Release Date: March 31st, 1989
Director: Michael Lehmann
On YALSA's 2010 list for Outstanding Young Adult Films: Outside In: Rebellion vs. Conformity
Plot Summary: Veronica begins to befriend the elite social clique at Westerburg High School, The Heathers. It is made up of Heather one, Heather two, and Heather three. It isn't easy to fit into their group, and they pressure Veronica to ditch her old “uncool” friends. Soon the attraction to being part of the Heathers wears off and Veronica begins to hate the girls. Veronica starts to date J.D. a rebel and non-conformist after he fires a gun with blanks in it at students bullying him. J.D. ad Veronica accidentally murder Heather Chandler when Veronica intends to give her an orange juice and milk mixture but instead she picks up a cup of drain cleaner. J.D. wanted to use the drain cleaner originally and even after he sees the mistake, he decides not to alert Veronica. They write a fake suicide note to hide the murder and the school mourns the beautiful, misunderstood popular girl. After this J.D. and Veronica play a series of murderous pranks on school enemies and Veronica realizes J.D.’s intentions are far worse than hers.
Critical Evaluation: In this dark comedy Veronica and J.D. combat bullying, with a series of pranks gone bad. At first the viewer thinks the bullies and cruel kids are simply getting what they deserve, but when the pranks turn into murders, it takes a far more serious tone. Veronica's intrigue with J.D. seems to diminish after it continually leads to violent repercussions, and while at first she seems to enjoy the revenge, she also demonstrates ambivalence and concern. The film is better for older teens as the revenge message is for an audience capable differentiating between appropriate and violent ways of responding to bullying. The film at first could be cathartic for teens experiencing bullying, but it is important that teens understand the negative implications behind murdering ones enemies vs. learning to seek appropriate help with bullying from school administrators and parents.
Annotation: Dark comedy about a girl named Veronica attending Westerburg High School in Ohio. She is part of an elite social clique called the Heathers. The Heathers are especially cruel to the non- Heather students and this cult film illustrates the negative effects of bullying. Veronica and J.D. respond to bullying and social politics in a series of pranks gone terribly wrong.
Genre: Comedy/ Drama
Curriculum Ties: Sociology (a useful tool for discussing bullying and high school social politics with teens)
Discussion Ideas:
1.) While J.D. is funny, what are the possible implications of a vigilante response to bullying?
2.) Who is worse the Heathers or J.D. and Veronica?
3.) What are some ways teens can combat bullying without violence or humiliation?
Age Level Interest: The film was rated R, so I recommend it for older teens 16 and up with parental consent/ 10th grade and up
Challenge Issues: Bullying, death, suicide, murder,
Defense: First, this film was rated R, so it must be viewed with parental consent.
I would explain to the individuals challenging the film that it is on the YALSA 2010 Outstanding Films for Teens List. I would discuss how the difficult points in the film should be considered points to discuss with teens and promote critical thinking.
I would invite parents and adults to have a viewing/ discussion of the film and discuss ways to use the film constructively with their children.
I would also share the selection policies for San Diego County Libraries: http://dbpcosdcsgt.co.san-diego.ca.us/screens/Intranet/policy/sdcl-policy_O.41_material-selection.pdf If after my working to convince the patron, they still were not satisfied and wanted to file a grievance, I would provide the needed paper work and then it would go to the “Challenged Materials” team for San Diego County and then onward until there is resolution: http://dbpcosdcsgt.co.san-diego.ca.us/screens/Intranet/policy/sdcl-policy_O.34_intellectual_freedom.pdf
Why did I include this film: I personally loved this movie as a teen. I was definitely a par of the cult following! Christian Slater and Wynona Ryder do a great job of fueling this dark comedy. I do not believe that suicide is ever a laughing matter, nor is bullying, but as mentioned above, sometimes watching a film like this might be cathartic, but one should always understand that murder, suicide, and humiliation are never appropriate or viable responses to bullying. Bullying hurts, and teens need ways to combat bullying and to find vindication, so in my opinion this film offers a chance to see a bizarre twist to high school social politics. I also feel that YALSA's selection of the film for its 2010 list conveys that it has a positive message in the end.
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