Heathers (1988) – Film Review

Director: Michael Lehmann
Cast: Winona Ryder, Christian Slater, Shannen Doherty
Certificate: 15

By Sarah Morgan

What would a teen movie directed by Stanley Kubrick have looked like? He tackled many genres during his career, but that one eluded him.

Perhaps it might have been something like Heathers – the director was apparently who its writer, Daniel Waters, had in mind to take charge of it when he was crafting his screenplay.

At the time, Kubrick had finished work on Full Metal Jacket but was more than a decade away from making his final film, 1999’s Eyes Wide Shut. Despite seemingly having space in his diary to direct Waters’ project, the honour eventually went to the writer’s friend, Michael Lehmann.

“Offbeat”

It was the debut big screen outing for both of them, and was a critical success – it’s now viewed as a cult classic, a blacker than black antidote to the rather more sweet-natured teen movies being made by John Hughes at the same time.

Winona Ryder heads the cast as Veronica, the fourth member of a popular high school clique in which all the other members are called Heather. The problem is, she’s growing tired of her friends’ bitchy ways, so when the handsome, rebellious and roguish JD walks into her life, she’s very susceptible to taking part in his pranks and schemes.

However, what she doesn’t initially realise is that JD is a psycho who has big plans not only for the fellow students he hates, but Veronica too.

Ryder, just 16 at the time, delivers one of her customary offbeat teen performances that she practically invented in the late-1980s and early-1990s. She’s matched all the way by Christian Slater as JD, a clearly James Dean-inspired rebel with a cause; the actor claims he was actually channelling Jack Nicholson’s performance in The Shining throughout filming.

“Brilliantly cast”

But it’s the smaller parts that are key here, from the trio playing the Heathers – Kim Walker, Lisanne Falk and a pre-fame Shannen Doherty – through the sexist jocks (Lance Fenton and Patrick Labyorteaux) and beyond that really make the film work. They’re all brilliantly cast (hats off to casting director Julie Selzer, who is interviewed among the special features), each as memorable as the other thanks to a quirk or two.

Waters’ dialogue is also as sharp as can be, with Lehmann keeping the story ticking over nicely.

Alongside the Selzer interview is a raft of other fascinating special features involving cast and crew. No sign of Ryder or Slater (apart from in a documentary made during filming), sadly, but anecdotes from the production designer, Falk and both Lehmann and Waters, are essential viewing.