Jawbreaker (film)
| Jawbreaker | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Darren Stein |
| Produced by | Adam Silverman |
| Written by | Darren Stein |
| Starring | Rose McGowan Rebecca Gayheart Julie Benz Judy Greer Ethan Erickson Carol Kane Pam Grier |
| Music by | Stephen Endelman |
| Cinematography | Amy Vincent |
| Editing by | Troy T. Takaki |
| Distributed by | TriStar Pictures |
| Release date(s) | January 30, 1999 (Sundance) February 19, 1999 |
| Running time | 87 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $3.5 million |
| Box office | $3,117,085[1] |
Jawbreaker is an American black comedy thriller film, directed by Darren Stein. It was released February 19, 1999. The film stars Rose McGowan, Rebecca Gayheart, Julie Benz, and Judy Greer as girls in an exclusive clique in their high school. Charlotte Ayanna has a non-speaking cameo role as a murdered prom queen. The film was inspired by the infamous movie Heathers, and is often compared to it, particularly the plot involving a popular female clique, and the accidental murder of one of its members. It also holds similarities to Carrie. Of his concept for the film, Stein has stated The jawbreaker just came to represent the duality of the poppy sweetness of the girls, of high school and of youth, versus the whole idea that this thing could break your jaw.[2]
A musical adaptation of the film, which Stein also wrote the book for, is scheduled[needs update] to be performed on July 29, 2010, featuring Jenna Leigh Green.[3][4]
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Plot [edit]
Blessed with beauty and charisma the "Flawless Four" are the most popular girls in Reagan High School. The clique consists of Courtney Shayne (Rose McGowan); Marcie Fox (Julie Benz); Julie Freeman (Rebecca Gayheart); and Elizabeth Purr (Charlotte Ayanna), the "Princess Di of Reagan High." Of the four, Elizabeth Purr was the only one who was genuinely kind-hearted and loved by the entire school. Julie was "doomed to be popular because of 'that face' and because she was best friends with Elizabeth Purr". Cold-blooded queen bee Courtney and her airheaded friend, Marcie, demand respect through terror.
However, Courtney, Marcie and Julie play a mindless prank on Liz the morning of her seventeenth birthday, by performing a fake kidnapping: They surprise Liz in bed, bind her with ropes (with Courtney ramming a jawbreaker into her mouth to gag her) and cover it with duct tape. Dressed only in a shirt and panties, the girls trap Liz in the trunk of a car, as she struggles and squeals through her gag, and drive off.
However, upon opening the trunk, they are greeted with the grisly sight of Liz dead, having choked to death by aspirating the jawbreaker into her larynx. Horrified, Julie wants to go to the police but Courtney forbids her. Instead, Courtney calls the school pretending to be Liz's mother and tells them Liz is ill and cannot attend school. To keep up appearances, Courtney, Marcie and Julie then go to school as though nothing had happened. When the principal sends school outcast Fern Mayo (Judy Greer) to deliver Liz's homework at the end of the day, she stumbles upon the three girls and Liz's mangled body. Out of jealousy, Courtney fabricates a story that Liz died at the hands of a rapist, and plots to tarnish Liz's good reputation by spreading false rumors that she was actually a rebellious, promiscuous girl, and not the perfect angel she made herself out to be.
Fern, who had admired Liz to the point of hero worship, is appalled and attempts to flee the house, but the girls easily catch her. To buy Fern's silence, Courtney accepts Fern into the clique, telling her to take Liz's place. Courtney and Marcie then give her a makeover, transforming her from plain and awkward to elegant and beautiful. Later in the school cafeteria, Courtney introduces Fern as the beautiful exchange student "Vylette." Julie, overwhelmed by guilt at her part in Liz's death, distances herself from the clique, only to be tormented by her former friends and becomes a new target for abuse throughout the school. Her only real friend during this time is her drama student boyfriend, Zack.
As Vylette's popularity soars, Julie watches in mute horror as Courtney spins a relentless web of lies, trickery and manipulation to cover up the murder and maintain her popularity. Julie discovers, to her disgust, that after they'd returned Liz's corpse to her house, Courtney went out and seduced a stranger (Marilyn Manson) at a sleazy bar and had sex with him in Liz's bed, making it seem as though he had raped Liz.
In time, Vylette becomes intoxicated with her newfound popularity, which has eclipsed Courtney's own. Realizing she has created a monster, Courtney threatens to reveal the truth about Vylette, but Vylette vows she will reveal the whole truth about Liz's death if Courtney attempts to expose her. Infuriated, Courtney and Marcie post enlarged yearbook photos of Fern Mayo all over the school with the message "Who is Vylette" written on them, revealing Vylette's true identity. Fern is thoroughly humiliated by the entire school and once again reduced to an outcast. Feeling no remorse for the lives she has destroyed, Courtney casually attends the senior prom with jock Dane Sanders (Ethan Erickson).
Julie takes pity on Fern and forgives her for falling under Courtney's influence. Later that night as she sulks in her room, going through a bag of Liz's belongings that were given to her, Julie finds the recording card she was fiddling with when Courtney was faking Liz's death and discovers it has incidentally recorded Courtney's admission to the murder. Struck with an idea, Julie, Fern and Zack all hurry to the prom. Upon seeing them, Courtney, Marcie and a few of their lackeys call Julie and Fern names and try to embarrass them, but it backfires when the girls completely ignore their taunts and go on with their plan. Later on, as Dane and Courtney are announced as Prom King and Queen, Zack sneaks backstage and broadcasts the card message, "I killed Liz! I killed the teen dream! Deal with it!", over the sound system while Courtney is making her acceptance speech. Dane (seized with shock and disgust over the revelation) quickly abandons Courtney. Horrified that her scheme has become unraveled, she races for the exit as the rest of the students pelt her with corsages and call her a murderer. Awaiting Courtney at the very end of the mob is Julie, who gleefully snaps a picture of her former friend's anguished face to immortalize the occasion.
Cast [edit]
- Rose McGowan as Courtney Alice Shayne
- Rebecca Gayheart as Julie Freeman
- Julie Benz as Marcie Fox
- Judy Greer as Fern Mayo/Vylette
- Chad Christ as Zack Tartak
- Charlotte Ayanna as Elizabeth "Liz" Purr
- Shar Jackson as Keisha
- Ethan Erickson as Dane Sanders
- Pam Grier as Det. Vera Cruz
- Carol Kane as Ms. Sherwood
- Marilyn Manson as The Stranger
- Tatyana Ali as Brenda
- P. J. Soles as Mrs. Purr
- William Katt as Mr. Purr
- Jeff Conaway as Mr. Fox
Reception [edit]
Critical response was overwhelmingly negative. It currently holds a 7% approval rating at Rotten Tomatoes based on 57 reviews (4 positive, 53 negative), leading to its inclusion on several of the websites lists ranking the worst films, earning the distinction of being the single worst film of 1999 as well as ranking among the top ten worst films of the 1990s.[5] Roger Ebert gave the film 1 and a half out of 4, stating "The movie is a slick production of a lame script ... If anyone in the plot had the slightest intelligence, the story would implode".[6] Francesca Dinglasan from Boxoffice magazine gave the film 1 and a half out of 5, criticizing the film's humor and similarities to Heathers.[7] James Berardinelli gave the film a more favorable 2 and a half out of 4, calling it "palatable, and occasionally even clever", however concluding that "while the film offers more than a Heathers rehash, it never fully develops its own identity.[8]
Nevertheless, despite the harsh reviews, the film is considered a cult classic.
Rose McGowan was nominated for the MTV Movie Award for Best Villain, but lost against Matt Dillon and Stephen Dorff for their roles as Pat Healy and Deacon Frost in There's Something About Mary and Blade.
Soundtrack [edit]
| Track # | Song title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
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Yoo Hoo | Imperial Teen | 3:31 |
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I See | Letters To Cleo | 3:56 |
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Next To You | Edna Swap | 2:35 |
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Don't Call Me Babe | Shampoo | 2:58 |
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Bad Word For A Good Thing | Friggs | 2:53 |
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Stay In Bed | Grand Mal | 4:49 |
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Flow | Transister | 5:59 |
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She Bop | Howie Beno | 3:06 |
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Water Boy | Imperial Teen | 1:36 |
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Rock You Like a Hurricane | Scorpions | 4:14 |
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Rock 'n' Roll Machine | The Donnas | 2:54 |
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Beat You Up | The Prissteens | 2:36 |
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Trouble | Shampoo | 3:21 |
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ "Jawbreaker". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved February 5, 2010.
- ^ Maslin, Janet (February 19, 1999), "FILM REVIEW; Eye Candy: Teen Queens of Mean", New York Times (New York, NY)
- ^ http://www.playbill.com/news/article/140775-Espinosa-Snyder-and-Green-Join-Cast-of-Jawbreaker-Concert-in-Los-Angeles
- ^ http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Espinosa_Bean_et_al_Lead_JAWBREAKER_Concert_for_Show_at_Barre_729_20100628
- ^ "Jawbreaker". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved February 5, 2010.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (February 19, 1999). "Jawbreaker". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved February 5, 2010.
- ^ Dinglasan, Francesca (August 1, 2008). "Jawbreaker". Boxoffice magazine. Retrieved February 5, 2010.
- ^ Berardinelli, James. "Jawbreaker". Reelviews.net. Retrieved February 5, 2010.
