Review of Heathers (1989) by Jim H — 31 Aug 2011

A member of a popular high school clique teams up with her new boyfriend to murder her classmates.

I understand that this film was made in the 80s, well before Columbine and Virginia Tech, but watching it now, I can't help but be uncomfortable with the film's dark premise. The idea of dead classmates and mass murder by blowing up the school are now dark realities, and I think the film couldn't use these same themes for comedic fodder now. Even if school violence was not a part of our culture lexicon, I still don't see the film's point of view. What is it satirizing? What is being sent up for ridicule? Pretension? Cliqueishness?

I also found the dialogue stilted. Veronica even directly refers to herself as being a member of "the popular clique," a line that is nothing but expository, and Kim Walker's delivery of mawkishly threatening lines comes off as juvenile.

Overall, I think this film's time has passed.