Body Shots (1999)

User Rating:

4.8/10   

Director:

Michael Cristofer

Writer (WGA):

David McKenna (written by)

Release Date:

21 January 2000 (Spain)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Tonight it's for sex. Tomorrow it's for real. (Unrated VHS Version)

Plot:

A tale of the mysterious, but necessary, mating ritual between men and women of today and everything they think about sex but are afraid to say.

Plot Keywords:

Sex | Drink | Drinking | Bar | Party

Cast

Joe Basile	...	Bartender
Scott Burkholder	...	Man in Bar
Liz Coke	...	Girl #2
Allison Dunbar	...	Girl #3
Sean Patrick Flanery	...	Rick Hamilton
Edmund Genest	...	Sara's Dad (as Edmond Genest)
Adam Lieberman	...	Burger Joint Cop (as Adam Gordon)
Mark Hicks	...	Bodyguard
Larry Joshua	...	Detective Richards
Elizabeth Liebel	...	Mrs. Drofsky
Ron Livingston	...	Trent
Marc Lynn	...	Disco Bartender
Jerry O'Connell	...	Michael Penorisi
Lou Paget	...	Oral Sex Instructor
Amanda Peet	...	Jane Bannister

Also Known As:

Jello Shots (USA) (working title)
Last Night (USA) (working title)
The Night Before (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong sexual content including graphic sex-related dialogue, language, violence and scenes of alcohol abuse.

Runtime:

106 min | USA:103 min (R-rated version) | USA:106 min (unrated version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Portugal:M/16 | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:18A (British Columbia) (Canadian Home Video rating) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:R (Ontario) (unrated version) | Canada:R (Manitoba) | Netherlands:16 (DVD rating) | Italy:VM18 | Philippines:R-18 | USA:Unrated | Argentina:16 | Australia:R | Chile:18 | France:-16 | Germany:16 | Mexico:C | New Zealand:R18 | Singapore:R(A) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:18 | USA:R (NO. 36662) | South Korea:18 | Malaysia:(Banned) | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

New Line Cinema

Trivia:

The film's title was changed from "Jello Shots" to "Body Shots" because of threatened litigation on the part of Kraft Foods (owner of the "Jell-O" trademark).

Quotes:

Michael Penorisi: Things are going to get U-G-L-Y.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Take (2008/I)

Soundtrack:

Bad Girl

Intense drama of 8 youths having a night out on the town

Michael Cristofer has directed a cast of eight rising young stars in an intense drama, sort of a St. Elmo's Fire for the 90's. Cristofer's sophomore project (his first was HBO's `Gia') relates the experiences of this group of twenty-somethings during a night on the town. Initially, the men and the women gather separately preparing for the evening's mating ritual. Their sexual attitudes are gradually revealed throughout the film in verbal monologues to the audience. Using raw frank language, David McKenna (screenplay) introduces us to these youths and their search for sex and/or love. In one of the few humorous scenes, one of the women tells of a course given where young ladies can learn the art of giving oral sex. The evening continues at a singles club where the guys and gals pair off as they dance, get drunk on Jell-O shots, and brawl. The limited plot revolves around the possible date rape of Sara (Tara Reid) by Michael (Jerry O'Connell), a professional athlete. These scenes of the violent sex between this couple are shown Rashomon-like from the points-of-view of each participant. Rodrigo Garcia has photographed these events shading with darker hues during the first part of the film, and gradually turning to brighter scenes as the following morning begins. Music is an important element in both the club scenes and later as events turn ugly and violent. The film holds up a wide screen mirror to the emptiness in their lives, and yet leaves room for the hope that there may be redemption and fulfillment in some of their futures.