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Heathers

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This article is about the film. For the musical adaptation, see Heathers: The Musical. For the TV series, see Heathers (TV series). For other uses, see Heather (disambiguation).

Heathers
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMichael Lehmann
Written byDaniel Waters
Produced byDenise Di Novi
Starring
CinematographyFrancis Kenny
Edited byNorman Hollyn
Music byDavid Newman
Production
company
Cinemarque Entertainment
Distributed byNew World Pictures
Release dates
  • January 1989 (1989-01) (Sundance Film Festival)
  • March 31, 1989 (1989-03-31) (United States)[1]
Running time
103 minutes[2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$3 million[3]
Box office$1.1 million[4]

Heathers is a 1989 American black comedy film written by Daniel Waters and directed by Michael Lehmann, in both of their respective film debuts.[5][6] The film stars Winona Ryder, Christian Slater, Shannen Doherty, Lisanne Falk, Kim Walker, and Penelope Milford. Its plot portrays four teenage girls—three of whom are named Heather—in a clique at an Ohio high school, one of whose lives is disrupted by the arrival of a misanthrope intent on murdering the popular students and staging their deaths as suicides.[1]

Casting

Many actors and actresses turned down the project because of its dark subject matter. Early choices for Veronica were Justine Bateman and Jennifer Connelly.[7] Winona Ryder, who was 16 at the time of filming and badly wanted the part, begged Waters to cast her as Veronica, even offering to work for free.[8] Waters at first did not think Ryder was pretty enough, and Ryder herself commented that "at the time, I didn't look that different from my character in Beetlejuice. I was very pale. I had blue-black dyed hair. I went to Macy's at the Beverly Center and had them do a makeover on me."[7] Ryder's agent was so opposed to her pursuing the role that she got down on her hands and knees to beg Ryder not to take it, warning her that it would ruin her career.[7][9] Eventually, she was given the role. Brad Pitt read for the role of J.D. but he was rejected.[10][11] Christian Slater reports throwing a "big tantrum" and tossing his script in the trash after assuming he'd bombed his audition.[12] He was signed to play J.D. shortly after Ryder was cast, stating later that he channeled Jack Nicholson in the film.[13]

Heather Graham, then 17, was offered the part of Heather Chandler, but turned it down due to her parents' disapproval of the film.[7] Kim Walker, who was dating Slater at the time, was offered the role instead. Lisanne Falk, 23 years old at the time, lied and said she was in her late teens during the audition. It was only after she was cast that she revealed her true age.[12] Seventeen-year-old Shannen Doherty wanted the role of Veronica, but Ryder had been cast, so the producers asked her to audition for Heather Chandler. Doherty was more interested in playing Heather Duke, and ended up giving an "amazing" reading as Duke, which secured her the part. The producers wanted her to dye her hair blonde to match the other "Heathers", but Doherty refused, so they compromised on her having red hair.[7]

Filming

Principal photography took place over 33 days in February and March 1988, on a budget of $3 million.[14][12][15] Although set in Ohio, filming was done entirely in Los Angeles. "Westerburg High School" is an amalgam of Corvallis High School (now Bridges Academy) in Studio City, Verdugo Hills High School in Tujunga, and John Adams Middle School in Santa Monica.[16] The gymnasium scenes were shot at Verdugo Hills High, and the climactic scene on the stairs was filmed outside John Adams Middle School.[17] The funeral scenes were filmed at Church of the Angels in Pasadena, California, a location used in other media including Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Just Married.[16]

Michael Lehmann has called Doherty "a bit of a handful" on set, in part because she objected to the swearing in the script and refused to say some of the more explicit lines.[12] Falk stated that Doherty "didn't have much of a sense of humor, and she took herself a little seriously", and Di Novi said: "I don't think Shannen really got what Heathers was. And that worked for us. She made that character real."[12] When the cast first viewed the movie, Doherty ran out crying because she realized the film was a dark comedy and not the drama she was expecting.[12][18]

Soundtrack

The film uses two versions of the song "Que Sera, Sera", the first by singer Syd Straw and another over the end credits by Sly and the Family Stone. On the film's DVD commentary, Di Novi mentions that the filmmakers wanted to use the original Doris Day version of the song, but Day would not lend her name to any project using profanity.

The song "Teenage Suicide (Don't Do It)" by the fictional band Big Fun was written and produced for the film by musician Don Dixon, and performed by the ad hoc group "Big Fun", which consisted of Dixon, Mitch Easter, Angie Carlson, and Marti Jones. The song is included on Dixon's 1992 greatest hits album (If) I'm a Ham, Well You're a Sausage.

The film's electronic score was composed and performed by David Newman, and a soundtrack CD was subsequently released.

Release

Box office

Heathers was screened at the Sundance Film Festival on January 21, 1989,[19] and was released to the U.S. public in March 1989, at which time New World Pictures was going bankrupt.[12] The film was considered a flop when it was released, earning $177,247 in its opening weekend and ultimately grossing $1.1 million in the United States over five weeks.[20][21][4]

Home media

New World Video released Heathers on VHS and LaserDisc in 1989,[22] and it developed a cult following after being unsuccessful at the box office.[7] It was released again on LaserDisc on September 16, 1996, as a widescreen edition digitally transferred from Transatlantic Pictures' interpositive print under the supervision of cinematographer Francis Kenny. The sound was mastered from the magnetic sound elements. The film was then first released on DVD on March 30, 1999, in a barebones edition. In 2001, a multi-region special edition THX DVD was released from Anchor Bay Entertainment in Dolby Digital 5.1. The DVD was released in the United States, Canada, Australia, and Europe, and achieved high sales. Each release included a different front cover featuring Veronica, J.D., Chandler, Duke, and McNamara.

In 2001, a limited edition DVD set of only 15,000 copies was released. The set contained an audio commentary with director Michael Lehmann, producer Denise Di Novi and writer Daniel Waters, as well as a 30-minute documentary titled Swatch Dogs and Diet Cokeheads, featuring interviews with Ryder, Slater, Doherty, Falk, Lehmann, Waters, Di Novi, director of photography Francis Kenny, and editor Norman Hollyn. It also includes a theatrical trailer, screenplay excerpt, original ending, biographies, 10-page full-color fold-out with photos and liner notes, an 8-inch "Heathers Rules!" ruler, and a 48-page full-color yearbook style booklet with rare photos. The film was then re-released on Blu-ray by Image Entertainment in 2011 as a barebones edition, two years after Anchor Bay.

In June 2018, Arrow Films reported that Heathers would be re-released on August 8, 2018, in cinemas and on September 10 on Blu-ray, in a new 4K restoration.[23][24] On July 1, 2008, a new 20th anniversary special edition DVD set was released by Anchor Bay to coincide with the DVD of writer Waters' new film Sex and Death 101. The DVD features a new documentary, Return to Westerburg High. On November 18, 2008, Anchor Bay released a Blu-ray with all the special features from the 20th anniversary DVD and a soundtrack in Dolby TrueHD 5.1.[25] On November 12, 2019, Image Entertainment released a 30th Anniversary steelbook edition on Blu-ray. This release did not utilize Arrow Films' 4K restoration and featured new and previous special features.

Critical reception

Contemporary reviews

Writing in April 1989 for the Washington Post, journalist Desson Thomson wrote that it "may be the nastiest, cruelest fun you can have without actually having to study law or gird leather products. If movies were food, Heathers would be a cynic's chocolate binge."[26] Chicago Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert gave the film 2.5 stars out of 4 and wrote that Heathers "is a morbid comedy about peer pressure in high school, about teenage suicide and about the deadliness of cliques that not only exclude but also maim and kill." While conceding its ability to provoke thought and shock, Ebert questioned how the mixed sensibility as a dark murder comedy and "cynical morality play" led to difficulty in understanding its point of view, while remarking that, "Adulthood could be defined as the process of learning to be shocked by things that do not shock teenagers, but that is not a notion that has occurred to Lehmann."[27]

Retrospective responses

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 93% based on contemporary and retrospective reviews from 56 critics and an average rating of 7.7/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Dark, cynical, and subversive, Heathers gently applies a chainsaw to the conventions of the high school movie – changing the game for teen comedies to follow."[28] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 72/100 based on 20 reviews by mainstream critics.[29] Academics have likened Heathers to other films popular during the 1980s and early 1990s which characterized domestic youth narratives as part and parcel of the "culture war".[30][31]

Waters created a specific set of slang and style of speech for the film, wanting to ensure that the language in the film would have "timeless" quality instead of just reflecting teen slang at the time.[32] The film is among the most cited in the Oxford English Dictionary.[33]

Possible film sequel

On June 2, 2009, Entertainment Weekly reported that Ryder had claimed that there would be a sequel to the film, titled Heathers 2, with Slater coming back "as a kind of Obi-Wan character".[34] However, Lehmann denied development of a sequel, saying, "Winona's been talking about this for years—she brings it up every once in a while and Dan Waters and I will joke about it, but as far as I know there's no script and no plans to do the sequel."[35]

Musical

Main article: Heathers: The Musical

In 2010, Heathers was adapted into a stage musical directed by Andy Fickman.[36] Fickman also worked on the musical Reefer Madness,[36] a parody of the anti-cannabis movie of the same name which was turned into a feature film. Heathers: The Musical, which opens with a number depicting Veronica's acceptance into the Heathers' clique, received several readings in workshops in Los Angeles and a three-show concert presentation at Joe's Pub in New York City on September 13–14, 2010. The cast of the Joe's Pub concert included Annaleigh Ashford as Veronica, Jenna Leigh Green as Heather Chandler, and Jeremy Jordan as J.D.

The musical played at Off-Broadway's New World Stages with performances beginning March 15, 2014, and an opening night on March 31.[37] The original cast of the Off-Broadway production included Barrett Wilbert Weed as Veronica Sawyer, Jessica Keenan Wynn as Heather Chandler, Ryan McCartan as JD, Alice Lee as Heather Duke, and Elle McLemore as Heather McNamara.[38] It closed on August 4, 2014.[39]

An Off West End production of Heathers, directed by Andy Fickman, played at The Other Palace in London with performances between June 19 and August 4, 2018. Its cast included Carrie Hope Fletcher as Veronica Sawyer, Jodie Steele as Heather Chandler, Jamie Muscato as JD, T’Shan Williams as Heather Duke and Sophie Isaacs as Heather McNamara. It transferred to the West End in September 2018, playing in Theatre Royal Haymarket, London. A high school production of the musical is the focus of the "Chapter Fifty-One: Big Fun" episode of Riverdale.[40] In 2021 Heathers returned for a limited run at the Haymarket with Christina Bennington playing Veronica Sawyer and Jordan Luke Gage as JD. The three Heathers were played by Jodie Steele (Heather Chandler), Bobbi Little (Heather Duke) and Frances Mayli McCann (Heather McNamara). It then went on to play at The Other Palace until February 2022.

Television adaptation

Main article: Heathers (TV series)

In March 2016, TV Land ordered a pilot script for an anthology dark comedy series, set in the present day, with a very different Veronica Sawyer dealing with a very different but equally vicious group of Heathers. The series was written by Jason Micallef and Tom Rosenberg, and Gary Lucchesi was the executive producer[41] In January 2017, the Heathers TV show was ordered to Series at TV Land.[42] Shannen Doherty, the movie's Heather Duke, makes a cameo appearance in the pilot.[43]

In March 2017, it was reported that the series was moved to the then upcoming Paramount Network.[44] Selma Blair has a recurring role in the series.[45] A trailer for the rebooted series was released in August 2017.[46] The series stars Grace Victoria Cox as Veronica Sawyer, James Scully as J.D., Melanie Field as Heather Chandler, Brendan Scannell as Heather Duke, Jasmine Mathews as Heather McNamara,[47] Birgundi Baker as Lizzy, and Cameron Gellman as Kurt.[48] The series was set to premiere on March 7, 2018,[49] but on February 28, 2018, it was announced that the premiere would be delayed in light of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting.[50]

References

  1. ^ a b Maslin, Janet (March 31, 1989). "Review/Film; When a Not-So-Bad Girl Turns Very, Very Bad". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 26, 2022.
  2. ^ "HEATHERS (15)". British Board of Film Classification. July 26, 1989. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  3. ^ "'Heathers' Anthology Series Gets Pilot Order at TV Land". thewrap.com. September 6, 2016. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Heathers (1989)". Box Office Mojo. May 4, 1989. Retrieved May 30, 2015.
  5. ^ "Heathers (1989)". AllMovie. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  6. ^ Hyler, S. E.; Moore, J. (December 1996). "Teaching Psychiatry? Let Hollywood Help!" (PDF). Academic Psychiatry. 20 (4): 213–214. doi:10.1007/BF03341883. ISSN 1042-9670. PMID 24442743. S2CID 43706355.
  7. ^ a b c d e f Markovitz, Adam. "'Heathers': An oral history". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
  8. ^ Lunn, Oliver (August 15, 2018). "'heathers' director michael lehmann dissects the film's lasting influence as it celebrates its 30th anniversary". i-D. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  9. ^ Return to Westerburg High DVD Featurette (DVD). Boulevard Entertainment Ltd. 2010.
  10. ^ "'Heathers' writer reveals rejecting 'a pimply' Brad Pitt, alternate endings and the sequel we'll never see". Yahoo!.
  11. ^ https://filmschoolrejects.com/21-things-we-learned-from-the-heathers-commentary-439a871c1f8c/
  12. ^ a b c d e f g Cite error: The named reference Markovitz was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Hoad, Phil (October 4, 2018). "Double trouble: the hard life of the movie doppelganger". The Guardian.
  14. ^ Rowlands, Paul. "DANIEL WATERS ON 'HEATHERS' (PART 2 OF 2)". Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  15. ^ Swatch Dogs and Diet Coke Heads. 2001. Blue Underground (presents) and Anchor Bay Entertainment (in association with). Video (extra on 2001 limited edition Heathers DVD).
  16. ^ a b "Film locations for 'Heathers'". movie-locations.com. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  17. ^ "Heathers Movie Filming Locations". fast-rewind.com. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
  18. ^ Return to Westerberg High 20th Anniversary Featurette (DVD). Boulevard Entertainment. 2010.
  19. ^ Hicks, Christopher (January 20, 1989). "United States Film Festival". Deseret News. p. 28.
  20. ^ Zilberman, Alan (March 31, 2014). "Still Very, 25 Years Later: The Bleak Genius of Heathers". The Atlantic.
  21. ^ "Weekend Box Office Results for March 31–April 2, 1989". Box Office Mojo. April 3, 1989. Retrieved May 30, 2015.
  22. ^ Holden, Stephen (July 30, 1989). "HOME ENTERTAINMENT/VIDEO: CRITICS' CHOICES; Black Comedy for a Conformist Era". The New York Times. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
  23. ^ Travis, Ben. "Heathers 30th Anniversary Poster". Empire. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  24. ^ Heathers 30th Anniversary 4K Restoration Review – Entertainment Focus
  25. ^ White, Cindy (November 26, 2008). "Heathers Limited Edition Locker DVD/Blu-ray Set Review". IGN. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
  26. ^ Howe, Desson (April 14, 1989). "Heathers". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 7, 2014.
  27. ^ Ebert, Roger (March 31, 1989). "Heathers". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved October 7, 2014.
  28. ^ "Heathers". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  29. ^ "Heathers". Metacritic. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
  30. ^ Connors, Clare (2005). "Heathers, High School and the Conflict Between Democratic Values and Consumer Culture". The Hollywood Youth Narrative and the Family Values Campaign, 1980–1992 (Ph.D. thesis). University of Pittsburgh. p. 201. Document No. 3192936 – via ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.
  31. ^ Hubbard, Christine Karen Reeves (December 1996). "The Teen Lifestyle Film". Rebellion and Reconciliation: Social Psychology, Genre, and the Teen Film, 1980–1989 (Ph.D. thesis). Denton, Texas: University of North Texas. p. 23. Document No. 9714032 – via ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.
  32. ^ "All the Drama That Nearly Kept 'Heathers' from Making It to Theaters". Vice.com.
  33. ^ Oxford Dictionaries (December 5, 2014). "This Word Is Toast: Slang From Cult Films". Slate Magazine. Heathers is a brilliantly quotable cult film, but did you know it is also one of the most frequently cited films in the OED...
  34. ^ Barrett, Annie (June 2, 2009). "Winona Ryder confirms 'Heathers' sequel. God, Veronica, drool much?". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
  35. ^ Buchanan, Kyle (July 2, 2009). "Michael Lehmann Administers Cup of Liquid Drainer to Heathers Sequel". Movieline. Archived from the original on October 2, 2011. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
  36. ^ a b "Heathers to get musical treatment". BBC News. March 12, 2009. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
  37. ^ Champion, Lindsay. "What's Your Damage?! Heathers: The Musical to Slay Off-Broadway's New World Stages This Spring". Broadway.com. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
  38. ^ Bellino, Damian. "It'll Be Very! Full Cast Announced for Heathers the Musical Off-Broadway". Broadway.com. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
  39. ^ Contray, Danielle. "Off-Broadway's 'Heathers' to Close on August 4". NewYork.com. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  40. ^ Highhill, Samantha (March 20, 2019). "Riverdale recap: Girls just want to have BIG FUN in Heathers musical episode". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
  41. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (March 16, 2016). "'Heathers' Anthology Series Based On the Movie In Development At TV Land". Deadline Hollywood.
  42. ^ "'Heathers' Anthology Ordered to Series at TV Land". The Hollywood Reporter. January 13, 2017. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
  43. ^ "Shannen Doherty, Original 'Heathers' Star, Confirmed for TV Land Reboot". The Hollywood Reporter. November 22, 2016. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
  44. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (March 16, 2017). "'Heathers' Reboot, Alicia Silverstone Comedy Switch Networks in Viacom's Paramount Push (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
  45. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (July 6, 2017). "'Heathers' Reboot Enlists Selma Blair". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
  46. ^ "Heathers TV Show Drops Its First Trailer". Den of Geek. August 29, 2017. Archived from the original on September 2, 2017. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
  47. ^ Lincoln, Ross (October 27, 2016). "TV Land's 'Heathers' TV Remake Finds Its Heathers". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
  48. ^ Petski, Denise (June 23, 2017). "'One Day At A Time' Casts Ed Quinn; 'Heathers' Adds Birgundi Baker & Cameron Gellman". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 20, 2019.
  49. ^ "Heathers Isn't Trying to Be a "Responsible" Story About Bullying". TVGuide.com. January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
  50. ^ Ausiello, Michael (February 28, 2018). "Heathers Reboot Delayed in Wake of Florida School Shooting". TVLine. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
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