Heathers (1988)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Michael Lehmann

Writer:

Daniel Waters (written by)

Release Date:

31 March 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Mystery | Romance

Plot:

A girl who half-heartedly tries to be part of the "in crowd" of her school meets a rebel who teaches her a more devious way to play social politics.

Plot Keywords:

Heather | Suicide | Clique | High School | Death

Awards:

3 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Winona Ryder	...	Veronica
Christian Slater	...	J.D.
Shannen Doherty	...	Heather (Duke)
Lisanne Falk	...	Heather (McNamara)
Kim Walker	...	Heather (Chandler)
Penelope Milford	...	Pauline Fleming
Glenn Shadix	...	Father Ripper
Lance Fenton	...	Kurt Kelly
Patrick Labyorteaux	...	Ram
Jeremy Applegate	...	Peter Dawson
Jon Matthews	...	Rodney
Carrie Lynn	...	Martha Dunnstock aka Dumptruck
Phill Lewis	...	Dennis
Renée Estevez	...	Betty Finn (as Reneé Estevez)
John Zarchen	...	Country Club Keith

Also Known As:

Fatal Game (USA) (working title)
Lethal Attraction (USA) (working title)
Westerberg High (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | South Korea:15 | France:-16 | Canada:18A (Canadian Home Video rating) | UK:15 (re-rating) | Australia:M | Canada:14A | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R (NO. 29338) | West Germany:18

Filming Locations:

Corvales High School - 2921 Laurel Canyon Boulevard, Laurel Canyon, Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

New World Pictures

Trivia:

Heather Duke's kitchen in the dream sequence was also the kitchen used for Heather Chandler's house. They just switched the colors and lit it differently.

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: Moby Dick does not contain the word "Eskimo", but does contain "Esquimaux".

Quotes:

J.D.: Football season is over, Veronica. Kurt and Ram had nothing left to offer the school except for date rapes and AIDS jokes.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Dream Studio (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

Que Sera, Sera

so VERY!!!

Winona Ryder, back when she only used to steal movie scenes, plays Veronica Sawyer, a girl sick of being a lackey to the "Heathers" which is the cool girls clique. She meets J.D (Christian Slater), a deeply troubled young man who's quick to resort to violence (So Christian was PERFECT for the part). This film is what every dark comedy should seek to be. Biting, vicious, mean, and utterly hilarious. The 80's had so many good movies and this stands among the best. The funny thing is that if they stuck to their guns and kept the original ending as scripted it would've been even better, but that's just a minor nitpick. So the next time a teeny-bopper starts fawning over how "great" and "true to life" "Mean Girls" was, give them a copy of this and show them a REAL movie.

Anchor Bay S.E. DVD Extras: Audio commentary with director Michael Lehmann, producer Denise Di Novi and writer Daniel Waters ; "Swatch Dogs and Diet Coke Heads" documentary (30mins); Screenplay excerpt: original ending; Talent biogs; and Theatrical Trailer

My Grade: A+