Jawbreaker (1999)

User Rating:

4.7/10   

Director:

Darren Stein

Writer:

Darren Stein (writer)

Release Date:

19 February 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime

Tagline:

The sweetest candies are sour as death inside.

Plot:

Three of the most popular girls at Reagan High accidentally kill the prom queen with a jaw-breaker when a kidnapping goes horribly wrong.

Plot Keywords:

Villain Played By Lead Actor | Friend | Disturbing | Accidental Killing | Polaroid

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Rose McGowan	...	Courtney Alice Shayne
Rebecca Gayheart	...	Julie Freeman
Julie Benz	...	Marcie Fox
Judy Greer	...	Fern Mayo / Vylette
Ethan Erickson	...	Dane Sanders
Chad Christ	...	Zack Tartak
Charlotte Ayanna	...	Elizabeth 'Liz' Purr (as Charlotte Roldan)
Tatyana Ali	...	Brenda Chad
P.J. Soles	...	Mrs. Purr
William Katt	...	Mr. Purr
Jeff Conaway	...	Marcie's Father
Marilyn Manson	...	The Stranger
Carol Kane	...	Ms. Sherwood
Pam Grier	...	Detective Vera Cruz
Kall Harrington	...	Superstar #1

MPAA:

Rated R for sexuality, language and violence, all involving teens.

Runtime:

87 min | Germany:78 min | Argentina:96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Iceland:12 | USA:R (certificate #36269) | Australia:M | France:-12 | Germany:12 | Netherlands:12 (video premiere) | Portugal:M/12 (video premiere) | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | Argentina:16 | Philippines:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Crossroads Films

Trivia:

The band playing at the prom is The Donnas.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the scene where Marcie and Courtney are staging Liz's death scene Marcie and Courtney continuously switch positions from the left side of the bed to the right repeatedly.

Quotes:

Marcie: How about some public affection, girls?

Movie Connections:

References Grease (1978)

Soundtrack:

Checkin' It Out

Heathers? Nope ... just a weed.

`Jawbreaker' is an obvious aspirant to the mantle of the legendary `Heathers' - one of the smartest, sassiest, and sharpest teen movies ever made. An ostensibly similar plot sees the most popular - and most spiteful - clique at school accidentally murder their classmate. The school nerd is their only witness. In return for her silence, they agree to make her over in their image, tempting her with the promise of popularity. Unfortunately, `Jawbreaker' lacks everything that made `Heathers' great. As a `Clueless on Crack' it fares a little better - but, given the intriguing possibilities of its concept, is still a disappointment.

Where the earlier movie was intelligently malevolent, `Jawbreaker' is a surprisingly mean-spirited film. Its characters never rise above caricatures, making them difficult to empathise with. The journey of Fern `Mayonnaise' Mayo from school nerd the babelicious Vylette is hollow and unconvincing. Unlike Veronica Sawyer of `Heathers' who undergoes a similar transformation, Vylette seems to gain precious little wisdom from her experiences. Perhaps this has to do with the nails-on-a-blackboard performance of Judy Greer, who seems to believe she is in a John Waters film. This would be fine, if `Jawbreaker' could decide whether it is one or not.

A lazy and sometimes implausible script hanging uneasily between reality, satire, and surrealism offers some clever one liners and sequences, but does little to showcase the talents occasionally on offer. Rose McGowan is the most enjoyable thing about the film for the simple reason that it's clear she isn't taking proceedings too seriously. Rebecca Gayheart's performance is also refreshing; a puddle of reality within the screeching teen-stereotype world around her which throws Judy Greer's Fern/Vylette into even higher relief. Both act as if they are in a better film.

Perhaps the real difference between the two is that `Heathers' had heart and actual insight. `Jawbreaker's heart is as hollow as the view it espouses: it's bad to murder your friend, but it's worse to be a b*tch.