My Review of Jawbreaker (1999)

 

Written And Directed by Darren Stein

Courtney: "I killed Liz. I killed the teen dream. Deal with it."

From the minute this film starts, it's influences are obvious from the get go. Someone clearly liked Heathers a decade prior and thought of this underrated cult classic. The someone being Darren Stein of course.

You've got a popular clique made up of ruthless uber bitch Courtney Shayne (Rose McGowen), her dim witted lackey Marcie Fox (Julie Benz) and the beautiful Julie Freeman (Rebecca Gayheart). Oh and Liz Purr (Charlotte Ayanna). Together try made the Flawless Four at Reagan High School.

As friends, they weren't exactly the greatest of people to their peers or even to themselves. A birthday prank saw Liz being silenced with a jawbreaker, only for that sweet to end up being the very thing to kill her. How do the rest of the group react?

Well, with Courtney, she's happy to stage a sexual assault and frame a random stranger (Marilyn Manson) in order to avoid answering for her accidental crime. Marcie went along with Courtney and Julie showed some semblance of a conscience by wanting to do the right thing by Liz.

Then there was the bookish Fern Mayo (Judy Greer). Courtney could've killed her but instead remade her into her image as Vylette to replace Julie within the group. Then when Vylette got a bit too much, Courtney diminished her quite brutally. However with this movie, what went around came back around too.

With the only Detective on the case, Vera Cruz (Pam Grier) being somewhat ineffectual at her job, it was up to Julie, Fern and drama guy Zach (Chad Christ) to be the ones to take Courtney. Of course the prom was the perfect place to do it and it's a glorious comeuppance for a delightfully nasty character.

- There's a great supporting role from Carole Kane as Ms. Sherwood.

- Not only was Julie Benz in this movie but Ethan Erickson who played Courtney's jock boyfriend, Dane was another Buffy The Vampire Slayer link to this movie.

- Standout music: Imperial Teen's Yoo Hoo and Shampoo's Trouble.

- Chronology: It was very much a 90s movie.

While I don't think Jawbreaker quite hits the heights of Heathers or even later (though not as dark by comparison) movies like Mean Girls, it's a certainly an enjoyable one. 

Rating: 7 out of 10