Since my screen name is Veronica Sawyer, it's only fitting that I create a thread for my favorite movie of all time, "Heathers."
It's definitely not the most feel-good, heartwarming teen movie of the 80's, but it still manages to be fun with it's sassy characters and out of this world dialogue ("Did you eat a brain tumor for breakfast?"). Winona Ryder and Christian Slater had amazing chemistry together and all of the actresses who played the 'Heathers' were memorable, especially Kim Walker who played Heather Chandler.
Got this movie recently on blu-ray and it was like watching it for the first time all over again. Does anyone love this movie like I do??
Posted by Valley (Member # 1322) on :
"What is your damage, Heather?"
"Heathers" is a wicked dark flick. I picked up the Blu-Ray on Black Friday (fitting?), but have yet to watch it. "Heathers" is a great movie, but I have to be in the proper mindset to watch it.
Slater and Ryder play off of each other in a outrageously unique manner. Slater's JD has a charm even when he is serving you drain cleaner for breakfast.
But Kim Walker steals this movie with all the juicy lines she so guiltlessly delivers. I was sad to find out about her untimely death and the irony that is was from a brain tumor makes it that much more perplexing and scary. A side note...I love Kim's small role in "Say Anything" as well.
"Heathers" is not for everyone, but if you enjoy a journey to the darkside.. let Veronica lead the way!
Posted by Veronica Sawyer (Member # 2221) on :
I loved Kim in "Say Anything" too!
Not many people could pull off that dialogue she had to work with in "Heathers." I don't think anyone could play a B*tch as magnificently as she did.
Posted by logan5 (Member # 1467) on :
I've said this in a million threads already, but I'll say it again; when I first watched Heathers I loved it, but also had the sinking feeling that Heathers had just done for the teen movies of the 80's what 'Airplane' had done for the disaster movies of the 70's.
My favourite quote from the movie:
Veronica: "All we want is to be treated like human beings, not like guinea pigs to be experimented on and not like bunny rabbits to be patronized."
Mom: "'Treated like human beings'? Is that what you said little Miss voice-of-a-generation? Just how do you think adults act with other adults? You think it's all just doubles Tennis? Adults can be horrible to other adults. When teenagers complain that they want to be treated like human beings, it's usually because they are being treated like human beings."
Posted by logan5 (Member # 1467) on :
Actually, Winona has been pushing for a Heathers sequel for years.
Posted by Veronica Sawyer (Member # 2221) on :
Logan, I heard plans for a sequel were scrapped and it's now being made into a TV show, along with "St. Elmo's Fire."
Posted by Muffy Tepperman (Member # 1551) on :
I love Heathers im pretty sure it was one of my first dvd purchases.
Have to agree Kim Walker stole the show. What I find funny is how many times I saw this as a 12 year old. How making death sort of funny didn't scar me hahaa Maybe thats how I can watch all the stuff I do now and not be shocked.
"Lick it up baby,lick it up"
Haether grabbing her throat and falling through the glass coffee table, awesome!
Posted by logan5 (Member # 1467) on :
quote:Originally posted by Veronica Sawyer: Logan, I heard plans for a sequel were scrapped and it's now being made into a TV show, along with "St. Elmo's Fire."
Ugh... if they made a sequel with Christian, Winona and the same writer/director, I'd definitely be interested. I'm not sure about a TV re-imagining. They can never top the original!
The fire at St. Elmo's will always be burning in '85, to the sounds of John Parr's # 1 song. No lame TV version will capture the absolutely 80's feel the film was built on. It's very much a product of its time, and that's one of the big reasons people still love it.
Posted by Valley (Member # 1322) on :
quote:Originally posted by Veronica Sawyer: Logan, I heard plans for a sequel were scrapped and it's now being made into a TV show, along with "St. Elmo's Fire."
"F... me gently with a chainsaw" ..I just don't see ABC Family doing a very good job grasping the essence of what made "Heathers" shockingly awesome.
Muffster, you might want to get a second opinion on whether you are emotional scarred by your 'pre-teen' viewership of "Heathers"... is cheering for a Heather coffee table drain cleaner crash considered normal? ha..
Posted by Kash (Member # 297) on :
Great cast, good movie: Love Winona Ryder in this and Christian Slater rides the crest of a wave that hit the high water mark with 'Pump Up The Volume' a few years later.
Heather Chandler being poisoned and plunging headfirst through a glass table was uncomfortable humour at its satirical best. Though I always thought it was wrong to trick someone who was so clearly hung over, even if she was an uberbitch extraordinaire!
Mineral Water: outing gay jocks since 1988.
Posted by Muffy Tepperman (Member # 1551) on :
quote:Muffster, you might want to get a second opinion on whether you are emotional scarred by your 'pre-teen' viewership of "Heathers"... is cheering for a Heather coffee table drain cleaner crash considered normal? ha.. [/QB]
What made me say that and thought it was so true was my so recent ranting about how I love Dead like Me a show about Reapers haha and poeple dying! wooo who!! go death.
"When i was just a little a girl I asked my mother what should I be" I love Heathers!!!!
What did everyone think of the DVD doc? Diet cokes and swatchheads something like that?
Posted by Muffy Tepperman (Member # 1551) on :
correction haha
Swatch Dogs and Dietcoke Heads
Posted by Valley (Member # 1322) on :
I haven't watched the doc in several years, but at the time I was totally impressed with it. Now Muffy and Veronica are making me want to watch my "Heathers" Blu-ray. Might have to work it in this weekend.
Look Muffy...It's one thing to want someone out of your life, but it's another thing to serve them a wake-up cup full of liquid drainer.
Posted by kevdugp73 (Member # 5978) on :
This is another movie I've owned for a long time, but have never watched. It's also one of my wife's favorites,so I've seen clips here and there when she's watched it...but never the whole thing. So, as I did with "Modern Girls" when it was mentioned...I'll try to see this soon...I'm sur eI could convince my wife to watch it with me.
Posted by Veronica Sawyer (Member # 2221) on :
Muffy, I really liked that documentary. There's a brand new one on the blu ray that isn't as good, but still worth watching.
My favorite scene has always been Heather Chandler and Veronica's confrontation at the Remington Party...."No one at Westerburg's going to let you play their Reindeer games!" haha...
Posted by logan5 (Member # 1467) on :
"People will look at the ashes of Westerburg and say, 'Now there's a school that self-destructed, not because society didn't care, but because the school was society!' Now that's deep!"
Posted by Faust1979 (Member # 8548) on :
Heathers is an awesome film! it's disturbing to
Posted by Veronica Sawyer (Member # 2221) on :
"Catcher in the Rye" author J.D. Salinger passed away today. This relates to "Heathers" because Salinger was one of the inspirations behind Christian Slater's character's name. "Catcher in the Rye" was also supposed to be the book Heather Duke's character was obsessed with (They changed it to "Moby ****" for copyright reasons, I believe).
It is also interesting to note that Salinger has a son named Matt that had a small role in "Revenge of the Nerds."
Posted by logan5 (Member # 1467) on :
It's even more interesting to note that Matt Salinger was in the late 80's flop version of 'Captain America' as the Captain himself!
Posted by skatexedge (Member # 5712) on :
Shannen "Creeping Eye" Doherty has never looked better before or since Heathers!
With her huge ego and mouth I wonder how she keeps getting work in Hollywood. She's not all that. Charmed got 1000% BETTER when she left/got fired and they brought in Rose McGowan.
Posted by Muffy Tepperman (Member # 1551) on :
I totally agree skatexedge! she never was all that then you hear all the rumors about how awful she is you wonder? 90210? Charmed? she acted like she was the star blah!
[ 03. February 2010, 09:16: Message edited by: Muffy Tepperman ]
Posted by Veronica Sawyer (Member # 2221) on :
I can't believe she dated Judd Nelson
Posted by Secret Admirer (Member # 3574) on :
I can't barely watch Heathers anymore because it puts all other movies to shame and then I have nothing left to watch.
It is surely one of the most quotable movies.
I remember the moment I finally found a real copy of Teenage Suicide (Don't Do It) and how happy I was. I didn't think it actually existed. I know I need to get a life, but man, that really was a good day. I listened to it over and over.
Posted by Valley (Member # 1322) on :
"You blow it tonight, girl, and it's keggers with kids all next year."
I watched "Heathers" on Blu-ray recently and the new doc was excellent, but it did rehash several elements from the original "Swatchdogs and Diet Coke Heads" doc ... still very entertaining though.
I enjoyed envisioning Heather Graham and Jennifer Connelly in "Heathers", but it might have had a bit if a different feel since Winona Ryder and Kim Walker seem so delightfully perfect in their roles.
Meredith Salenger once mentioned that she wanted to do "Heathers", but her mom refused to sign a release since she was underage. Another interesting choice that might have been fun.
"Heathers" has incredible dialogue that we might not ever hear again since most of it was made up.
Posted by Valley (Member # 1322) on :
How about some "Heathers" trivia?
The high school is named “Westerburg High”. Winona Ryder’s favorite band at the time was “The Replacements”, whose lead singer is named Paul Westerberg.
Westerburg High in reality is John Adams Middle School. The police officers are named Milner and McCord, after ‘Kent McCord’ and Martin Milner, who played police officers in “Adam-12″ (1968).
Originally, the book that suicidal students supposedly underline “meaningful” passages from was “The Catcher in the Rye”. The producers could not get clearance to use this book and it was changed to “Moby ****” instead. When Heather Duke gathers signatures for the Big Fun petition, one of the students stamps his name: Dennis Di Novi. This is a reference to the film’s producer, Denise Di Novi.
Filmed in 32 days.
The radio call-in show “Hot Probs” featured in the movie is a version of the now nationally famous KROQ radio show “Loveline”, and the radio DJ in the movie is James ‘Poorman’ Trenton, the creator and original host of “Loveline”.
Veronica’s bedroom was built in the gym of the school they used in the film.
Heather Duke’s kitchen in the dream sequence was also the kitchen used for Heather Chandler’s house. They just switched the colors and lit it differently.
Lying on top of the glass table through which Heather Chandler fell were a copy of the Cliff’s Notes for “The Bell Jar” (which was written by Sylvia Plath, who committed suicide) and a magazine with a cover story “The Fall of the American Teenager.”
The role of Heather McNamara, the cheerleader, was originally offered to 17 year old actress Heather Graham. Heather’s parents decided against letting her do the role because of the dark subject matter.
The hotel imploded on TV in the movie is the Hotel King Cotton in Memphis, Tennessee which was destroyed 29 April 1984.
The role of Veronica was intended for Jennifer Connelly who turned it down.
Brad Pitt auditioned for the role of J.D., but was rejected because he was considered “too nice” for the part.
Ranked at #5 on Entertainment Weekly’s 50 Best High School Movies (2006)
The first day of filming took place on Ash Wednesday and the first scene filmed was the croquet game that took place after J.D. fires his gun in the cafeteria.
The film’s first scene was actually the last one to be shot. By that time, Lisanne Falk had cut her hair and had to wear a wig.
Justine Bateman was considered for the lead.
The name Heather is said 90 times throughout the film.
The closeups of Veronica’s legs was filmed with a body double.
Christian Slater has stated that his performance was heavily inspired by Jack Nicholson. He claims that he wrote a letter to Nicholson asking him to watch the film but did not receive an answer.
Mid-1990′s-era ska/punk band Edna’s Goldfish named their song “Veronica Sawyer” after the main character in Heathers. The song’s theme of alienation among suburban teenagers reflects the themes of the movie. Reel Big Fish covered the song on their 2009 album “Fame, Fortune and Fornication.”
Two stars of the movie died at an early age: Jeremy Applegate (Peter Dawson, whose character prays he will never commit suicide) committed suicide with a shotgun on March 23, 2000, and Kim Walker (Heather Chandler, who had the line “Did you have a brain tumor for breakfast?”) died of a brain tumor on March 6, 2001.
[ 29. October 2010, 08:23: Message edited by: Valley ]
Posted by Veronica Sawyer (Member # 2221) on :
awesome trivia!! this movie is full of hidden messages and double meanings.
Posted by Zombo (Member # 8405) on :
Another minor bit of trivia: Heathers was somewhat influenced by (and borrowed some plot elements from) 1976's Masacre at Central High...which starred RotN star Robert Carradine, so there's another connection to that movie! Posted by Veronica Sawyer (Member # 2221) on :
If you look closely during the scene where Heather Chandler dies, you can see she has a copy of "The Bell Jar" cliff's notes. "The Bell Jar" was written by Sylvia Plath, who committed suicide.
Posted by Valley (Member # 1322) on :
For anyone that hasn't seen it, you might want to add it to your Halloween scary movie list. One of the stars is Kimberly Beck who later went on to "Friday the 13th" fame.
Posted by Zombo (Member # 8405) on :
I'm definitely a big fan of "Massacre at Central High" as well...just wish it was available on DVD! I feel that both it and "Heathers," although made over a decade apart, tackled very similar ideas in an effective manner, and that both movies aged very well.
Plus, Kimberly Beck, fer shur! Posted by Ronnie (Member # 465) on :
Just watched Heathers. I somehow missed this thread? Cool trivia, Valley.. watching it, I had wondered about the kitchen thing, thinking to myself "wow, that looks like the same kitchen".. ha.
I'm glad to see there's a lot of love for Heather #1! While watching the movie, I was blown away by her again. She definitely stands out. And as much as Winona Ryder is adored, I was never a huge fan of hers.. though she's super cute. But I think Kim Walker is gorgeous. I took this picture while watching:
I definitely agree about the way she delivered her lines and her role as queen B. Christian Slater... the long coat, the black hair, ya that worked! I remember while watching his super short lived show, "Breaking In" he used his 'greetings and salutations' line... by the way, I read that the show was going to continue? Not sure what the deal is there...
It had been a while since I had watched Heathers....I almost forgot how dark it was. I always loved the skirts/colored leggings/flats fashion in the movie.
Love the scene where Veronica and JD are in the car, arguing... V takes the cigarette liter and burns her hand.. then JD lights his cig on her hand, too funny!! Posted by the young warrior (Member # 9554) on :
as much as i love jeniffer connelly i'm also pleased she was not chosen for the role of veronica sawyer in heathers,i think winona ryder was just right in the role. infact i think the whole cast for heathers could not have been more perfect!
i was really shocked to read about kim walkers death when sometime back i was reading up on say anything on imdb and i'd thought i'd check up on kim walker to see what else she had appeared in just to read that she had died just aged 32 from a brain tumour,very sad!. i'm also shocked to just read from valleys great bit of trivia that jeremy applegate committed suicide . watched say anything and heathers so many times over the years that you do sought feel like you knew these people!
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
![[Eek!]](eek.gif)