ComedyCrime

Heathers

- Best friends, social trends, and occasional murder.

A girl who halfheartedly 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: by killing the popular kids.

Release Date : 1988-10-01

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : New World PicturesCinemarque Entertainment

Production Country : United States of America

Alternative Titles : Westerberg HighLethal Attraction

Cast

Character Name : Veronica Sawyer

Original Name : Winona Ryder

Gender : Female

Character Name : Jason 'J.D.' Dean

Original Name : Christian Slater

Gender : Male

Character Name : Heather Duke

Original Name : Shannen Doherty

Gender : Female

Character Name : Heather McNamara

Original Name : Lisanne Falk

Gender : Female

Character Name : Heather Chandler

Original Name : Kim Walker

Gender : Female

Character Name : Pauline Fleming

Original Name : Penelope Milford

Gender : Female

Character Name : Father Ripper

Original Name : Glenn Shadix

Gender : Male

Character Name : Kurt Kelly

Original Name : Lance Fenton

Gender : Male

Character Name : Veronica's Mom

Original Name : Jennifer Rhodes

Gender : Female

Character Name : Peter Dawson

Original Name : Jeremy Applegate

Gender : Male

Character Name : Ram Sweeney

Original Name : Patrick Labyorteaux

Gender : Male

Character Name : Rodney

Original Name : Jon Matthews

Gender : Male

Character Name : Martha Dunnstock / Dumptruck

Original Name : Carrie Lynn

Gender : Female

Character Name : Dennis

Original Name : Phill Lewis

Gender : Male

Character Name : Betty Finn

Original Name : Renée Estevez

Gender : Female

Character Name : Country Club Keith

Original Name : John Zarchen

Gender : Male

Character Name : Veronica's Dad

Original Name : William Cort

Gender : Male

Character Name : Principal Gowan

Original Name : John Ingle

Gender : Male

Character Name : Counselor Paul Hyde

Original Name : Stuart Mabray

Gender : Male

Character Name : Country Club Courtney

Original Name : Sherrie Wills

Gender : Male

Character Name : David

Original Name : Larry Cox

Gender : Male

Character Name : Brad

Original Name : Kent Stoddard

Gender : Male

Character Name : Kurt's Dad

Original Name : Mark Carlton

Gender : Male

Character Name : Geek

Original Name : Curtiss Marlowe

Gender : Male

Character Name : Fat Cynic

Original Name : Andrew Benne

Gender : Male

Character Name : 1st Heavy Metaller in Pkg. Lot

Original Name : Kevin Hardesty

Gender : Male

Character Name : 2nd Heavy Metaller in Pkg. Lot

Original Name : Josh Richman

Gender : Male

Character Name : Female Stoner

Original Name : Bess Meyer

Gender : Female

Character Name : Teacher in Conference Room

Original Name : Betty Ramey

Gender : Female

Character Name : Nerd in Pauline's Class

Original Name : Aaron Mendelsohn

Gender : Male

Character Name : Big Bud Dean

Original Name : Kirk Scott

Gender : Male

Character Name : Officer McCord

Original Name : Mark Bringelson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Officer Milner

Original Name : Chuck Lafont

Gender : Male

Character Name : Squealing Girl in Parking Lot

Original Name : Christie Mellor

Gender : Male

Character Name : 'Hot Probs' D.J

Original Name : James 'Poorman' Trenton

Gender : Male

Character Name : Gruff Teacher

Original Name : Adrian Drake

Gender : Male

Character Name : Student (uncredited)

Original Name : Craig Braginsky

Gender : Male

Character Name : Student (uncredited)

Original Name : Michael Lindström

Gender : Male

Character Name : Student in the Gym (uncredited)

Original Name : David McConnell

Gender : Male

Character Name : Student in Cafeteria (uncredited)

Original Name : Mike Pont

Gender : Male

Character Name : Student (uncredited)

Original Name : Sylvia Tobias

Gender : Male

Character Name : Voice Actor (uncredited)

Original Name : Jeffrey Weissman

Gender : Male

Reviews

Wuchak

@Wuchak

2021-06-23

RELEASED IN 1989 and directed by Michael Lehmann, “Heathers” stars Winona Ryder as Veronica, a high school student in Ohio who has sold herself out to join the popular clique of three girls, all coincidently named Heather (Kim Walker, Lisanne Falk & Shannen Doherty). The more she spends time with them, however, the more she discovers she can’t stand them. Enter mysterious new kid, JD (Christian Slater), who has a macabre solution to Veronica’s conundrum. This is an oddball teen movie that tries to be edgy and amusing with its black humor and overt cussing. Future movies were influenced by it, like “Jawbreaker” (1999) and maybe even “Mean Girls” (2004). The commentary on peer pressure, teen suicide and the maiming destructiveness of cliques is potent. Teens can be misled by the “popular” students, yes, but they can also be misled by the outcasts. Slater stands out as a sorta dark Fonz of the late 80s, easily one of his best roles ever. Ryder is surprisingly good as the protagonist. I say “surprisingly” because I was never big on her (although I didn’t dislike her either). The first act is quite good, but the story gets humdrum in the middle; thankfully, the last 20 minutes perk up. The late 80’s ambiance is to die for. I’m not going to give it away, but the original ending was way more morbid. They had an alternative ending that they didn’t go with either. Apparently the studio pressured the writer/director to go with the theatrical ending, which I approve. It’s a story of redemption. Being misled by corrupt people for a season doesn’t define a person forever. THE MOVIE RUNS 1 hours & 43 minutes and was shot in Los Angeles (the high school) and surrounding area (Santa Monica, Tujunga and Pasadena). WRITER: Daniel Waters. GRADE: B-/C+

mkersten

@mkersten

2021-08-05

This movie is a high school satire done absolutely amazingly. It's everything current high school dramas wish they were. It's dark, funny, but does not lose any of its meaning to stupid jokes. It perfectly shows the hell that is high school (and society as a whole). Just like in high school, there are Marthas and Heathers everywhere in life. J.D. is a great villain, because even though from his very introduction, we know he's a messed up person who does bad things, yet you start to empathize with him just like Veronica. It shows that, as a society, we go to great lengths to defend white men and their actions. Heathers is furthermore also obviously a critique on the social hierarchies that exist in the world. It shows this on a smaller scale, high school. As J.D. nicely sums up towards the end of the movie: ".. because high school IS society". The Heathers rule the school and this movie really shows as to why that is. It's a system, that puts certain people at the top, like Heathers, and other _Martha's_ at the bottom. Murdering Heather Chandler might seem like a way to disrupt this hierarchy, and restore society to a pure form, but that is not the case. Heather Chandler does not equal her power, that's just a role she filled in the bigger system around them. Her being gone doesn't remove that role, it just passes it on to the next best fit. In this movie, colors play a significant role. Heather Chandler being red represents anger and her dominance. Heather McNamara being yellow represents her kind soul, but also her weakness. Heather Duke's green represents her jealousy of Chandler. Veronica's signature color is blue which represents intelligence, but after having murdered Heather Chandler she wears a purple outfit. As you may know, blue and red make purple. I see this as Heather Chandlers 'evilness' affecting Veronica as well. Veronica might think she's rid the world of evil, yet she's simply become evil herself.

kevin2019

@kevin2019

2025-01-10

"Heathers" is almost like a jet black version of "Rebel Without A Cause" (1955) or some such as it steadfastly plumbs the complicated labyrinthine depths of teenage angst and comes up with a radical and downright homicidal anti-social solution. It is overflowing with the largely inconsequential concerns of the hierarchy which exists in all schools to a greater or lesser degree and it provides some harsh examples of this at its most cruel and unforgiving. Who would want to be a teenager again? Anyway, no matter how dark this film becomes and no matter how close Veronica is to ridding her life of the Heathers of the title, she still demurs at the last moment and stops short (she even prevents the eager J.D. from blowing the school up with explosives). The message here is a simple one: The wholesale destruction of the school and all it represents to disenfranchised teenagers everywhere is not the answer to life's innumerable problems.