Marshall and the Movies

The “F.I.L.M.” (First-Rate, Independent Little-Known Movie) of the Week was unknown to me just a few short months ago.  I was looking at one of my moviegoing companion’s favorite flicks on Facebook and saw there was a movie that I did not recognize.  I, of course, had to ask her what this movie was.  The next day, she lent me her copy, telling me that she couldn’t believe I hadn’t seen it, much less never heard of it.  The movie was “Heathers,” and I quickly realized how criminal it was that I hadn’t seen it.  An absolutely brilliant satire of teenage angst, the movie has a more vintage ’80s high school feel than a John Hughes movie, yet it still retains its significance 20 years later.

Veronica Sawyer (Winona Ryder) has managed to infiltrate the clique of girls who rule the school, all of whom are named Heather.  But Veronica is not like the Heathers; she has qualms about participating in the degradation of other students and about the licentious behavior of the Heathers.  The divide only grows with the arrival of J.D. (Christian Slater), a mysterious, edgy boy that instantly attracts Veronica’s attention.  He shows her what life could be without the practically despotic rule of the Heathers, and she likes his vision.  Together, they begin picking off those who ruin the lives of others.  To clear the air, they do exactly what that last sentence sounds like: killing the tyrannical and making it look like suicide.  But they fail to realize that what they find poetic justice is seen by society as the latest fad among teenagers.  Suicide becomes viewed as an attitude, no different than the “Valley Girl” craze.

“Heathers” is a better version of “Mean Girls” with the guts to make a statement about the true nature of teenagers.  Don’t get me wrong, I love Tina Fey’s writing, but the characters here are fully realized and very real.  It is designed to really make you think, especially teens like me.  The movie calls upon you to wonder how seriously we should be taken.