The film uses an intimate knowledge of teen-movie clichés to subvert their debased values from the inside.
Heathers (1989)
Tomatometer
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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
Reviews for Heathers
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.
Lehmann ... made a stunning debut with this sharp satire of teen cliques.
For a long time, we're not even sure of the point of view: Is this a black comedy about murder or just a cynical morality play? The traveler in the foreign country is not sure, but he knows the film inspires thought.
... the film paints high school as a veritable hell where the only way to alleviate suffering is by making others suffer more.
More than just one of the best movies so far this year, it is a revolution in young-adult entertainment.
The points it makes about the violence-prone absurdity of American adolescence are perhaps even more incisive today than they were [in 1989].
An amazing black satire filled with vicious biting words that snap like firecrackers.
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.
A super-smart black comedy about high school politics and teenage suicide that showcases a host of promising young talents.
A scathing lambasting of the American teen in the late 1980s, but its presence will be timeless.
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.
A poisoned candy apple that'll bring a sardonic smile to the lips of those who remember it and entertain those who haven't experienced it before.
Its inanities and glib pretensions are so thick that it mainly comes across as tacky and contrived.
May be the nastiest, cruelest fun you can have without actually having to study law or gird leather products.
Latest News for Heathers
August 27, 2009:
Fox, Sony Plot Heathers TV Series ![]()
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 ![]()
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 ![]()
"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...
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