Print this article E-mail this article More articles by this author

Rating: Country: USA Release Date: November 18, 2008 Distributor: Anchor Bay Director: · Michael Lehmann Cast: · Winona Ryder · Christian Slater · Shannen Doherty · Lizanne Falk · Kim Walker Related Sites: · IMDb: Heathers Grade: A-

With implications of chainsaws impeding on ones nether-regions, dead gay football players, unabashed mockery of the obese, flaky bulimic cheerleaders and much fun with suicide, “Heathers” continues to hold up, twenty years after the fact, as a hilarious satire of teenage vulgarity and mass societal hagiographic insincerity surrounding the deceased. Sure, the outfits are a little dated and the outlandish vernacular is perhaps even more outlandish (and some might even wager cheesy) but this only adds to the sheer whimsy and unorthodox amusement of the cult title. It really is one of those love-it-or-hate-it movies that people either “get”, or are offended by, which is perfectly fine, since those offended are probably better off renting “Legally Blonde” and giggling about what a card Reese Witherspoon is.

For those who have been living in a cave for the last nineteen years, the plot follows Veronica (Winona Ryder), a slightly misanthropic high-school student, who hangs out with “the Heathers”, an elite clique of bitchy high school girls who all just happened to be named Heather. There’s Heather Duke (Shannen Doherty), the sycophantic follower, Heather McNamara (Lisanne Falk), the cheerleader who suffers a moral crisis, and Heather Chandler (Kim Walker), the bitchy, power hungry, leader of the pack.

After committing a social faux pas at a college party, Heather Chandler threatens Veronica’s popularity, which leads to a morning after confrontation involving Ronnie’s bad-boy boyfriend (Christian Slater), a morning glass of drain cleaner and a dead Heather.

Passing off the potentially inadvertent murder as a suicide, Veronica is mortified when the entire school starts babbling about how wonderful Heather was in life, when, in actuality, she was a bit of a see-you-next-Tuesday.

The material is handled in a darkly comic manner that shifts ever more towards darkness as the film progresses towards its climax.

To commemorate the remastered Blu-ray release of “Heathers”, a limited edition locker set, which includes not only the Blu-ray, but also the 2-disc DVD set currently on the market and a variety of amusing “Heathers” goodies.

Coming in a miniaturized tin locker, the DVD’s and Blu-ray are enclosed in a hardcover Westerburg High School Class of 1988 Yearbook that is filled with topical factoids from 1988, as well as realistic yearbook signings with quotes from the film, complete with typical teenage grammatical and spelling errors. Fridge and locker magnets are included as well, with pictures of Winona Ryder and Christian Slater, a “Big Fun” logo, a croquet mallet and various quotes from the film, such as “Color Me Stoked” and “How Very!” Also included is a “Heathers” t-shirt with either “What’s your Damage?”, “Big Fun”, or “Greetings and Salutations” written on the front (this reviewer got “What’s your Damage?”). A lot of thought clearly went into the kitschy memorabilia included with this locker set, which should please collectors.

What may irk some, however, is the lack of new features included with this release, which may or may not be a point of criticism as not much can be done supplementary-wise twenty years after the release of a film.

Included are the two featurettes. “Swatch Dogs and Diet Coke Heads” and “Return to Westerburg High”, which feature interviews with writer Daniel Waters, director Michael Lehmann, producer Denise Di Novi and all major actors, including Winona Ryder and Christian Slater. Much discussion is had about casting, as Justine Bateman and Jennifer Connelly were considered for the role of Veronica and Heather Graham was originally intended for the Heather Chandler role, as well as the original 300-page script and how the film was received by audiences. They are both strong, informative and amusing featurettes that really do not require a great deal of updating, doing the job just fine as they are.

Also included is the commentary track with Di Novi, Waters and Lehmann, which was recorded for a previous DVD release of the film. Much of the information that was provided in the short featurettes is repeated; however, some discussions about the “C-word” and Shannen Doherty’s temperament need to be heard to be believed.

The new Blu-ray release of the film is visibly upgraded from the previous DVD release, having brighter colors and crisper sound, which is to be expected with the technology. For those who have embraced the new format, this might be worth picking up.