Heathers (1989)

Released in 1989, HEATHERS received sharply mixed reviews. The film was popular in a few major metro markets, but it proved a box office disappointment overall. Although many regarded it as a failed take-off on such "high school angst" films as THE BREAKFAST CLUB, more than a few critics saw it as a film too much ahead of its time and predicted that it would have more of an impact down the road. They were right. When the film began to reach the home market it exploded in popularity, and given such later high school horrors as Columbine today the film seems less take-off than downright prophetic.

It is also one of the most wickedly funny movies to hit the screen since Stanley Kubrik's DR. STRANGELOVE. The story starts off normally enough: extremely bright, extremely attractive Veronica (Winona Ryder) is a high school junior who has fallen in with the high school clique to end all high school cliques, three young women each named Heather (Kim Walker, Lisanne Falk, and Shannen Doherty.) The Heathers are pretty, smart, rich... and intent on shoring up their own social positions by crushing every one around them with a degree of vindictiveness that only the teenagers can successfully carry.

When Veronica meets new student J.D. Dean (Christian Slater) her interest in the Heathers begins to wane and they turn on her. J.D. has his own plan to help Veronica get even. It involves a cup of Liquid Drano--and before Veronica can think she finds herself making a murder look like suicide. The result is, as Veronica puts it, teen-age angst with a body count, and quite suddenly suicide seems the "in thing" at Westerberg High.

If you recall high school fondly, you were probably one of the popular kids. For the rest of us, HEATHERS is so accurate that it will make you wince in its portrait of unthinking cruelty: the meanness of the up-scale cliques and brainless jocks, the ridiculed good kids, the savage assaults on the unpopular ones. it is bitter, bitter stuff.

It is also extremely funny. Much of this is due to a truly brilliant script by Daniel Waters, who recognizes that teens rarely speak to adults in the same way that they speak to each other--and he not only brings forth the casually used profanity, he essentially creates a truly believable and hilariously funny mode of slang that characterizes the "in crowd." And Waters' plot is even more disconcerting and outrageously funny as it runs, with unexpected logic, to a truly deadly conclusion.

The performances are knockouts. Ryder has given quite a few memorable performances, but she has never been more remarkable than she is here as Veronica, the good girl turned unintentional killer; Christian Slater has never topped the performance he gives here as J.D. The "Heathers" are perfectly, flawless cast, as is every one from the weary principal to Veronica's vacuous parents. As for direction, Michael Lehmann moves the film at a rapid clip, hitting more high points than you can imagine. Indeed, everything about the film is first-rate.

The DVD package is very nice, including an interesting audio commentary, an interesting documentary featuring interviews with director, writer, and major cast members (Kim Walker, who died in 2001, sadly excepted), and a script of the ending as originally planned by writer Waters. I recommend the film as a "must have"--but a word of warning. If you were one of the very popular during your high school years, you won't find it in the least enjoyable. Yes: that's really how the rest of us saw you.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

For a lot of teenagers, popularity takes precedence over high SAT scores or early admission into an Ivy. It's literally viewed as a matter of life or death, and no film brings that truth to life as vividly as "Heathers." Winona Ryder is Veronica, who (along with Heather Duke, Heather McNamara, and Heather Chandler) belongs to Westerburg High School's most elite and coveted clique. These four young women supposedly epitomize the essence of cool, and earning their stamp of approval is as prestigious as getting knighted by Her Majesty. But things get nasty when Veronica violently clashes with one of the Heathers, and shortly thereafter the clique slowly collapses under its own weight. Of course, there's much more to the film's plot, which is a brilliant satire on high school, the firece competition to be popular and well-liked, and the faculty's inability to connect with their students. Pregnant with one-liners and armed with a Ginsu-sharp script, "Heathers" is a pitch-perfect comedy that's wickedly funny. The best performances definitely belong to Ryder and then-unknown Shannen Doherty. Those who rolled their eyes at the "happily-ever-after" sentiment of "Sixteen Candles" have bonded with this film over the years, turing it into a small scale classic. "Heathers" didn't exactly set the box office on fire upon release in 1989, but it's definitely grown in popularity since then. Give it a look, and you'll see why.

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This dark comedy is laced with satire, humor, and wit, much like many of my favorite novels. Winona Ryder and Christian Slater make the ideal duo until she realizes she needs "cool guys like him out of her life."

Winona, here as Veronica Sawyer, was formerly the best gal pal of dorky yet insanely innocent and kind Betty Finn (both character names are derived from the Archie comic strip). Now, she's taken it up with three girls by the name of Heather. Duke and Chandler may or may not be genuinely evil, while McNamara is just plain pathetically insecure. The thing is, Veronica hates her new so-called friends. It's just their "job to be popular and s***," that's all.

Christian Slater, to my utter dismay, seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth since this booming debut. Here, his performance mimicks that of witty and humorous Jack Nicolson.

"Greetings and salutations." :)

J.D. and Veronica make the ideal couple. Both are witty, bright, and loathe the existence of the high school world. Only J.D. is insanely violent as well, and his actions are bringing about vast repercussions for not only himself, but for Veronica as well. And Veronica is beginning to wise up and realize that J.D., despite his charms and wit, isn't worth all his trouble(s) and excess baggage. Besides, he's got an unhealthy fascination with guns.

After the demise of the leading Heather their doing through liquid bleach a second Heather takes her place as leader, even more aggressive and bratty than her predecessor.

Veronica ponders what to do over old and new friendships and accidental deaths in her diary. She and hunky J.D. manage to kill a Heather and two dim-witted jocks but escape suspicion for murder because they leave behind suicide notes. Veronica can perfectly imitate handwriting styles, as we find out during the first 5 minutes of the film when the three Heathers coerce her into writing a love note to high school outcast Martha "Dumptruck" Dunstock and signing a popular jock's signature to it. She approaches him at his lunch table and uproarious laughter ensues.

Teenage suicide seems to be all the rage in the world of Westerburg High, despite the popularity of fictional band Big Fun's hit single, "Teenage Suicide (Don't Do It)." Even though Veronica has left J.D. behind, he still has conjured up his own evil plans concerning the future of Westerburg. And the Heather in control is abusing her privileges Veronica knows she wants out.

HEATHERS is so much more than a screwball comedy. Since its release, no other film has managed to live up to the same wit and dark humor and charm found throughout, making this film a genuine benchmark in the history of movies and the 80s, for that matter. HEATHERS takes one glimpse at the work of ultra-cool 80s director/writer John Hughes and laughs in his face, making his Molly Ringwald flicks look like garbage in comparison.

Could this be why Winona is still alive in Hollywood and Molly is not?

Perhaps.

Read Best Reviews of Heathers (1989) Here

Likely you've already seen this excellent film starring Christian Slater and Winona Ryder. It's a contemporary cult classic and for good reason.

Therefore, I'll give you some info on this limited edition release :

This limited edition comes from Anchor Bay Entertainment and is packaged as a blue metal locker. Inside the locker is a bunch of very cool stuff. First, a cool t-shirt. There are three possible shirts which you might get, but you only get one. Secondly, there are a set of magnets which can be used to decorate the locker. Not outstanding, but kind of neat, none the less. You also get a year-book, featuring info and photos from the film.

What is not made clear though is that you get your standard wide screen DVD version, you also get a BLU-RAY version of the movie. Look closely at the picture of the back of the packaging. See that there are three discs displayed? One is a Blu-Ray. Yipee!

Oh, and each locker is a numbered limited edition.

Exact Description of Contents : The Limited Edition Locker Set contains: a numbered locker, a 20-page hardcover Heathers yearbook, an 'awesome' T-shirt, 14 locker/fridge magnets, a collectable Westerburg algebra book, the BluRay Disc and two DVDs. Those DVDs will present the film in an anamorphic 1.85:1 transfer with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound and contain the features highlighted above in addition to an original ending screenplay excerpt accessible from DVD-ROM.

This is a great collectible, well worth the price.

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This is not a review of the movie, but strictly of the blu ray transfer. Being this a movie of the 80's, many of you may be wondering. I compared side by side w/ 2 BD players: the upscaled (HDMI) dvd vs. the BD of Heathers. The BD is absolutely stunning improvement and rivals any recent BD movie releases in clarity and detail, definitely high def. Though there are occasional artifacts, and jittering, but it's miniscule in comparison to the picture improvement. Definitely worth the upgrade! As far as the pop up facts new to BD, it's not that big of a feature and shouldn't be a deciding factor. Any minute facts you need are on the internet. The amazing BD transfer should work you into this upgrade immediately. Let's say I was very impressed! I'm surprised the package insert didn't say remastered.