Thursday, July 4, 2013

#tbt Heathers review

"Now there's a school that self-destructed, not because society didn't care, but because the school was society."
That quote is just one of the many great lines in the great 80's film, Heathers. The plot of Heathers is there's this girl Veronica, played by Winona Ryder, who hangs out with the popular kids, but is actually really sick of them. Soon she meets an interesting kid named J.D. and they hatch a plan to get revenge on the the popular clique known as the Heathers. That plan is to murder them, and frame it as a suicide. Pretty sick, right? It starts out with one girl and soon snowballs into something bigger then Veronica. Despite the macabre and kind of messed up story, Heathers is still a hilarious and enjoyable movie. It takes the thoughts and ideas that frustrated kids have had and then takes it to a whole different level. The script is so quick-witted and smart and the characters are so well acted and well  written. I honestly don't know why this script didn't at least get an Oscar nomination. The movie is truly brilliant, but I don't think it could've been released today. It deals with such taboo ideals like teen suicide and murder with satire and humor, that it would surely spark protest and angry emails today. But a lot of what makes it "taboo" makes it so relevant for today. Heathers is as timeless a movie as say, The Godfather. I'm not saying it's as good as The Godfather, but it is certainly timeless. As I said before, the writing here is really awesome. Daniel Waters wrote such a great screenplay, you can see J.D. start out as a slightly crazy loner who just wants the popular kids gone, to a sociopath who is willing to blow up the school. All of this is supplemented with Christian Slater's acting. Winona Ryder is really good also. I last saw her in A Scanner Darkly and I thought she was decent. She plays the role of the angry high school girl with such talent, I can honestly say this is her best work. I really think that there is so much going on in this film, that it really should be dissected by someone who really knows what they're talking about. Heathers has a lot more depth to it then one would think.There aren't very many great high school movies around today. On occasion you'll get something good, but there hasn't been a coming-of-age film quite like Heathers in a while. With it's combination of satire, drama, and even action; Heathers is one movie I can really recommend. Happy Viewing and Happy Throwback Thursday! Remember, you can follow me on Twitter @WhitsMovies and like me on Facebook at Facebook.com/WhitsMovies!

2 comments:

  1. Good review Whit. Some of it feels dated in spots, but overall, it touches on the whole aspect of high school and what makes you cool, or not cool. Obviously, blowing up the whole school is.

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