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John Hughes minted the gold standard for '80s teen movies with such heartfelt profiles in angst as Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club. But when Heathers arrived in 1989, it heralded a new age. A black comedy with a brutally witty script (by Daniel Waters and director Michael Lehmann), Heathers mixed satire, nihilism, and madcap horror into a bubbling, critic-pleasing brew. It also helped propel Winona Ryder to prominence, portraying Veronica, the offbeat outsider who joins the sadistic, school-ruling clique known as the Heathers (Shannen Doherty, Lisanne Falk, and Kim Walker) only to grow intensely dissatisfied with their antics. Expelled from the group, she takes up with new kid, J. D. (Christian Slater, channeling Jack Nicholson), whose misanthropy trumps even her own repulsion at phony adolescent hierarchies. Soon, Heather bodies begin piling up, Veronica realizes that J. D. is a homicidal maniac, and it's clear that teen movies will never be the same. A colorful pop paean to teen alienation, Heathers attacks the status obsession of American teens with glee -- a strain that informs such '90s hits as Clueless and American Beauty, as well as the poignant 2001 entry Ghost World. The DVD editions -- either the Limited Edition tin or the more conventional Special Edition -- sport audio commentary and "Swatch Dogs and Diet Coke Heads," a featurette, bearing the Heathers working title, that reunites the cast and crew. Also unearthed and presented for the first time -- alas, only in script form -- is the original ending (with Veronica aiding rather than hindering J. D.'s final spree). Chas Turner

All Movie Guide

A deliciously nasty black comedy, Heathers is set at a cliquish high school in Ohio. The most exclusive of those cliques is the Heathers, comprised of the prettiest and most popular girls in town. The group's leader is the manipulative Kim Walker, who orchestrates the humiliation of anyone who fails to meet her standards. Eventually, Heathers member Winona Ryder begins to exhibit a conscience; together with her hardcase boyfriend Christian Slater, Ryder plots to avenge all the unfortunate victims of the group. Before long, Heather (Kim Walker) ends up dead along with Kurt and Ram, with poignant suicide notes posted near their bodies. Hal Erickson

Product Details

• UPC: 013138305183
• Source: STARZ / ANCHOR BAY
• Aspect Ratio: Theatre Wide-Screen (1.85.1)
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, Español
• Time: 1:43:00
• Sales Rank: 19,790

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