Dear Diary,
Heather told us we needed to discuss this biting black comedy about a bunch of swatch-dogs, Diet Cokeheads and... an intelligently-crafted film which subsequently influenced countless other teen movies. Heathers (1988) is chocked full of subversive, quick-witted commentary, savage humor and one memorable quote after another. The upchuck factor is low, but the harshness of high school life in Heathers is still epic.
▶️ (00:45) Looking to escape her elitist high school clique, a bright and troubled teen gets roped in by her psychopathic boyfriend to murder their popular classmates, framing each to look like a suicide. So, why does Heathers still matter from a cultural and storytelling standpoint? We’ll touch on the movie’s first-time director, Michael Lehmann, writer Daniel Waters, the cast, the overall themes of the film and why the subject matter is even more controversial today.
▶️ (34:46) Picks of the Week:
Both Picks deal with the disruption of normalcy in American life. Lehmann’s ridiculous, yet worthwhile second film, Meet the Applegates (1991), follows a family of insects disguised as an all-American family looking for nuclear power access to destroy humans. As if things couldn’t get weirder than that, Lindsay went the body-horror route with Brian Yuzna’s uniquely unforgettable film about the wealthy literally sucking life from the lower class in 1989’s Society.
▶️ (51:04) Although Heathers is a dark comedy, the movie deals with very serious subject matters. For this MurrayMoment, we share an NBC News op-ed piece written by Billy shortly after the Stoneman Douglas school shooting in Parkland, FL.
▶️ (56:24) Quick final thoughts on Heathers.
Thirty years after the release of Heathers, the film still cuts deeply to the teenage core. It’s relevance is undeniable, as it remains a true, original piece of iconic 80s movie history. If you wanna mess with the eagles, you gotta learn how to fly, so try not to be a total pillow case.
Episode 15 : A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)
Episode 14 : Serial Mom
Episode 13 : Pet Sematary
Episode 12 : Quick Change
Episode 11 part two : The Monster Squad (Interview w/ Andre Gower & Henry McComas)
Episode 11 part one : The Monster Squad
Episode 10 : Robocop (1987)
Episode 9 : Stand By Me
Episode 8 : Working Girl
Episode 7 : The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
Episode 6 : Weird Science
Episode 5 : Predator (1987)
Episode 4 : Fatal Attraction
Episode 3 : Reality Bites
Episode 2 : The Lost Boys
Episode 1 : Ed Wood
Episode 0 : an introduction to Don’t Push Pause
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Cinema: A to B
I Finally Watched...
Star Wars Escape Pod
Pod Meets World
Pop Culture Happy Hour