entertainment.

Budget: $14m Domestic Box Office: $5m Worldwide Box Office: $13m

3.5/5

Four words 'deoxy ribo nucleic acid' or DNA. Did the writer forget about about this? I asked myself if detectives and police could be this stupid, because if the answer was yes i don't think any crimes would ever be solved. This movie was boring and I called the ending with about an hour left in it. If you are the kind of person that picks up on detail when you watch a movie, you're gonna hate this as you will easily foresee the ending.

Stylish thriller surrounding three college friends and roommates who deliberately start a false rumour for a class project on gossip and how fast it spreads. Their rumour quickly takes on a life of its own, mutating into a tale of rape and resulting in the arrest of a classmate and potential murder.

This wasn't a great movie but it wasn't as bad as I expected either considering I'd never heard of it before. Interesting if (believable) plot and a decent amount of mystery/suspense. It is also kinda predictable though including the twist ending.

What makes this the most fun is the amount of (now) familiar faces involved and I'll admit I only watched it because I saw Norman Reedus' name attached. (Gah, he is super good looking here) but we also get James Marsden, Lena Headley, Joshua Jackson, Kate Hudson and several other supporting roles. 6/26/14

I viewed Gossip in a classroom setting with 26 college freshmen as a unit in a class devoted to transition to college. I was pleasantly surprised at the discussion engendered by viewing the film in a classroom setting. The students responded enthusiastically and thoughtfully to the many ethical issues presented. I recommend the film for this purpose.

The first 80 minutes or so of this 90 minute suspense thriller reminded me of some of the earlier films of Brian DePalma. It is nicely shot at an urban university (NYU?), and the colors and angles add to the introduction of the main plot device - an "innocent" rumor started as a group project for a communications arts class. Notice how many right angles and sharp points are present in the party and residential settings. The students felt this contributed to the intended feeling of edginess engendered by the first 20 minutes.

The first 80 minutes are well-conceived and intricately-plotted. The plot reveals itself at an excruciatingly pleasurable pace, and a nice twist is that the character of Derek appears to know no more than we, the audience, do.

The ending is abrupt and somewhat derivative, but, in post-viewing discussion, we were able to identify a number of clues to the ending which the director has sprinkled throughout.

A dark, cine noir feeling to the production results in a film a bit out of step with the 21st century, but one that should be satisfying to fans of the genre.