User reviews

"Jawbreaker" has all the predictable, clichéd elements of past teen comedies, but I can't deny the fact that I enjoyed it. I think part of its appeal is that it's a darker comedy, like "Heathers"--though this movie certainly isn't in the same league. Everybody in the cast gives fine performances. Rose McGowan's is a little over-the-top, but I think it fit the tone of the movie. The running time is about 85 minutes, so it doesn't go on long. There are plenty of funny moments that keep it entertaining. You can argue that the Karen Carpenter joke was too cruel, but that joke alone didn't ruin the film for me. The ending is certainly a cop-out. There could've been a MUCH better pay-off! But despite the fact that "Jawbreaker" is undoubtedly a flawed film, it's energetic and fun. There are much worse teen movies out there.

Much like the candy that bears it's name, "Jawbreaker" is a sweet, infectious dark comedy that wants you to enjoy it for a good, long time. Unfortunately, also like the candy, the film is a little hard to swallow, and it doesn't last as long or come on as strong as it's name would lead you to believe. But even though you know that much candy is bad for you, you still want to have it.

On her 17th birthday, popular girl Liz (Charlotte Ayanna, here as Charlotte Roldan), a member of the "Flawless Four," is kidnapped by her best friends Courtney (Rose McGowan), Marcie (Julie Benz), and Julie (Rebecca Gayheart) as a prank, her screams muffled by a huge jawbreaker. The prank goes horribly wrong, however, when Liz chokes to death on the candy. Instead of going to the authorities, as Julie insists, Courtney devises a massive plan to cover up the death, a plan discovered by the unpopular and awkward Fern (Judy Greer). To win her silence, Courtney makes Fern in her own image, renaming her Vylette and allowing her to hang and commiserate with the most popular people in school. As Fern becomes intoxicated with her new-found power, Julie becomes more concerned with her friend's death, and Courtney spins a devious web of lies and trickery. Enter Detective Vera Cruz (Pam Grier), the only person who may be able to get to the bottom of the crime. But what does all this mean for the Prom?

Writer and director Darren Stein as obviously seen "Heathers" a good number of times. Like that classic film of teen angst, "Jawbreaker" is a dark comedy set in a high school, featuring an accidental murder of a popular student. While "Jawbreaker" is certainly more colorful than "Heathers", both in terms of set design and characters, it also comes off as a pale imitation. The students live their lives in near-vacuums, with parents showing up only occasionally, and then only as ineffective or ignorant. The impact of their actions on the community at large is only hinted at, and as a result, you never feel as if anything important in the reality of this film has ever happened.

That being said, the movie is still pretty sweet. Rose McGowan is cruel and calculating villain, terrifying in her powers of manipulation and contingency. Julie Benz is the perfect toadie, existing only to buoy Courtney's already swollen ego. Rebecca Gayheart's warm-natured Julie is a stark contrast to Courtney's "Satan-in-heels" persona, and Judy Greer is wonderful to watch as she goes from under-appreciated geek to power-mad diva. Pam Grier is, as always, a pleasure to watch, even if her role seems too small. The interactions between her and Rose McGowan are some of the highlights of the film. A good supporting cast also deserves mention, most notably Carol Kane as the slightly daffy school principal, Marilyn Manson as a seedy barfly, and Ethan Erickson as the dumb jock being relentlessly manipulated by Courtney's sex games.

While the script is full of caustic one-liners, it never succumbs to its own hipness. The characters are witty, but not nearly as unrealistically urbane as the characters in movies like "Scream." Some scenes and interactions come off as gratuitous, and to be sure there are a number of times when Stein really wants you to notice to how well he paid attention at film school. But there are a number of scenes that gain new meaning when analyzed in the larger scheme of the movie, and a repeat viewing may be in order to catch the full signifcance. You may sometimes get so distracted by the candy-colored schemes (McGowan's lips alone may send you into insulin shock) that you'll forget about the plot.

Some may see the movie as derivative, and there are certainly a large number of detractors. But taken on its own merits, "Jawbreaker" is a fun, giddily dark comedy that requires more than few licks to get to the bottom of. Just keep your consumption to a moderate amount, and you'll do fine. 7 out of 10.

When you watch "Jawbreaker," you can't help but sense echoes of "Heathers," "Clueless" and "The Craft." So it is a bit of a derivative teen bopper flick. But it's not a total rip-off and does stand on its own two feet.

However, it's a fun movie. And it has a great soundtrack, which I have. I love the use of the song "Rock Me Like a Hurricane" in the Marilyn Manson cameo. Pam Grier also had an interesting bit role, as a tough-as-nails private investigator. "Jawbreaker" has its flaws, but it's fast-paced, energetic and sometimes pretty funny.

The only big letdown was the ending. Couldn't they come up with something more torcherous to do to Courtney? Evidently, the writer Darren Stein was too anxious to complete the script and pasted on this snappy, thoughtless ending.

What happens when you take the movie "Heathers", sprinkle on some "Clueless", and add a pinch of "Carrie"? Well, you get the phat movie Jawbreaker, a good movie which really lets Rebecca Gayheart and Rose McGowen shine like the stars they are!

The movie itself is somewhat true to the lives of teenagers---there was always that incredibly exclusive group of kids that NOBODY but NOBODY could be good friends with. Well, this movie lets us see into one of these groups...and what lies underneath is totally rotton.

Rose McGowen is a total witch, much to the dismay of Rebecca Gayheart...who has to solve the puzzle of Courtney's scheme after her character Julie is tossed from the clique. The ending is pretty memorable...reaching back to it's roots of Carrie.

Speaking of Carrie...P.J. Soles is in the movie, as well as the cool Carol Kane (When a Stranger Calls). I really enjoyed the movie as did my friends. A laugh-a-thon that doesn't try to take itself TOO seriously, and remembering that is a good thing.

Oh, and Rebecca Gayheart is grrrreat!

Kinky in all of her attitudes, Rose rescues this movie from mediocrity. Yes, there are some good "video-clip" scenes, and when the director decides to turn the movie a little more dark (see Marilyn Manson) is quite enjoyable, but the story is very poor and some dialogues are a little bit disregarded. I have to repeat: you have to see this movie for Rose McGowan, you will love this nasty nasty teen... Unforgettable the ice-cream-with-jock scene!!!

Liz is a nice girl and the most popular in her school. Her three friends accidentally kills her playing a birthday prank when she chokes on a jawbreaker. Mean girl Courtney (Rose McGowan) takes over the leadership. Marcie (Julie Benz) is willing to follow, but Julie (Rebecca Gayheart) is troubled with the death. When geeky Fern (Judy Greer) finds out by chance, she's remade into a popular girl to keep her in line.

This has several problems. The most obvious are the girls in their mid 20's, and the Heathers comparison. The girls are all gorgeous. Rose McGowan has a great mean girl persona. But the girls are so visibly too old for high school. It is extremely distracting. And the Heathers comparison doesn't help. The writing and the dialog can't stand up to the comparison. It doesn't have the snappy dialog or the memorable lines. It isn't as funny, and drifts into boring.

This movie excels in one thing, and that is the music. It's fun and candy coated which fits the story perfectly. Sure the supermodel walk down the hall is great, but that's a pittance. There's not enough here to recommend this movie.

In the interests of full disclosure, I should confess I have a weakness for any film in which actresses in their mid 20s play teenagers, but when two of those actresses are Rose McGowan AND Rebecca Gayheart, how can a film not be watchable? Many commenters have complained that "Jawbreaker" was very similar to "Heathers" (1988) but not as good. So what? If you want to see a film just like "Heathers" then go watch "Heathers." Although generally panned by critics, "Jawbreaker" is nonetheless a cut above most 'high school' movies. The sound track fits the film better than is the case with most others of this genre. I particularly liked the use of Imperial Teen's "Yoo Hoo", and the playing of "Young at Heart" during Courtney's (McGowan) meltdown. The use of such irony and cross reference is enough to show the makers are not taking it all too seriously, but not so much that the film becomes camp. I'm curious as to the geographic distribution of the negative vis-a- vis positive comments. My bet is that those who are more familiar with L.A. high school life had a better appreciation for "Jawbreaker" than might those living elsewhere.

"Jawbreaker" is a very boring film. Don't be fooled by the premise, a cheerleader chokes on a jawbreaker or something. Instead, the first 10 minutes are pretty much the only thing the movie has to do with the girl. The rest is our lovely Hollywood stereotype teenage movie. You know, nerdy girl gets makeover and becomes homecoming queen, everyone listens to most popular tunes, etc. It is all like that. Don't waste your time.

Honestly by far my fav 1990s movie i loved the twist and the plot was amazing can't believe the ratings are less then 10 this movie for sure deserves a 10!

Jawbreaker might have a little too much in common with the cult classic Heathers, but that doesn't mean it's not bringing anything to the plate. Rose McGowan makes for a delicious villain described as "Satan in high heels" and a lot of the one-liners and situations are funny and amusing.

Darren Stein directs with a lot of flash and color which keeps things moving at a zippy pace.

The similarities between this and "Heathers" seem more than coincidental. Heathers was a great movie and I'd be up for a remake or whatever ,but not this. A black comedy that isnt very funny. On the positive side , there is the impossibly voluptuous Rose McGowan.

The Rotten Tomatoes score for this is Shockingly low at 11%. I definitely think it's time for a critical revisit because the movie has become such a cult classic. It centers around a group of popular teen girls in high school. The Alpha played by a perfectly poisonous Rose McGowan (Scream). Rebecca Gayheart (Urban Legend) the nice one and Julie Benz (TV's Buffy) as the ditzy follower. They play an unfortunate prank on their girlfriend and she chokes on a large Jawbreaker. They try and cover it up while the Alpha takes it to questionable lengths. It's a darkly humorous teen flick that's now better than ever. Filled with quotable dialogue and one hell of a lead performance from McGowan. It's fun, disturbing and hilarious in all the right ways. Judy Greer (Halloween 2018) stars as Fern a witness they give a makeover, Pam Grier (Jackie Brown) as the feisty detective and Carol Kane (Scrooged) as the kooky principal. Even Marilyn Manson shows up for a cameo.

Budget: $3.5M Box Office: $3.1M

8.25/10

This film is sort of similar to mean girls (well, mean girls would be similar to this), but a lot more daring and darker. The characters make the movie what it is. Rose McGowan does a great job as a evil, manipulating bitch who stops at nothing to live her perfect life. The rest of the cast also did really good. The storyline is over the top, but it makes a great riot. Plus, the film actually has some morale to it, showing the good and bad side to human nature. If you like cult films, watch it. And definitely watch it if you are a fan of anyone in the cast. I rate this 7/10. Rated R for sexuality,language and violence-all involving teens.

Jawbreaker is *no* Heathers.

If you watch Heathers, even for the dozenth time, it's amazing how easy the movie looks. Daniel Waters's dialogue was a wonderful rhythm that he could never repeat. Michael Lehmann's direction captured a mixture of black comedy and drama that he's never been able to repeat. It could be argued that nobody in the cast (with the possible exception of Winona Ryder) has ever been better. Watching Darren Stein's Jawbreaker makes you realize just how difficult it was for Waters and Lehmann to make their film, because in every way Heathers succeeds, Jawbreaker fails.

Jawbreaker has nothing new to say about high school, nor about popularity, nor about violence in society. So if you eliminate any hope of subtext, you can also wonder why exactly it doesn't seem funny. Or why the finale seems random an unsatisfying. Or why there's no character development at all. The dialogue isn't neither as smart or as barbed as writer/director Darren Stein seems to think it is, nor is the colorful and sometimes appealingly campy direction really a redeeming feature.

The characters are all one dimensional. Rose McGowan, as Courney Alice Shayne, was given more to do in the crappy "B" movie Devil in the Flesh. She's always watchable, but she's usually more interesting. Rebecca Gayheart is supposed to be the character the audience can identify with, but her "I remember when the dorky kids were my friends, back in fourth grade" story arc is just ripped off poorly from Heathers. Everybody's easy to look at, but none of the young actors is going to put this one prominantly on their resumes.

A string of amusing faces from the past pop up to remind you of a litany of movies that this is not. William Katt makes you yearn for Carrie. Pam Grier makes you year for a campier film like Sheba, Baby or a better film like Jackie Brown. Hell, Carol Kane even makes you yearn for the relative pleasures of a mediocre movie like The Pallbearer.

Jawbreaker isn't funny. It isn't original. And it isn't very good. But darned if it doesn't invite another viewing of Heathers. And that's never bad.

Jawbreaker;; There's always that group at rule the school. At Reagan High, it's the foursome, Courtney, Liz, Marcie and Julie. The plot is set in motion on the morning of Liz's birthday, when Courtney, Marcie and Julie break into her house, shove a jawbreaker in her mouth and lock her in the trunk. But their harmless prank goes horribly wrong when they discover Liz has choked on the jawbreaker. The rest of the running time involves the girls trying to cover up the murder and bribing a nerd to keep her mouth shut.

I am a fan of teen movies and black comedies. Assuming Jawbreaker falls into both of those genre's I was expecting to adore the film. The problem with 'Jawbreaker' lies in the fact that the conflict is set into motion within the first 5 minutes, leaving the rest of the film running of low gas. But it offers enough one-liners, laughs and style to make up for the flaws.

Performances are good around, and a keen sense of the bitchy high school girl stereotype is cleverly constructed here. After all, everybody has a Courtney in their life. She's the girl who loves to be feared, and MCGowen does a great job pulling her persona off.

3 from 4.

I've seen this movie so many times and i really really like it. It's not one of my favorites or anything but it's really good. The girls are really beautiful too. The plot is kinda far-fetched, but all in all its a good movie. well to me. this movie is so good because it has such a good score, though not fabulous. It's definitely a movie that gets better on the second viewing, not "Lost in Translation" quality but is improving. People judge it as a teen movie. I judge it as a crime-drama, i don't mean a good one though. not for that genre. As a teen movie though, it kinda is good.

Jawbreaker: 7 out of 10

This flick was a big disappointment. Judy Greer was the high spot for me. Best performance in this most unnecessary film. And, where on earth did the R-rating come from?

Despite reviews and expectations to the contrary, this film is not a successor to HEATHERS. It lacks any of the earlier film's scathing commentary or shockingly morbid humor. What emerges is a CARRIE-esque revenge tale unbridled with any imagination, wit or remotely interesting characters. Still, the production design and energetic performances by Rose McGowan and Rebecca Gayheart (as the repentant good girl) almost make JAWBREAKER worth seeing...

A group of ultra-hip teenage schoolgirls (from Reagan High!) accidentally kill one of their own in a birthday prank gone awry; they struggle to keep their deed a secret even after a nerdy student discovers the truth. Darkly comic tale, brightly-produced yet full of cynicism, has brief moments that go out on a limb, but is ultimately a rather formulaic "Heathers" knock-off. Holds interest nearly half the way, however the wrap-up is right off the assembly-line. It certainly benefits from a good cast, with the central performances by Rose McGowan and Rebecca Gayheart spot-on, however prominently-billed P.J. Soles, William Katt and Marilyn Manson hardly appear at all. *1/2 from ****

NOTE: I tend to not be the peevish with older actors playing teenagers but I just find it funny that they are dressed so maturely that sometimes it feels like did not feel high school at all.

I was shocked how well stylized this film was. I did not expect it especially how lowly rated it was. But I guess, like its portrayal of its actors, it was truly made for a truly older audiences. The vibe of the film has a weird disconnect for something with high school content. It just never felt juvenile. Unlike films of the time that also boast kinkier and darker story like Cruel Intentions and Wild Things, this never plays up the idea that they are high school students. Oddly enough, It feels like it just plays up the psychopathic nature of its characters.

Also, I tend to see that this film is always compared to Heathers. I would like to disagree. Personally, while both cover darker topics, Jawbreaker lacks the commentary and insight that Heathers is famed for. For me, Jawbreakers goes directly for the jugular. It feels closer to Water's Female Trouble, a movie with high school scenes that shows meanness, pure anger and angst. Similarly, both films are anchored by its unique visual style and well paced dialogue.

Speaking of its style, an oddly vintage 70s color scheme plays a huge part of the film visual style. An odd choice for a nineties film but ultimately adds to its dreamlike aesthetics. I believe Mina Le has a great discussion in her youtube channel. A lot of scenes like Fern/Violet transformation scenes that interestingly parallels Frankenstein scenes, or the scene's during Violet downfall was made akin to Lynch's dreamlike style.

In the end, I guess the meanness of the film was just a bit too much for some critics and viewers at the time. It was derided and even the contemporary imdb review was largely negative. But don't believe that. There is something great behind it all. This film has layers tbh.

This movie wanted to be "Heathers" so badly it could taste it. Unfortunately, without Christian Slater, it fell a bit short of that level. Still, good black comedies are hard to find, and Rose McGowan is nearly strong enough to carry the entire movie. Certainly this is worth a rental.

Jawbreaker. Most people would rather break their jaw than watch this film. I first watched this film on video and I was unpleased to say the least. Obviously Rose Mcgowen is good at playing the bad gal because she is a bad gal but even her performance is lackluster. You hate her but not because she killed someone but because you can relate to seeing someone like her in your high school. Thats the only good thing about this film. The fact that you can relate to the girls because they're in every high school. The stuck up snobs who think that the world bows down to them. The plot is as thick as a piece of paper. The most popular and kind girl in school is accidently killed when her friends kidnap her on her birthday as a joke. Now the new leader of the bunch decides to cover it up and make it look like someone else did it. Is It Original? Nope. Is it a good watch? No except for Rebecca Gayheart's performance, she gave a good showing portraying the hero. In The end this movie fails to live up to its potential.