HEATHERS (1989)

HEATHERS (1989)

Tagline: Best friends, social trends and occasional murder.

(Drama, Crime, Dark Comedy) [R]

I remember having a friend turned acquaintance in high school who thought this was the best movie he’d ever seen. After watching it, I am thinking it must have been because he had crushes on one or more of the girls in the movie. 

In this one, a girl who sucks up to the popular kids named, Veronica (played by Winona Ryder from STRANGER THINGS), tries to walk the tightrope of having a heart, while trying to fit in with the heartless. Oddly the 3 main friends that Veronica has are all named Heather. Heather Duke is played by Shannen Doherty (from the show “Charmed”), Heather McNamara is played by Lisanne Falk (from SAY ANYTHING), and Heather Chandler is played by Kim Walker (who was also in SAY ANYTHING). Veronica runs into a lunatic named JD, played by Christian Slater ( probably best known for being the dude that BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER wants to marry and then die), who plays on her thoughts of actually wanting to kill the “Heathers” who both have deemed are pretty much evil. 

First off I have to say that Christian Slater is creepy and very good in this, but I couldn’t stop thinking that his tones and mannerisms reminded me of a young Jack Nicholson. This also might be one of Winona Ryder’s best performances. I can also identify with her ability to forge anyone’s name because that is something I also have perfected but never used. The movie is also given some stylish directing choices and does have a pretty decent soundtrack. 

Where I felt this thing went off the rails, is that it’s poorly executed and has some of the worst dialog I’ve seen. Somehow I remember growing up in the 80s and fingerprints pretty much “were” a thing. Somehow in this town, no one is checking for fingerprints and suicide notes pass as a cover-up for everything? I get that there is an artsy loophole with this being a satire of high school life, with all of its overstated hormonal and parental pressures. Having said that, I think that the first time you realize you’re would-be boyfriend is a murderer, you just get the cops involved, especially with Veronica’s clearly indicated goals. However, just reviewing what we did get in this damn thing, and going back to the dialog, I just had issues with almost everything any of the “Heathers” says. There is also a scene involving orange juice and milk that feels a bit disjointed. In the end, I also found myself having pity and hope for two of the characters Veronica reaches out to, but almost none for Veronica’s character herself. 

This movie scores points for me just in the fact that it’s really out there, in a world where most of the cast was doing more straightforward movies. The plot is both engaging and inventive, which is always a plus, even if I didn’t love it. However, this is not a movie I think I would ever watch again. It’s another film where I almost would have rather watched one of the secondary characters like Betty (played by Renée Estevez), have the story revolve around them dealing with the craziness from the rest of the cast. 

For me, this is a 3 out of 7. Inventiveness and being out of the box is great, but you still have to make a good movie. What we got here was angry high school poetry that would have gotten you put in counseling.

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