Heathers movie review- "Dear Diary: My teen angst bullshit now has a body count.”
Dark, cynical, subversive and surreal
Director: Michael Lehmann
Writer: Daniel Waters
Cinematographer: Francis Kenny
Cast: Christian Slater, Winona Ryder, Shannen Doherty, Kim Walker
Year: 1989
Veronica (the incredible Winona Ryder) is one of the members of the most popular clique in her high school. However, she disapproves of her 'friends' cruel behaviour towards other students. When Veronica finally meets the new, mysterious boy J.D. (the sensational Christian Slater), he seems to find her wherever she goes. After falling head over heels for this outcast, J.D.'s intentions begin to become clear. The two confront Heather Chandler (the stunning Kim Walker) and 'accidentally' poison her. Afraid of the circumstances, they frame her death as a suicide. Soon Veronica realises that J.D. is intentionally killing the students he doesn't like. In a bid to stop J.D., Veronica clashes with the group's new leader Heather Duke (the amazing Shannen Doherty).
As Richard Combs puts it, Heathers is "a teen western filled with demons". Heathers is the movie you'd imagine Tim Burton would have made if he had directed Clueless. Heathers is the grandest satire on society, a hilariously dark subversion of 80's teen high school movies that came from the likes of John Hughes. For Lehmann, high school is the biggest metaphor or microcosm for 80's 'society'. Heathers brings forward the idea that: if individuals choose to be who they want to be, they will all choose to be bad. These individuals can either be the kind who want to advance their place in both the hierarchy of society and within the high school or those who will leave and always easily be replaced. In Heathers, suicide is the norm, made popular and idolised by the easily manipulated minds of teen girls who believe it will garner them even more attention. These teens react to events by making them all about themselves, these people are shallow, and sometimes it's difficult being a teenager, especially when you don't fit into the timeless stereotypes of jocks, geeks, blonde bitch leaders or the outcasts (all of which are affected by murder and blackmail). Heathers is a satirical dark comedy that subverts American teen society with its cynical eyes, it was ahead of its time, and many of the films leading themes are still highly relevant to today's teen audience.
Winona Ryder's Veronica Sawyer is sensational, played perfectly with the right amount of sarcasm and hatred for the world around her. Although she may feel like an outcast, she's part of the most popular group in school, yet these so-called 'friends' are the ones she despises the most, and she despises herself even more for submitting to them. Ryder adds some 'reality' to this overtly colourful movie; she's the character the spectators can relate to as she's both self-loathing and funny whilst she struggles with popularity, school work and murder. (you know, the normal things a teenager has to deal with). Ryder really holds this movie together, but Christian Slater is the one who steals every scene he's in. J.D is the sociopathic yet extremely cool newbie whose hatred for the world/high school has surpassed Veronica's to the point of wanting to destroy the lives around him through murder and blackmail. *Britney Spears- Criminal begins to play*. To all those depressed girls who are attracted to J.D, I call shotgun on our way to therapy. And even though J.D is the worst leading male to fall in love with, he still seems to steal every teen girl's heart. I guess we all love a bad boy, don't we- well, not a terrorist- there's a bad boy, and then there's just pure evil. Heathers doesn't only deal with the dark sides of being a teenager; it also deals with the dark sides of life, all set in one highly colourful high school. I think what makes Heathers stand out so much is its aesthetic contrast with its themes. Heathers deals with some pretty heavy stuff: death/suicide, toxic relationships, bullying, sexuality, eating disorders and literal terrorism, yet it is completely flipped on its head by its bubble gum colour palette. I think if Heathers was as gritty as its themes, it would have been too depressing to watch; visually, it entices you into this messed-up world, almost tricking you; not everything is as it seems. I think that's really the premise of Heathers: not everything is as it seems, everything is a facade, nothing is really real until it's finally uncovered, and the suicides are, in fact, murders (even though their efforts in framing them as suicides are pretty bad anyway). I think as a teenager, everything is changing; things you thought were something aren't exactly that anymore. You're finally becoming aware of the world around you, and the darkness of it all is finally uncovered. Sometimes trauma is covered up by humour, and that's exactly what Heathers is showcasing. And yet, after all of this, I still wish a boy would prop a ladder up to my window and climb in, not like the night stalker (Richard Ramirez) but like J.D from Heathers (even though his intentions were also to kill but we move on I guess).
Its sharp screenplay offers an abundance of endlessly quotable dialogue, from corny lingo to malicious, dark and twisted humour. Heathers' dialogue captures the cruel, edgy and beautifully bitchy nature of teen girls and guys who feel the need to fit in or stand out. It portrays a vision of high school unlike any other, blending the social commentary with a sense of humour that is unrivalled. Heathers is hilarious, clever, cynical, scathing and lovable in all of the darkest ways. It's Woodstock for the '80s. No matter how many times I've watched this movie, I could watch it again and again and still fall in love with every second of it. You can keep your Romeo & Juliet or Bonnie & Clyde because I've got Veronica & J.D.
Comments
Post a Comment