Cinemarque EntertainmentContent warning: this article contains mentions of sexual assault, suicide, and murder.
Michael Lehmann’s Heathers may be outdated in more than just fashion, but it’s still an extremely memorable satire.
Heathers follows Veronica (Winona Ryder), who is a member of the most popular clique at her school, as she teams up with the local sociopath (Christian Slater) to murder her former friends, the Heathers (Shannen Doherty, Kim Walker, and Lisanne Falk) after she witnesses their cruel taunts towards another student.
For a film that’s so widely praised, there’s not one character that’s likable. Sure, Christian Slater and Winona Ryder are amazing actors, but their characters, J.D. (also known as Dean) and Veronica are incredibly annoying. I recognize that J.D. is not supposed to be liked at all, but why Veronica stays with him for so long is something I cannot fathom at all.
From “fuck me gently with a chainsaw” to “dear diary, my teen angst bullshit has a body count,” Heathers is a highly quotable movie — there’s no denying that. Nevertheless, there is a fair amount of disturbing content, such as the fake suicide of closeted-gay football players and a full-grown man pressuring a teenage girl to give him a blowjob. Although, it’s a good thing I find this disturbing or that audiences can think about it critically.
Since it was the 80s, many teen comedies like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Sixteen Candles often dealt with tropes, such as the pretty rich girl or the nerdy boy. Heathers does utilize them, but only to subvert them at the end. For instance, J.D. is the cute-but-mysterious new kid, but, instead of becoming the sweet boy that the main girl falls in love with, he’s actually a sociopath. I think the act of subverting well-loved tropes made the movie interesting and innovative.
Now, the reception of school shooters has changed dramatically since the airing of this movie in 1988. Due to the countless other school shootings, lack of government action, and the subsequent protests that all have been happening since the 80s, a film like this could not have been made in this decade. It’s not because “millennials are snowflakes,” but, rather, we can’t find humour in something that shouldn’t be an issue anymore. Seriously, Winona Ryder is almost 50 years old and she now plays mothers on-screen, but we’re still having the same discussions that were being held when she was a young adult.
I have to admit I couldn’t take my eyes off of the screen, watching every horrible, immoral act take place. I like art that’s transgressive, as art shouldn’t always please the public. I also enjoy dark humour, because I’m a cynic at heart.
At the end of the day, I don’t know what to make of this movie — do I appreciate the film’s transgressive humour or is it an unproductive way of discussing an issue? What I do know is that it’s a highly memorable story and that it did change the direction of teen films.
