Admirable film.

Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Blistering performances.

Interestingly, there are some films that were wildly popular at the time they were released, but today seem like they should never have been made in the first place. Such a movie is "Heathers", when viewed within the context of massive school shootings and rampant suicide by disaffected members of society. I really couldn't get into the spirit of this picture, if spirit is even the right word. Veronica Sawyer (Winona Ryder) seemed like the only responsible girl in her clique of multiple Heathers, yet succumbed to the fake charm of outsider Jason Dean (Christian Slater). That J.D.'s last name was Dean ought to give one an indication that in matters of high school decorum, he truly was a rebel without a cause.As a satire and parody of teenage disaffection the story has some merit, but when the principal characters take it to it's ultimate extreme, it ceases to be funny. So much so, that it's easy to come away with the impression that J.D. and Veronica wound up killing all three Heathers when in fact it was only Heather Red (Kim Walker) that got the Drano treatment. Heather Green (Shannen Doherty) surfaced to take her place as Westerburg High's resident queen bee, while Heather Yellow (Lisanne Falk) was ignominiously dumped from the script following her bathroom meltdown attended by a supportive Veronica.Besides the understated James Dean connection, I also had to do a quick double take when the story line introduced Veronica's former best friend. Taking place in the fictional town of Sherwood, Ohio, I was quite expecting Archie, Reggie and Jughead to show up from nearby Riverdale, because when all was said and done, why else would you introduce a couple of your principal characters as Betty and Veronica?

Hands down, one of the most unusual movies I've seen a long time, "Heathers" feels like a snarky response to the '80s teen movie. And it works pretty well on that level, but even better as a black comedy. It leaves no one out of its cross hairs, from the school faculty and the dumb jocks to - hell, even the state of Ohio. Everyone's an idiot. Or a sociopath.I didn't know what to expect with this movie, but it's sharp, surreal, and very funny. Not to mention Winona Ryder at her cutest.Wickedly entertaining.7/10

So it's a cult movie that seems to strike a nerve with everyone having gone to an American high school. Not being American, I have some trouble relating to the characters, even taking into account their obvious caricature. There are some bumpy p(l)ot holes along the way, like Heather number one gulping down the drink without even sniffing it just because she was 'dared', the second footballer/victim running directly back to where he knows the first one was killed (even as brainless as he is, that's a reach), J.D. speaking out loud (not even psychopaths regularly do that unless is furthers the story) to a faceless hanged Veronica so obviously not hanging from her neck, Veronica turning up at school without a plan or an attempt to warn the other people, randomly looking for J.D. who could be blowing up the school at every moment. Just because it's satire doesn't mean you should just give a free pass to every terribly constructed story turn.I like both lead actors, had a crush on Winona Ryder like every teenage boy with eyes in the nineties. But even though there is gushing praise for their acting in many people's reviews here, my experience was different. Making a caricature out of a character is easy, playing the caricature in a believable way is hard. I didn't feel they were able to pull the latter off.The 6/10 is a measure of enjoying the challenge the movie presents, to homicide and suicide portrayal ethics, to your ability to digest the first unexpected murder, to rule violations in general like the compassionate protagonist clinically witnessing her former boyfriend's gory suicide.The movie is different, unconstrained and is bound to tumble around in your thoughts for a while.

If high school hierarchies with a dash of pyromania sounds like your kind of movie, look no further than "Heathers" (Michael Lehmann, 1988): a classic 80s movie with a murderous twist. Not to be fooled by the title, the film centers on Winona Ryder who is most enchanting as Veronica, a witty member of the popular social group nick-named The Heathers. Veronica's high IQ is wasted on finding keggers, that is until she meets darkhorse JD (Christian Slater) who teaches her a different way to survive the social perils of high school. Stylistically, "Heathers" feels like watching a John Hughes film on cough syrup. There is a hazy, dreamlike quality to the film, particularly notable in the opening sequence where the "the Heathers" are playing croquet and Veronica is depicted as the ball getting pounded on. For an evening eerie of high school drama, be sure to watch "Heathers"- it will not disappoint.