Heathers (1988)

Director:

Michael Lehmann

Writer:

Daniel Waters (written by)

Release Date:

31 March 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime

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:

Two stars of the movie died at an early age: Jeremy Applegate (Peter Dawson, whose character prays he will never commit suicide) committed suicide with a shotgun on March 23, 2000, and Kim Walker (Heather Chandler, who had the line "Did you have a brain tumor for breakfast?") died of a brain tumor on March 6, 2001.

Goofs:

Continuity: Veronica's hairstyle constantly changes, often between shots (bangs/no bangs).

Quotes:

J.D.: Well, ah... Let's take a look at some of the homosexual artifacts I dug up to plant at the scene.
[He picks up a shopping bag and pulls items out of it]
J.D.: All right. Got an issue of "Stud Puppy."
Veronica Sawyer: Great!
[She laughs]
J.D.: Candy dish. Joan Crawford postcard. Let's see, some mascara. All right. And here's the one perfecto thing I picked up. Mineral water.
Veronica Sawyer: Oh, come on, a lot of people drink mineral water, it's come a long way.
J.D.: Yeah, but this is Ohio. I mean, if you don't have a brewski in your hand you might as well be wearing a dress.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "House M.D.: Joy to the World (#5.11)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

You're The Only One For Me

Brilliant Film

There is hardly a doubt in my mind that Heathers is one of the best films of the 1980s, if not included in a list that names all the essential films of movidedom. The movie is about Veronica Sawyer (Winona Ryder) who is fed up with her role and association with the cruelest and most popular clique in Remington High. The three other members (appropriatley named Heather and identified by their last names 'Duke', hobbies 'Cheerleader', and position '#1') are the dominant members of the school and take pride and joy in other's suffering. It isn't until Veronica meets a loner named Jason Dean (Christian Slater) that she finally has an outlet to vent her frustration about her life. Eventually JD and Veronica murder the leader of the clique and are forced to cover it up with a suicide. This leads to a horrificly dark satire of the teenage suicide epidemic of the eighties. After JD's rage continues Veronica must ask herself the question: Is she on the way to the prom or to hell? The movie is brilliant acted by Ryder, but the show is stolen by Slater. His Nicholson-esque performance is eerie and he gets my vote as one of the top villains of all time. The supporting roles are done well enough with the standouts being Dean's creepy father and Paula Fleming, the guidance counselour. Lehman directs the movie with a brilliant mix of colors that range from lighter at the beginning of the movie to darker at the end, as the tone changes. Although both Lehman and Waters would never match their previous success (they were actually quite bad after Heathers) this film proves that they did at one time have something to offer the world of cinema. While the story may seem like an ordinary black comedy and satire of the 1980s teen films it has a very simple message underneath: Be your own person. We have always been told in our lives to "not do something just because it's cool". So many teens reflect that, but there is also the other side of the coin "don't do something just because it's uncool" which Veronica tries with JD. So many teens conform to unconformity which doesn't make them individuals at all, this was really the first film to satire that other side of the argument. Be your own person does not mean rebel against the popular people or to join them, it just means be yourself and I think by the end of the film the viewer shares with Veronica's journey.