Winona Ryder’s raunchy, R-rated comedy from the 80s still shocks viewers today
By Chris Snellgrove | Published
Old-timers love to wax philosophical about the good old days of cinema and how modern Hollywood can’t create anything like the old movies. The gist of these complaints is often that certain subjects have become mainstream, which is why we no longer get R-rated comedies full of nudity and extreme humor. Most of the time, these symptoms are very common. Although there are still many movies breaking the law, studio executives prefer to play it safe with big celebrity films for fear of scaring the audience.
However, back in 1988, we found out Heathersa star-studded film that would never be made today. That’s because this dark comedy explores some of the most taboo topics a modern audience can imagine, including school shootings and teenage suicides, and does it in a funny way. If you’re ready for a sleazy, funky ’80s movie, it’s time to grab your favorite flavor of cornflakes and spread. Heathers free on Tubi.
The ’80s Are Hotter Than Ever
The foundation of Heathers that a high school in a sleepy Ohio suburb is ruled with an iron fist by three famous and ruthless students: the titular Heathers. New girl Veronica longs to join their team, but her priorities seem to shift when she meets a mysterious and mysterious mutant student. When he helps her with a prank that ends up killing her, it soon becomes clear that other people’s lives will not be the same.
The new cast of Heathers has a titanic talent, including the late, Kim Walker (well known outside of this film Say Anything) as the ruthless leader of Heathers, a shark who fishes her high school for prey. That potential victim includes an actress played by ’80s icon Winona Ryder (best known Little Women) and partner Heather played by ’90s icon Shannon Doherty (best known for Beverly Hills, 90210). But the real star of this dark comedy is Christian Slater (who is best known for The Worst Things), who does his best Jack Nicholson impression while creating one of the worst villains in cinema history.
The Movie That Dumped The Critics
Although it was a serious lover (more on this soon), Heathers was a box office bomb upon release, grossing a paltry $1.1 million against its paltry $3 million budget. However, it quickly gained a cult following on home video, and this eventually led to two very different follow-up projects. The first was a short-lived television series that only got 10 episodes, and the second was a hugely successful Broadway musical, currently streaming for free (check it out, it’s weird!) on The Roku Channel.
When Heathers it came out, hitting the sensitive ground with all the impact of a bomb blast. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 95 percent, with critics praising the film for its dark humor, satirical characters, and coup plot. They also noted that this film was a game-changer, which left a permanent mark on all subsequent youth comedies Heathers‘bloody footsteps.
Greetings, Hollywood: There’s a New Sheriff in Town
Heathers it’s one of those dark comedies that never pulls any punches, and the film is very strong in it. It’s a movie where two characters make an accidental murder look like a suicide, and they keep doing it to determine the worst thing in the students’ body like cancer.
That’s already bleak enough, but the best part is that stupid high school leaders think this is part of a nationwide problem where young people view suicide as a fad. In a modern age when activists can’t even say the word “suicide,” the universal movie song “Teen suicide/ Don’t do it!” they’re even funnier than ever.
In the wrong writer’s hands, a silly plot can die like a growing number of our main characters. But original screenwriter Daniel Waters’ script (he would go on to write ’90s bangers Batman Returns again Demolition Man) will keep you laughing, even when the subject is something you shouldn’t laugh at. Heck, this is a movie that dares to turn topics like events like school shootings into another macabre punchline.
You will definitely preach with this movie
It helps that Waters has a firm handle on writing minor characters, and he does a perfect job of turning the tale around. Heathers high school is something known all over the world. You may not have encountered the actual Heathers when you were growing up, but every high school has its “coolest in school” episodes, just like every high school has the awkward new kid who tries to look like the mysterious delinquent. High school is about trying on different identities for size, too Heathers it has an amazing ability to comically navigate the gap between how we look today and what we hope to look like tomorrow.
Of course, this strong script would be nothing without killer performances from the likes of Christian Slater, who is in the perfect position as the new kid to make his daddy the problem for everyone. Winona Ryder, on the other hand, is perfect as the genius who can’t decide if she wants to join her high school’s elite, or take the time to find what she really wants (which may or may not involve the cute new boy who keeps causing trouble). But the film’s biggest revelation is the late, great Kim Walker, whose character Heather Chandler is the perfect embodiment of sarcasm, style, and sex appeal (not to mention corn nuts).
Fist It
With lines like “f*ck me a little bit with a saw,” Heathers established itself as one of the greatest dark comedies ever made. Will you enjoy watching this classic ’80s movie, or will it leave you wanting to kill this movie and look like a disaster? The only way to find out is to grab your remote (preferably with a Big Gulp Slurpee from 7-Eleven in your other hand) and broadcast. Heathers free on Tubi.
