*Possibly contains mild plot spoilers. You have been warned!*
The most ingenious of the so-called "dark comedies" are successful for the way that they manage to take a most unpleasant aspect of human society and lambast said sociological flaw as shrewdly as possible. _Fargo_, for example, tackles middle class complacency, while _Election_ celebrates the triumph of human greed.
_Heathers_, undoubtedly one of the most vicious, relentlessly cynical films in a genre that thrives on its use of satire, focuses on the pettiness and ill-conceived social mores upon which the uniquely American construct of "upward social mobility" are based. Certainly no one who views this film will ever look at the game of croquet in quite the same way again.
And therein lies the greatest strength of _Heathers_ as a film-- its uncanny ability to remove the commonplace from the reality that the viewer knows and to reconstruct the symbols it chooses-- including croquet; funerals; pep rallies; and, in one of the film's most memorable scenes, mineral water-- within the context of the fictional Westerburg High in such a way that, although greatly distorted, an uncomfortable familiarity is retained. The effective use of all of these reconstructions is a vicious cariacature of a power struggle that is based upon little more than which of the involved individuals can exhibit the most grossly deviant behavior without getting caught.
And those individuals are characters fully developed to a truly rare extent, as the motives of even the minor players such as Heather McNamara (as opposed to Heather Chandler or Heather Duke...) are explored. Winona Rider gives one of the very best performances of her accomplished career as Veronica Sawyer, the member of "The Heathers" who dares to challenge the status quo. The results, of course, are gloriously disastrous, as her involvement with Christian Slater's-- also in peak form-- mysterious, murderous Jason Dean nearly results in the destruction of Westerburg in its entirety. As is, Veronica says it best when she writes, "Our love has a body count."
The most satisfying complexity of _Heathers_ is that, at the ultimate, explosive resolution of the struggle for supreme popularity and control of Westerburg, the most overtly corrupt character actually _does_ ascend to authority. Though she does maintain a certain strength of character that permits her to promise some important changes by film's end, Veronica's method for attaining the power that allows her to make such a decree could not be called noble, not even by the most unflinching cynic.
As far as films go, _Heathers_ is brilliantly crafted. The dialogue is hilarious, with vicious one-liners coming at a rapid-fire pace. All of the performances, particularly those of the perfectly-matched Rider and Slater, are first rate, and they convey a self-awareness and complexity that might seem to belie individuals who so thoroughly revel in their own shallowness. Interesting murder sequences and satisfying plot twists keep _Heathers_ engaging for the duration of Veronica's tale of redemption.
RATING: 10 out of 10. One of just a handful of near-perfect films out there. Never taking itself too seriously, _Heathers_ carries shrewd social criticism without ever being obvious. A should-be classic film that, for now, must settle for "cult" status. A gleefully vicious satire of adult society packaged into an intelligent film that should appeal to anyone who has ever attended high school.
The most ingenious of the so-called "dark comedies" are successful for the way that they manage to take a most unpleasant aspect of human society and lambast said sociological flaw as shrewdly as possible. _Fargo_, for example, tackles middle class complacency, while _Election_ celebrates the triumph of human greed.
_Heathers_, undoubtedly one of the most vicious, relentlessly cynical films in a genre that thrives on its use of satire, focuses on the pettiness and ill-conceived social mores upon which the uniquely American construct of "upward social mobility" are based. Certainly no one who views this film will ever look at the game of croquet in quite the same way again.
And therein lies the greatest strength of _Heathers_ as a film-- its uncanny ability to remove the commonplace from the reality that the viewer knows and to reconstruct the symbols it chooses-- including croquet; funerals; pep rallies; and, in one of the film's most memorable scenes, mineral water-- within the context of the fictional Westerburg High in such a way that, although greatly distorted, an uncomfortable familiarity is retained. The effective use of all of these reconstructions is a vicious cariacature of a power struggle that is based upon little more than which of the involved individuals can exhibit the most grossly deviant behavior without getting caught.
And those individuals are characters fully developed to a truly rare extent, as the motives of even the minor players such as Heather McNamara (as opposed to Heather Chandler or Heather Duke...) are explored. Winona Rider gives one of the very best performances of her accomplished career as Veronica Sawyer, the member of "The Heathers" who dares to challenge the status quo. The results, of course, are gloriously disastrous, as her involvement with Christian Slater's-- also in peak form-- mysterious, murderous Jason Dean nearly results in the destruction of Westerburg in its entirety. As is, Veronica says it best when she writes, "Our love has a body count."
The most satisfying complexity of _Heathers_ is that, at the ultimate, explosive resolution of the struggle for supreme popularity and control of Westerburg, the most overtly corrupt character actually _does_ ascend to authority. Though she does maintain a certain strength of character that permits her to promise some important changes by film's end, Veronica's method for attaining the power that allows her to make such a decree could not be called noble, not even by the most unflinching cynic.
As far as films go, _Heathers_ is brilliantly crafted. The dialogue is hilarious, with vicious one-liners coming at a rapid-fire pace. All of the performances, particularly those of the perfectly-matched Rider and Slater, are first rate, and they convey a self-awareness and complexity that might seem to belie individuals who so thoroughly revel in their own shallowness. Interesting murder sequences and satisfying plot twists keep _Heathers_ engaging for the duration of Veronica's tale of redemption.
RATING: 10 out of 10. One of just a handful of near-perfect films out there. Never taking itself too seriously, _Heathers_ carries shrewd social criticism without ever being obvious. A should-be classic film that, for now, must settle for "cult" status. A gleefully vicious satire of adult society packaged into an intelligent film that should appeal to anyone who has ever attended high school.