Date watched: April 24, 2022
Date Reviewed: April 25, 2022
Review
Dear diary,
Yesterday was a pretty rad day. I spent the afternoon with a friend drinking margaritas and watching a couple of films that I haven’t seen before. Second film was my pick and I was so excited to see Heathers on her bookshelf – something I’ve been wanting to see for the longest time.
Yet again I wonder why did I wait so long to bring this joy into my life? This is totally a teen flick I would have loved growing up with and would have been a nice accompaniment to the teen films I had on high rotation growing up; Clueless, Cruel Intensions, Bring it On, 10 Things I Hate About You, Not Another Teen Movie to name but a few!
Winona Ryder plays Veronica, a teen desperate to fit in at high school that she ditches her real friends to join the popular girls – who all happen to be named Heather (hence the title). Over time she comes to hate the very girls she so wanted to fit in with and wishes them out of her life, and in typical teenage angst, out of her life by death. Cue the new guy in town, JD (played by Christian Slater) who is a mysterious outsider that plays by his own rules and it’s not long before he makes Veronica’s wishes a reality.
Heathers still holds up to date where the problematic behaviour of the popular kids are what drives the plot – they aren’t nice people, so is it so bad that they die? (To paraphrase JD). Tackling issues of sexism, bullying, homophobia, and date rape which are (sadly) still relevant even today, albeit better improved in some areas, Heathers remains a relevant film today.
Getting through high school is tough for many and the people that you associate yourself with can often dictate the experience of how well you can make it through those years. Some opt to make friends with those they don’t really like for the sake of popularity. Whether that was the viewer’s experience or not, there are characters that they will be able to relate to, which I guess is the nature of teen flicks. This one feels like it does it well.
The main Heather (Chandler) really nails the classic high school “bitch”, the prom queen if you will. She is the one pulling strings, setting up nasty pranks and initiation rights into the popular group. Like all she has her own personal struggles yet these don’t seem to make her much of a redeeming character to me. Not that her fate is justified!
One of the other Heathers (Duke) is played by Shannen Doherty and this is the film which helped break her career in 90210. Her character does seem more redeemable towards the start of the film. Like Veronica she also is unhappy under the control of the main Heather and also wants out. She seems nice but when her opportunity roles around, she’s almost just as bad as the others. While I felt upset by this, it also wasn’t that surprising. By nature of the film, we’re on Veronica’s side.
In comparison to another teen film which I wanted for the first time only recently (in the last year or two) – Mean Girls – I enjoyed Heathers so much more. At the time I felt that I wasn’t the right target audience when watching it, which may be the case, however I connected with Heathers so much more. I really loved Winona Ryder, this was in a period when she was really in her prime, I found Heathers witty and dark and there are just so many memorable lines and laugh out loud moments. I can see watching Heathers many more times. It’s just so very.
I’d say to my friends, if they’ve never seen Heathers and don’t mind a teen flick, to find a copy and give it a watch on their next available weekend. I don’t think they will be disappointed.
As I wrap up this entry, I think it might be time to get my croquet mallet and red scrunchie! Perhaps a contender for next Halloween costume?