Review of Heathers (1989) by Cecily B — 18 Apr 2010
A razor sharp satire of high school politics and pecking order, Heathers is about as far from the John Hughes style of 80s teen movie as you can get. It follows Veronica (Winona Ryder), who hangs out with the three most popular girls in school, all named Heather, even though she hates them and they don't respect her.
She falls for the mysterious loner J.D. (Christian Slater), whose idea of sticking it to the social order is pulling a gun on two jocks and firing blanks into their faces. He fills her head with all sorts of dark ideas, until an innocent prank to get back at the top Heather [SPOILER, I guess] goes awry, and Heather ends up dead.
They then fake her suicide, which makes her more popular than ever, and turns teenage suicide into a trend instead of a problem. Things escalate from there, as Veronica slowly begins to realize that J.
D. doesn't plan on stopping any time soon. It's all extremely dark, but undeniably hilarious, especially as the stakes seem to get higher as it goes along, until an off-the-wall final act. The script is incredibly sharp in its satire of the way social cliques operate in high school, and how easily a message can be distorted, and tragedy can be milked for personal gain.
The funeral scene for the first Heather is especially telling, where people all say a prayer that really has nothing to do with Heather. Heathers posits a grim look at high school life, but one that is sadly close to reality.
This review of Heathers (1989) was written by Cecily B on 18 Apr 2010.
Heathers has generally received positive reviews.
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