IGN.com|AskMen.com|Rotten Tomatoes|GameSpy|FilePlanet|TeamXbox|CheatsCodesGuides|GameStats|Direct2Drive

RottenTomatoes.com

Register | Log In | What is RT?
It's our 10th birthday, so you get presents!
Home Movies DVD Celebrities News Critics Photos & Trailers The Vine Forums
Box Office | In Theaters | Opening | Upcoming | Best Of | Certified Fresh | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
 
MOVIES / ON DVD / HEATHERS
Heathers

Rate This Movie

Write a Review
See Pictures
Share This Movie
Add to List
Buy DVD
Buy Poster

Bookmark and Share

Heathers (1989)

94%
71%
87%
N/A
N/A
N/A
94 %
Reviews Counted: 36 Fresh: 34  Rotten:2 Average Rating: 7.8/10
 
Consensus: Dark, cynical, and subversive, this high school satire gleefully lampoons high school culture with a deft mix of the hilarious and the gruesome.
 

How does the Tomatometer work?

The Tomatometer measures the percentage of positive reviews from Approved Tomatometer Critics for a certain movie.[-]

Runtime: 1 hr 59 mins

Synopsis: Veronica Sawyer (Winona Ryder) has sacrificed everything in order to preserve her place in Westerburg High's most impenetrable social clique, the HEATHERS. As the only member of the group not named "Heather", Veronica has to work extra hard just to stay afloat. Going against her own morals... Veronica Sawyer (Winona Ryder) has sacrificed everything in order to preserve her place in Westerburg High's most impenetrable social clique, the HEATHERS. As the only member of the group not named "Heather", Veronica has to work extra hard just to stay afloat. Going against her own morals and intelligence, Veronica succumbs to peer pressure on a daily basis, faking her delight in the humiliation of the school's less popular students. Bored of the frat parties and cow tipping so popular among her friends, Veronica's curiosity is peaked when a mysterious new guy named JD comes to town. The dark, brooding JD (Christian Slater at his best) observes Veronica among her pack in the lunchroom (where social hierarchy is most clearly displayed), concluding that Veronica is not a Heather at heart. When Veronica confides in JD that she hates her friends and wishes Heather #1 was dead, she never expects her words to have such dire consequences. Before she knows what's happening, JD is dragging Veronica on a killing spree staged as a teen suicide outbreak. But as Veronica soon learns, even death cannot stop the HEATHERS. As one Heather dies, her red scrunchee (the symbol of all power) gets passed on to the next Heather in line, and the clique that was the HEATHERS starts to feel like an inescapable social disease. How far will this war for popularity go? By far the darkest of teen comedies, HEATHERS invented a vocabulary of teen-speak all its own, asking questions like "What's your damage?" and introducing phrases like "How very." Director Michael Lehmann successfully blends the horror, comedy, and teen movie genres, creating a truly original film. Full of dark humor and deeply sardonic messages, HEATHERS takes a fresh look at the often-sugarcoated cinematic world of high school. Set in the 1980s, the film feels timeless in its relevance because of the daring nature of its themes. Filled with great performances, a candy-colored set, and an infectious soundtrack, murder has never been so much fun! [More]

Genre: Comedies

Starring: Winona Ryder, Christian Slater, Shannen Doherty, Kim Walker, Lisanne Falk

Director: Michael Lehmann
Screenwriter: Daniel Waters
Producer: Denise DiNovi
Composer: David Newman

DVD Info

Release:

Jul 1, 2008

[DVD Details]

DVD Features:

  • Region 1
  • 2-Disc Set
  • Disc 1: HEATHERS (20TH HIGH SCHOOL REUNION EDITION)
  • Anamorphic Widescreen - 1.85

Audio:

  • Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround - English
  • Subtitles - English (SDH) - Optional

Additional Release Material:

  • Audio Commentary - Michael Lehmann - Director; Denise Di Novi - Producer; Daniel Waters - Writer
  • Disc 2 - Bonus Features

Additional Release Material:

  • Featurette - 1. RETURN TO WESTERBURG HIGH
  • 2. SWATCH DOGS AND DIET COKE HEADS
  • Trailer - Theatrical Trailer

DVD-ROM:

  • Original Ending Screenplay Excerpt

Buy It On DVD

Reviews

 
T-Meter Critics
 
 
Top Critics
 
 
RT Community
 
 
My Critics
 
 
My Friends
 
 
DVD
 
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
Arrange By: Name | Fresh | Rotten | Date | Source
 
 
Ratings Image
3/4

Click to read the article

Full Review | comment Comment
07/15/08
Mick LaSalle
San Francisco Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image
A

So grab your croquet mallet, load up on "Ich luge" bullets, and crank up the Big Fun: Heathers is a motion picture that continues to impress and disturb, even 20 years after release.

Full Review | comment Comment
07/01/08
Brian Orndorf
BrianOrndorf.com
Ratings Image
3.5/4

Dark, cynical, but deliciously funny, Heathersis a fascinating look not just at high school but at the way we look at high school.

Full Review | comment Comment
07/18/07
TV Guide's Movie Guide
Ratings Image
N/A

A super-smart black comedy about high school politics and teenage suicide that showcases a host of promising young talents.

Full Review | comment Comment
07/18/07
Todd McCarthy
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image
N/A

Its inanities and glib pretensions are so thick that it mainly comes across as tacky and contrived.

Full Review | comment Comment
07/18/07
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image
3.5/4

fantastic

Full Review | comment Comment
06/20/07
Stefan Birgir Stefansson
sbs.is
Ratings Image
A-

Lehmann's audacious feature debute transforms teen suicide into a wild and mean satire with a giddy tone. Good year for indies: The movie premiered at Sundance in 1989, along with sex, lies and videotape, thus heralding Gen-X Cinema.

Full Review | comment Comment
12/04/06
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
Ratings Image
N/A

The film uses an intimate knowledge of teen-movie clichés to subvert their debased values from the inside.

Full Review | comment Comment
02/09/06
Nigel Floyd
Time Out
Ratings Image
5/5

An amazing black satire filled with vicious biting words that snap like firecrackers.

Full Review | comment Comment
12/06/05
Brad Laidman
Film Threat
Ratings Image
3/5

No review available.

comment Comment
10/30/05
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Ratings Image
4/5

No review available.

comment Comment
07/21/05
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
Ratings Image
4/5

No review available.

comment Comment
10/28/04
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion
Ratings Image
4/5

Viciously delicious cult classic, flip side of "The Breakfast Club."

comment Comment
10/15/04
Steve Crum
Kansas City Kansan
Ratings Image
4/5

No review available.

comment Comment
06/08/04
Sarah Chauncey
Reel.com
Ratings Image
N/A

Director Michael Lehmann and writer Daniel Waters keep things dark and tasty, and the dialogue and high school politics still resonate with a sharp sting.

Full Review | comment Comment
05/17/04
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid
Ratings Image
3/5

No review available.

comment Comment
04/05/04
Nicolas Lacroix
EnPrimeur.ca
Ratings Image
3/5

Blistering comedy run aground by cop-out ending.

comment Comment
03/01/04
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Ratings Image
4/5

No review available.

comment Comment
11/17/03
Linda Cook
Quad City Times (Davenport, IA)
Ratings Image
4/5

No review available.

comment Comment
11/15/03
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall
Ratings Image
3/5

No review available.

comment Comment
09/26/03
Carol Cling
Las Vegas Review-Journal
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
See More Topics...

Related Forums

Misslinda77
I will always hold Winona Ryder In High Regard
by: Misslinda77 6/3/06


Misslinda77
I will always hold Winona Ryder In High Regard
by: Misslinda77 6/3/06


Misslinda77
I will always hold Winona Ryder In High Regard
by: Misslinda77 6/3/06


Misslinda77
I will always hold Winona Ryder In High Regard
by: Misslinda77 6/3/06


Misslinda77
I will always hold Winona Ryder In High Regard
by: Misslinda77 6/3/06
all

Pictures

all

News

Box Office Guru Preview: Keaton and Kids Hope to Score Touchdown
posted by Gitesh Pandya February 01, 2007
As the Chicago Bears and the Indianapolis Colts get ready to rumble at the Super Bowl on Sunday, Hollywood goes into...


"Heathers" Director Doesn't Dig the Sequel Idea
posted by Fred Topel January 11, 2007
Internet rumors of a sequel to the cult hit "Heathers" have thrived, thanks in no small part to Winona...


Return of the "Heathers"?
posted by Scott Weinberg July 11, 2006
One of the 1980s' true cult classics is Daniel Waters' "Heathers," and now comes word that the screenwriter...


"Heathers" Creators Reteam for Indie "Sex"
posted by Scott Weinberg June 02, 2006
Fans of the dark comedy classic known as "Heathers" should be pleased to learn that screenwriter Daniel...

Around the Network

• Heathers at Rotten Tomatoes
• Heathers at IGN
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Celebs List| Newsletter

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | ModCenter | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2008, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.