Jawbreaker (1999)
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7% of critics liked it
(57 reviews) -
52% of users liked it
(55,869 ratings)
At Ronald Reagan High School, the power elite clique consists of Courtney Shane (Rose McGowan), Julie Freeman (Rebecca Gayheart), Marcie Fox (Julie Benz), and Liz Purr (Charlotte Roldan). The four girls control the school through a combination of beauty, sex, and intimidation. Of the four, only Liz… More At Ronald Reagan High School, the power elite clique consists of Courtney Shane (Rose McGowan), Julie Freeman (Rebecca Gayheart), Marcie Fox (Julie Benz), and Liz Purr (Charlotte Roldan). The four girls control the school through a combination of beauty, sex, and intimidation. Of the four, only Liz is actually liked by the less fortunate members of the student body, and Liz is also the only one who can keep Courtney, the vicious group leader, in check. Unfortunately for Liz, she's also the only thing keeping Courtney from becoming prom queen. To achieve her goal, Courtney convinces Marcie and Julie to kidnap Liz on her 17th birthday and force her to eat until she's too fat to win. The three sneak into Liz's house, tie her up, stick a jawbreaker in her mouth, and gag her to keep her quiet before they throw her into the trunk of a car. Once they decide to free her, though, they find Liz has choked to death. Courtney decides not to go to the police; her brilliant idea is to take the body back home and create a death scene where Liz is strangled during kinky sex. Predictably, the girls screw it up, and they end up with a witness, social outcast Fern Mayo (Judy Greer). To buy her silence, Courtney draws her into the clique, transforming much more than just her outward appearance. The identity of Fern disappears, to be replaced by the very popular Vylette. In parallel to the rise of Vylette, we witness Julie's descent. Overcome with guilt over Liz's death, Julie drops out of the clique, and without the veil of protection from the others, she is now a target of abuse throughout the school. Courtney's ordeal has just begun as Vylette now challenges her for prom queen and Julie, with the help of another outcast, Zach (Chad Christ), now wants to reveal the truth behind Liz's death. ~ Ron Wells, Rovi
- Directed By
- Darren Stein
- Written By
- Darren Stein
- Genres
- Comedy
R,
- In Theaters
- Feb 19, 1999 Wide
- Studio
- Columbia TriStar
Critic Reviews
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Lisa Alspector, Chicago Reader
Lame shock scenes, crucial plot points inserted without setups, and an unsuccessful attempt to exploit the camp value of some actors cast in minor parts are the least of the problems in this black comedy.
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Jeff Millar, Houston Chronicle
The producers of this film, which depicts teen-age girls as an assemblage of negative stereotypes, are female. Can females practice misogyny?
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Dennis Lim, Village Voice
Only the soundtrack (the Donnas, Imperial Teen) and the irrepressible McGowan make it fractionally more bearable.
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Chris Vognar, Dallas Morning News
It's a tired lousy movie, a terrible twosome that deserves your heartfelt indifference.
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Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail
Not quite a satire, not quite an homage, Jawbreaker falls into a third category: audaciously unoriginal.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
Cast
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Rose McGowan
as Courtney Shayne
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Rebecca Gayheart
as Julie Freeman
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Julie Benz
as Marcie Fox
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Judy Greer
as Fern Mayo/Vylette
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Chad Christ
as Zack Tartak
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Ethan Erickson
as Dane Sanders
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Charlotte Roldan
as Liz Purr
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Carol Kane
as Miss Sherman
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Pam Grier
as Detective Vera Cruz
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William Katt
as Mr. Purr
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P.J. Soles
as Mrs. Purr
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Jeff Conaway
as Marcie's Father
