Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir #127: Heathers

Genre: Drama/Drame

Annee/Year: 1989

Format: DVD

Heathers. This is a bit more obsucre movie from the late '80s which is very polarizing: either you will hate it or you will think it is a masterpiece. Written by Daniel Waters (Hudson hawk, Demolition man) many think it is his best work. The movie was directed by Michael Lehman (participation to True Blood and Calfornication, 40 days and 40 nights,..). The casting included as Veronica the young Winona Rider (Dracula, Edward Scissorhands "see review #124", Beetlejuice, Alien: ressurection, Girl interrupted...) in the strong willed high school adolescent girl and her dark boyfriend is played by Chritian Slather (In the name of the Rose, True Romance, Interview with the vampire,...) an actor which has been compared to a modern Jack Nicholson. Both play good performances especially compared to man of their peers. Shannen Doherty (90210, Charmed) plays one of the three Heathers which form a high school bitch squad who think the world is their oyster. Veronica
wants to join that tight IN group of the Heathers. But she will soon find the price to pay is quite high.

This movie depicts in a grim and funnily realistic way sometimes the cruelty of teens against each other. It really plays very much in contrast compared to the John Hugues movies of that late eighies.
Always done in a tongue and cheek way it strikes many chords which ring true. The theme of the movie being teen suicide makes this laughing matter much more serious on occasion.

Heathers. Bien que ce film date des années '80 et que le film semble très léger, ce n'est pas le cas. Le film est une comédie sombre sur l'attitude haineuse des adolescents du secondaire entre eux. Le sujet est traité à travers le thème du suicide adolescent; ce qui le rend très sombre par moment même s’il s'agit d'une comédie. Le directeur Michael Lehman (participation a True Blood et Calfornication, 40 days and 40 nights,..) et l'écrivain Daniel Waters (Hudson hawk, Demolition man) on porte cette oeuvre que plusieurs nomment comme le chef d'oeuvre de Waters. La distribution est solide avec la participation des jeunes Winona Rider (Dracula, Edward Scissorhands "voir revue #124", Beetlejuice, Alien: ressurection, Girl interrupted...) et Chritian Slather (In the name of the Rose, True Romance, Interview with the vampire,...) qui joue un role demontrant leur potentiel futur au debut de leurs carrieres. On note aussi le rôle de Shannen Doherty (90210, Charmed) qui jouent une des trois Heathers un group de copine qui son au sommet de la chaîne alimentaire du secondaire. Veronica tentera de s'introduire dans cette clique, mais l'arrive d'un nouveau jeune très mystérieux lui rendra la vie beaucoup plus compliquée. Critique sociale des jeunes exagéré, mais sans doute plus réaliste que la vue John Hugues de la même période.

Great quotes:

Heather McNamara: It's your turn Heather.
Heather Chandler: No, Heather, it's Heather's turn. Heather?
Heather Duke: Sorry Heather.
...
Heather Chandler: You stupid fuck.
Veronica Sawyer: You goddamn bitch.
Heather Chandler: I brought you to a Remington party and what's my thanks? It's on a hallway carpet. I got paid in puke.
Veronica Sawyer: Lick it up, baby. Lick. It. Up.
...
Ram Sweeney: [after watching J.D. flirt with Veronica] Let's kick his ass!
Kurt Kelly: Shit, Ram - we're seniors, man. We're too old for that kind of crap. Let's give 'im a good scare, though. [They walk to where J.D. is sitting]
Ram Sweeney: [Sticking his fingers into J.D.'s lunch] You gonna eat this?
Kurt Kelly: What did your boyfriend say when you told 'im you were movin' to Sherwood, Ohio?
Ram Sweeney: Answer him, dick!
Kurt Kelly: Hey Ram, doesn't this cafeteria have a "No Fags Allowed" rule?
J.D.: Well they, uh, seem to have an open door policy for assholes though, don't they?
Kurt Kelly: What did you say, dickhead?
J.D.: [He sighs, stands, and pulls out a gun] I'll repeat myself. [He shoots Kurt and Ram]
...
Heather Chandler: Grow up Heather, bulimia's so '87.
...
Veronica Sawyer: Dear Diary, my teen-angst bullshit now has a body count.
...
Veronica Sawyer: [writing in diary] Betty Finn was a true friend and I sold her out for a bunch of Swatch dogs and Diet Coke heads. Killing Heather would be like offing the wicked witch of the west... wait east. West! God! I sound like a fucking psycho.
...
J.D.: People will look at the ashes of Westerburg and say, "Now there's a school that self-destructed, not because society didn't care, but because the school was society." Now that's deep.

Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097493/

Rating perso: 7.0/10