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Movies / On DVD / Heathers
Heathers

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Heathers (1989)

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Reviews Counted:37

Fresh:35

Rotten:2

Average Rating:7.8/10

Consensus: Dark, cynical, and subversive, this high school satire gleefully lampoons high school culture with a deft mix of the hilarious and the gruesome.

Runtime: 1 hr 59 mins

Genre: Comedies

Synopsis: Veronica Sawyer (Winona Ryder) has sacrificed everything in order to preserve her place in Westerburg High's most impenetrable social clique, the HEATHERS. As the only member of the group not named... Veronica Sawyer (Winona Ryder) has sacrificed everything in order to preserve her place in Westerburg High's most impenetrable social clique, the HEATHERS. As the only member of the group not named "Heather", Veronica has to work extra hard just to stay afloat. Going against her own morals and intelligence, Veronica succumbs to peer pressure on a daily basis, faking her delight in the humiliation of the school's less popular students. Bored of the frat parties and cow tipping so popular among her friends, Veronica's curiosity is peaked when a mysterious new guy named JD comes to town. The dark, brooding JD (Christian Slater at his best) observes Veronica among her pack in the lunchroom (where social hierarchy is most clearly displayed), concluding that Veronica is not a Heather at heart. When Veronica confides in JD that she hates her friends and wishes Heather #1 was dead, she never expects her words to have such dire consequences. Before she knows what's happening, JD is dragging Veronica on a killing spree staged as a teen suicide outbreak. But as Veronica soon learns, even death cannot stop the HEATHERS. As one Heather dies, her red scrunchee (the symbol of all power) gets passed on to the next Heather in line, and the clique that was the HEATHERS starts to feel like an inescapable social disease. How far will this war for popularity go? By far the darkest of teen comedies, HEATHERS invented a vocabulary of teen-speak all its own, asking questions like "What's your damage?" and introducing phrases like "How very." Director Michael Lehmann successfully blends the horror, comedy, and teen movie genres, creating a truly original film. Full of dark humor and deeply sardonic messages, HEATHERS takes a fresh look at the often-sugarcoated cinematic world of high school. Set in the 1980s, the film feels timeless in its relevance because of the daring nature of its themes. Filled with great performances, a candy-colored set, and an infectious soundtrack, murder has never been so much fun! [More]

Starring: Winona Ryder, Christian Slater, Shannen Doherty, Kim Walker

Starring: Winona Ryder, Christian Slater, Shannen Doherty, Kim Walker, Lisanne Falk, Penelope Milford, Glenn Shadix

Director: Michael Lehmann

Director: Michael Lehmann
Screenwriter: Daniel Waters
Producer: Denise DiNovi
Composer: David Newman

[See More Credits]

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Reviews for Heathers

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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The film uses an intimate knowledge of teen-movie clichés to subvert their debased values from the inside.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Nigel Floyd
Nigel Floyd
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
11/15/03
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

... the film paints high school as a veritable hell where the only way to alleviate suffering is by making others suffer more.

Full Review Source: DVD Review | comment Comment
08/11/08
Felix Gonzalez Jr.
Felix Gonzalez Jr.
DVD Review

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
07/15/08
Mick LaSalle
Mick LaSalle
San Francisco Chronicle

So grab your croquet mallet, load up on "Ich luge" bullets, and crank up the Big Fun: Heathers is a motion picture that continues to impress and disturb, even 20 years after release.

Full Review Source: BrianOrndorf.com | comment Comment
07/01/08
Brian Orndorf
Brian Orndorf
BrianOrndorf.com

Dark, cynical, but deliciously funny, Heathersis a fascinating look not just at high school but at the way we look at high school.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
07/18/07
TV Guide's Movie Guide

A super-smart black comedy about high school politics and teenage suicide that showcases a host of promising young talents.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
07/18/07
Todd McCarthy
Todd McCarthy
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Its inanities and glib pretensions are so thick that it mainly comes across as tacky and contrived.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment 1 Comment
07/18/07
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader

fantastic

Full Review Source: sbs.is | comment Comment
06/20/07
Stefan Birgir Stefansson
Stefan Birgir Stefansson
sbs.is

Lehmann's audacious feature debute transforms teen suicide into a wild and mean satire with a giddy tone. Good year for indies: The movie premiered at Sundance in 1989, along with sex, lies and videotape, thus heralding Gen-X Cinema.

Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
12/04/06
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

An amazing black satire filled with vicious biting words that snap like firecrackers.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Brad Laidman
Brad Laidman
Film Threat

No review available.

comment Comment
10/30/05
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

No review available.

comment Comment
10/28/04
Frank Swietek
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion

Viciously delicious cult classic, flip side of "The Breakfast Club."

comment Comment
10/15/04
Steve Crum
Steve Crum
Kansas City Kansan

No review available.

comment Comment
06/08/04
Sarah Chauncey
Sarah Chauncey
Reel.com

Director Michael Lehmann and writer Daniel Waters keep things dark and tasty, and the dialogue and high school politics still resonate with a sharp sting.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
05/17/04
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

No review available.

comment Comment
04/05/04
Nicolas Lacroix
Nicolas Lacroix
EnPrimeur.ca

Blistering comedy run aground by cop-out ending.

comment Comment
03/01/04
Ken Hanke
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

No review available.

comment Comment
11/17/03
Linda Cook
Linda Cook
Quad City Times (Davenport, IA)

No review available.

comment Comment
09/26/03
Carol Cling
Carol Cling
Las Vegas Review-Journal
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
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Latest News for Heathers

August 27, 2009: Fox, Sony Plot Heathers TV Series Opens in new window
Twenty years (and a million sequel rumors) after it originally graced theater screens, "Heathers" is coming back -- as a TV show. More...

July 03, 2009: Michael Lehmann Says No Heathers Sequel Planned Opens in new window
Despite what you may have heard from Winona Ryder, director Michael Lehmann wants you to know there is no "Heathers" sequel in the pipeline. More...

March 12, 2009: Heathers Heads to Broadway Opens in new window
"Race to Witch Mountain" director Andy Fickman is developing a stage musical version of the 1989 cult classic "Heathers." More...

February 01, 2007: Box Office Guru Preview: Keaton and Kids Hope to Score Touchdown
As the Chicago Bears and the Indianapolis Colts get ready to rumble at the Super Bowl on Sunday, Hollywood goes into counterprogramming mode and targets female moviegoers with a... More...

See All

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