'Why are you reviewing another old movie?' I hear you cry. 'I thought this blog was only reviewing new movies'. Au contraire, mon ami! This is a blog that reviews every film I see at the cinema this year. And yes, I was lucky enough to finally, after all these years of it being one of my favourite films, got to see Heathers at the cinema.
Anyone who's read my reviews of Blue Valentine or The Princess Bride will know that one of my favourite places in London is the Prince Charles Cinema (http://www.princecharlescinema.com/). I previously stated that "one of the reasons I love that cinema so much is that they show quirky independent films on general release as well as special screenings of older classics, such as this". Sometimes I'm just so eloquent!
For anyone who hasn't seen it/heard of it (shame on you!), Heathers is the story of Veronica (Winona Ryder), who is a member of the most popular clique in Westerberg High. The other three girls in the clique all happen to share the name Heather and are all vile in their own special way. When Veronica meets the rebellious J.D (Christian Slater) she immediately recognises how alike they are and together they wreak havoc on the school. First by plotting the demise of the lead Heather (Kim Walker) and then the two school jocks Kurt and Ram (Lance Fenton and Patrick Labyorteaux). They disguise the murders they carry out as suicides and soon the whole school is trying to get in on the act and follow the cool kids way out. Unbeknown to the students of Westerberg High, J.D is already planning the way out for everybody.
Does J.D blow up the school? Will Veronica and J.D end up living happily ever after? Well if you haven't already seen Heathers I'm certainly not going to spoil it for you. You will simply have to buy (Amazon - http://tinyurl.com/3bwlstq) or rent (LoveFilm - http://tinyurl.com/3z3dwxh) it and find out for yourself!
What I will say is that Heathers is a film that turned the 80's teen movies on their head. Before Heathers, Hollywood was making films like The Breakfast Club and Pretty In Pink, and after it, Hollywood got a sense of irony! There are fantastic performances from all involved and more quotable lines than you can shake a stick at.
An almost perfect movie. Certainly one of the best films of the 80's. 9.5 out of 10.
What I will say is that Heathers is a film that turned the 80's teen movies on their head. Before Heathers, Hollywood was making films like The Breakfast Club and Pretty In Pink, and after it, Hollywood got a sense of irony! There are fantastic performances from all involved and more quotable lines than you can shake a stick at.
An almost perfect movie. Certainly one of the best films of the 80's. 9.5 out of 10.
*Below is the best trailer I could find for Heathers but it's under the foreign title Lethal Attraction (which I'm sure we all agree is a terrible title!). I wish I could find the Channel 4 advert for Heathers (tried You Tube but I couldn't see it) from when they showed it as part of an 80's movie season with Stand By Me and Cry Baby - it was a brilliant advert and had an amazing rhyme which I can't quite remember...*
Four little girls, not as they should,
three of them were bad, one of them was good,
along came a guy looking for some fun,
he took the good girl and gave her a gun...
(If anyone has this advert or remembers the rhyme, let me know coz it's honestly driving me mad that I can't remember!)
Viewing Date - 23rd May 2011
Original UK Release Date - 17th November 1989 (I was 8)
Cast Overview:
Winona Ryder ~ Veronica
Christian Slater ~ J.D.
Shannen Doherty ~ Heather Duke
Lisanne Falk ~ Heather McNamara
Kim Walker ~ Heather Chandler
Penelope Milford ~ Pauline Fleming
Glenn Shadix ~ Father Ripper
Lance Fenton ~ Kurt Kelly
Patrick Labyorteaux ~ Ram Sweeney
Carrie Lynn ~ Martha Dunnstock aka Dumptruck
Director ~ Michael Lehmann
Writer ~ Daniel Waters
Heathers is a classic, i love it. x
ReplyDeleteEllen! Your first comment! Yey! Glad you love it, you do have good taste in 80's movies! ;0D
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