Review of Heathers (1989) by Spencer S — 10 Oct 2012

A grotesque and very dark comedy, Heathers is a sadistically sweet encounter that pushes the envelope for what a conventional high school film can accomplish. Besides being caustically dark, it's actually quite charming and eccentric in places.

The film is clearly a reckoning on the role of popular crowds in high schools and the how abysmal the rest of the student population's lives truly are. Playing up the concept of mass suicides, pop music, and adult's view of Generation X in the late days of the eighties, Heathers is a comedy as well as commentary on life as a teenager.

Before all else I have to point out how cheery and saccharine most of this looks. Its' sets and costuming are all multi-colored and bright as those of The Wizard of Oz. The Heathers are each in high fashion outfits most of the time, or else celebrating their school spirit with aplomb.

Our leads are two sensationally talented people in Winona Ryder and Christian Slater. Though much of the film is unbelievable in its acceptance of such horrifying events such as gay love affairs gone suicide pact etc.

, it has a happiness and consideration for the audience's intelligence that it is so daringly different. Ryder and Slater have some intense, and yet juvenile, chemistry between them. Slater certainly gives the best and most potent performance as a marginalized youth hinting at the snake-like charm right under the surface.

While it's quite funny, the tone shifts about half-way through the film. It keeps its stylization of lacing queer images, music, and dialogue with dark humor, but delves darker and deeper as Slater's character's motivation becomes clear.

The love story of course suffers; it becomes much more about social privilege and the problems with how social structures in high school are set up, leading to a film revolving around a serial killer.

Truly, it's a pleasant film, and a nearly iconic one at that, but the decision to add depth was such a surprise that it was off-putting. It becomes much more disturbing, but lacks the eccentric charm it starts off with.

For that I find fault, but otherwise it was interesting and fresh.