GOSSIP

Year: 2000
USA & UK: Warner Bros
Cast: James Marsden, Kate Hudson, Lena Headey, Norman Reedus, Joshua Jackson, Marisa Coughlan, Sharon Lawrence, Edward James Olmos, Eric Bogosian, Debrah Farentino, Marc Hickox, Vicky Lambert, Timm Zemanek
Director: Davis Guggenheim
Country: USA
USA & UK: 90 mins
USA Rated: R for sexual content including language, and for brief violence
UK Certificate: 15 for sexual offence, investigation theme and moderate sex references
USA Release Date: 21 April 2000

Synopsis

A wealthy girl (Kate Hudson) passes out at a party, drunk, and three students (James Marsden, Lena Headey and Norman Reedus) instigate a rumour that the girl was raped to see how far this piece of gossip will spread. Eventually the rumour circles back to the supposed victim, who not knowing what happened to her at the party anyway as she was out of it, believes the rumour to be true and accuses a boy of rape; charges are filed. The three instigators of this malicious gossip initiate a chain reaction and the whole situation spirals rapidly out of control.