Heathers (1988) ****1/2
Heathers (1988) plays like a John Hughes movie with bite—a dark high school satire that still feels relevant almost 30 years later (and not just to high schoolers). Without Heathers there would be no Election (1999), no Mean Girls (2004), probably no Kevin Smith.
While it's not showy, director Michael Lehmann and his design team infuse his debut film with a hyperreal style that has aged quite well. It's no surprise that Batman Returns (1992) (review) is my favorite Batman film and superhero film, because it was written by this film's writer, Daniel Waters. Dialogue is Heathers' strong suit—honest, brutal, brilliant, hilarious, endlessly quotable—and the perfectly-cast leads (Wynona Ryder and Christian Slater, only a few films into their careers at this point) deliver it with aplomb.
All the themes of Heathers remain pertinent—bullying, suicide, sexual assault, homophobia, popularity, power struggles, abusive/manipulative (boy)friends, school violence—all within the context of a smart comedy (that even has a "happy" ending).
While it's not showy, director Michael Lehmann and his design team infuse his debut film with a hyperreal style that has aged quite well. It's no surprise that Batman Returns (1992) (review) is my favorite Batman film and superhero film, because it was written by this film's writer, Daniel Waters. Dialogue is Heathers' strong suit—honest, brutal, brilliant, hilarious, endlessly quotable—and the perfectly-cast leads (Wynona Ryder and Christian Slater, only a few films into their careers at this point) deliver it with aplomb.
All the themes of Heathers remain pertinent—bullying, suicide, sexual assault, homophobia, popularity, power struggles, abusive/manipulative (boy)friends, school violence—all within the context of a smart comedy (that even has a "happy" ending).
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