Main Cast: Eric Bogosian, Marisa Coughlan, Lena Headey, Kate Hudson, Joshua Jackson, James Marsden, Norman Reedus
Release Year: 2000
Country: US
Run Time: 91 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
The blurry line between a rumor and the truth is stretched to the breaking point in this drama. Three arrogant and self-centered college students, Jones (Lena Headey), Derek (James Marsden), and Travis (Norman Reedus), are brought together for a class project, in which they decide to start a rumor and keep track of how it spreads. Looking for possible gossip material, they see Naomi (Kate Hudson), a girl known for her high-minded views on saving sex for marriage, drunkenly making out with Bo (Joshua Jackson) at a party. The three students begin passing around the rumor that Naomi became a victim of date rape later that evening, embroidering the truth with allegations that Bo forcibly seduced Naomi after she was too inebriated to put up a fight. Before long, the rumor makes its way back to Naomi herself, who suffered a black-out on the night in question after too much alcohol. Naomi panics, and convinced that the rumor is true, contacts the police, who assign Detective Kelly (Sharon Lawrence) to investigate the charges of rape filed against Bo. Featuring a cast of young actors best known for their work on television, Gossip was an appropriate first feature film for director Davis Guggenheim, who previously distinguished himself on such TV series as ER, NYPD Blue, and Party of Five. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Sharon Lawrence - Detective Kelly; Edward James Olmos - Detective Curtis; Marion Bennett - Vlasta; Norma dell'Agnese - Danbury Typist; Bill Lake - Lieutenant Miles; Stephanie Mills - Rebecca Lewis; Roman Podhora - Detective Ayers; Amos Poe - Female Singer; Charles E. Guggenheim - Derrick's Father; Mohammed Miftah - Doorman; Dave Nichols - Professor Vindaloo; Marc Hickox - Paul; Kris Holdenreid - Bruce; Christopher Ralph - Bill; Kristin Booth - Diane; Deborah Pollit - Gina; Jessica Greco - Charlene; Noam Jenkins - Bartender; Balazs Koos - Rick; Robin Brûlé - Louise; Raven Dauda - Andrea; Novie Edwards - Ms. Waters; Samantha Espie - Leslie; Elizabeth Guber - Grace; Marion Guggenheim - Derrick's Mother; Vicky Lambert - Club Dancer; Alexia Landeau - Sasha; Sadie LeBlanc - Erica; Kwok Wing Leung - Chinese Man; John Wills Martin - The Stranger; Kenya Massey - Club Dancer; Sanjay Talwar - Taxi Driver; Shanly Trinidad - Marie; Timm Zemanek - High School Principal; Marc Cohen - Officer Stevens
Credit
Vlasta Svoboda - Art Director, Susan E. Novick - Associate Producer, Reynald Trudel - Boom Operator, Lora Kennedy - Casting, Diane Kerbel - Casting, Clarence Ford - Choreography, Tim Simonec - Conductor, John M. Eckert - Co-producer, Louise Mingenbach - Costume Designer, Tyrone Mason - First Assistant Director, Davis Guggenheim - Director, Jay Cassidy - Editor, Joel Schumacher - Executive Producer, Bruce Berman - Executive Producer, Keith Large - Location Manager, Graeme Revell - Composer (Music Score), John Houlihan - Musical Direction/Supervision, Kevin Jewison - Camera Operator, Keith Murphy - Camera Operator, David Nichols - Production Designer, Andrzej Bartkowiak - Cinematographer, Jeffrey Silver - Producer, Bobby Newmyer - Producer, Enrico Campana - Set Designer, Michelle Convey - Set Designer, Balsmeyer & Everett - Special Effects, Jason Board - Special Effects, Douglas Ganton - Sound Mixer, Douglas Ganton - Sound/Sound Designer, David E. Stone - Sound Editor, Elliot Koretz - Sound Editor, David A. Whittaker - Sound Editor, Alison Reid - Stunts, Branko Racki - Stunts, Marco Bianco - Stunts, Helen Scott - Stunts, Erin Jarvis - Stunts, Patrick Mark - Stunts, John Stead - Stunts, John Stoneham Jr. - Stunts Coordinator, Keith Murphy - Stunts Coordinator, Kaz Kobielski - Special Effects Supervisor, John M. Eckert - Unit Production Manager, Gregory Poirier - Screen Story, Theresa Rebeck - Screenwriter, Gregory Poirier - Screenwriter, Joel Green - Unit Publicist, Vern Nobles, Jr. - First Assistant Camera, Christopher Raucamp - First Assistant Camera, Keith Kellner - Gaffer, Wayne Goodchild - Key Grip, Cesare Diguilio - Key Grip, Angie Rubin - Music Editor, Ashley Revell - Music Editor, Lori Greenberg - Production Coordinator, Jeff Poulis - Properties Master, Richard Alexander - Re-Recording Mixer, Christian P. Minkler - Re-Recording Mixer, Daniela Saioni - Script Supervisor, Simon Board - Second Assistant Director, Stephen J. Morrison - Second Assistant Director, Martin Malivoire - Special Effects Coordinator, Rafy - Still Photographer, George Simpson - Supervising Sound Editor, Thomas J. O'Connell - ADR Mixer, Charles Dunlop - Assistant Art Director, Gordon White - Assistant Art Director, Neil Morfitt - Assistant Art Director, Quita Alfred - Assistant Costumer Designer, Linda Petty - Assistant Costumer Designer, Gord Eldridge - Assistant Chief Lighting Technician, Carol Marinoff - Assistant Hair, Alex McNaughton - Assistant Location Manager, Alex Bako - Assistant Location Manager, Zack Beckwith - Assistant Location Manager, Edelgard Pfluegel - Assistant Makeup, Tory Bellingham - Assistant Properties, Josephine Nericcio - Assistant Sound Editor, Glen Goodchild - Best Boy Grip, Chris Holmes - Chief Lighting Technician, Joyn MacKenzie - Construction Coordinator, Jim Krauter - Dolly Grip, Jane Rogers - Extra Casting, Derrick Mitchell - First Assistant Editor, Dov Samuel - First Assistant Editor, David Lee Fein - Foley Artist, Alyson Dee Moore - Foley Artist, Michael Chock - Foley Editor, Veronica Ciandre - Key Hairstylist, Marilyn Terry - Key Make-up, Dorothy Precious - Production Accountant, Rudolf Mammitzsch - Second Assistant Camera, Chirayouth Saysana - Second Assistant Camera, Enrico Campana - Set Decorator, Michelle Convey - Set Decorator, Mo Henry - Negative Cutter, Cass Cronenberg - Third Assistant Director, James Tamblyn - Video Playback, Pacific Title - Title Design, Susan Bradley - Title Design
Three college students develop a final project involving gossip and rumors. It begins when Derrick (James Marsden) sees Beau (Joshua Jackson) and Naomi (Kate Hudson) making out at a nightclub, and Naomi soon passes out. This incident gives Derrick an idea: "What if we start a rumor, track how the story grows and changes?" He convinces his room/classmates Cathy (Lena Headey) and Travis (Norman Reedus) to help start gossip. Soon wild stories are spread throughout the campus about Naomi and Beau's sex life. Naomi, who knows she had passed out, believes that Beau may have raped her while she was unconscious. Subsequently Beau is arrested and charged with the rape. When Cathy tries to call off the project, Derrick insists he doesn't know whether or not Beau raped Naomi. Cathy, feeling that the hoax has gone too far talks to Naomi. Jones mentions Derricks name and Naomi tells her abruptly tells her to get out of the apartment. It is revealed that Naomi and Derrick attended the same high school. Cathy, confused, goes to Naomi and Derrick's old high school. She finds that Derrick was accused of raping Naomi when they were both in high school. Cathy rushed back to the apartment and confronts Travis who defends his actions. Derrick goes to Naomi's dorm room and tells her that he set her boyfriend up. They fight and she scratched him on the cheek. He takes a picture from her room, a reminder of the night that he raped her. He returns to his apartment, laughing as she lies on her bed curled up and crying. The next morning Travis breaks the news to a laughing Cathy and Derrick that Naomi was found dead in her room. At first it's called a suicide, but then Derrick becomes a suspect in her murder since he was the last person to see her alive. Worried that the police might tie him with the crime scene and Naomi's death, Derrick gives Travis a picture from Naomi's room and tells him to implicate himself as the last person to see Naomi alive. Travis suspects him but agrees to the plan because he doesn't have motive. Back in class the professor gets the class to accuse and blame Derrick for Naomi's death 'You killed her.' says one girl. Derrick returns to his apartment to confront Cathy, who he suspects as being the one to tell the teacher of his involvement in the rumor. But when he arrives, a detective is waiting with a warrant to search the rooms, Jones confesses to being the one who told the professor and Derrick tells her to take the blame and move out. He proceeds downstairs and is shocked to discover that the detectives have found planted evidence in his room. He turns on Travis, telling the police that he stalked Naomi. The detective goes after Travis, telling Derrick that he was the better suspect and that they were going to match Derricks DNA to the skin found under Naomi's nails. Derrick starts to pack his belonging and preparing to run. Travis buys a gun. When he and Derrick fight over it, the gun goes off. Cathy is shot in the chest and apparently dies. When Travis threatens to tell the police Derrick killed Cathy, Derrick finally confesses to raping Naomi in high school, which is captured on tape. Cathy stands up, not injured. Naomi, with Beau beside her, comes out of hiding, including the "detectives" investigating Naomi's death, revealing Derrick is the victim of an elaborate hoax designed to make Derrick pay for his lies. In the end, Derrick is left by himself, wondering what people will say. The others proclaim that "It's only words, how bad can it be"
