Heathers Review

After guest starring on a friends podcast the topic of this forgotten 80's gem was brought up and perked my interest in seeing it again.

Heathers is the story of 3 awful high school girls named Heather and a couple (played by Wyonna Rider and Christian Slater) who seek out revenge.

The movie has everything you'd expect in an 80's movies. The consistent use of the word "fag", a kid bringing a gun to school and shooting it off (only to serve a brief suspension), date rape, high school bullying, getting revenge off the bullies by shooting them after school, their favorite song "Teenage Suicide" being played over the radio, a father who casually admits to planting a bomb at his wife's work just to get rid of her (right in front of his son and the Dad isn't joking!), stalking and the word "corn nuts" being someone's dying words.

But this movie is smarter than you think. Instead of becoming another brain dead movie from the 80's it actually has a smart message. Gen X telling the older generation that we don't need to be coddled into becoming self-centered babies. And they were right. Gen X wanted to grow up on their own terms. It's the Millennials who would be the coddled group of individuals only a generation later. I know the movie wasn't trying to be that profound but through fate it can be received that way. 

Besides all that, I loved it. Better than I remember. Christian Slater was one of my favorite actors back then and now I remember why. He always played the cool, hip, scheming scumbag. I don't know why, but I loved it every time.