Team Experience is celebrating Winona Ryder this week as we approach her 50th birthday
By Christopher James
Some talents are undeniable. Winona Ryder’s rise to stardom was quick. Her first leading role, as Veronica in Heathers, was only her fifth film. However, the ease at which she conveyed the dark comedy’s tricky tone spoke to a talent well beyond her years. In its theatrical release in the spring of 1989 Heathers barely made a dent at the box office, only grossing $1.1 million domestically. Today, it stands as one of the defining roles of her Ryder’s career. It was a launching pad and announcement to the world. She is neither achild star nor a scene stealer, but a leading lady with a one-of-a-kind screen persona.
Not only is Heathers my favorite performance from Winona Ryder, it also ranks as one of the best performances of a high school student ever. Veronica is on the Mount Rushmore of teen heroines alongside Cher from Clueless, Cady Heron from Mean Girls, Lady Bird and, of course, Carrie. In so many ways, Veronica combines attributes of all of those characters...
Her arc is that of an aspiring cool girl who resents the social strata and decides to blow it all up. Similarly, as an actress, Winona Ryder never fit one specific type. Instead, she created her own brand of Gen-X apathy.
Now onto Heathers.
Her name isn't the only thing that makes Veronica different from the Heathers.The title of Heathers refers to the popular high school clique, made up of Heather Chandler (Kim Walker), Heather Duke (Shannen Doherty) and Heather McNamara (Lisanne Falk). Veronica (Ryder) has scored an invitation to join their ranks as one of the cool kids, but finds herself hating every moment she spends with them. After a particularly bad experience at a college party, Veronica takes to her diary, writing about how much she hates Heather Chandler. New local bad-boy, J.D. (Christian Slater), hears Veronica’s pleas and crafts a plan to get back at Heather Chandler. Veronica suggests they make a gross hangover cure drink. J.D. decides it would be better if they put bleach in the drink. Their actions end up killing Heather Chandler, with Veronica dispatched to write the suicide note.
The murders don't stop there. In death, Heather Chandler becomes lionized as a much better person than she actually was. Veronica’s moral quandary drives the plot forward. As J.D. coerces her towards committing more acts of violence, Veronica wonders how she can put a stop to this murderous rampage. The vengeful queen has become the crusading hero.
While "Heathers" is my favorite Winona Ryder performance, it's also just a precursor to a great career.As we celebrate Winona Ryder’s 50th birthday, we must also credit her with giving this fantastic performance while she was actually seventeen. There’s no Dear Evan Hansen uncanny valley age-problem here. The growing pains that Veronica experiences all feel completely lived-in thanks to Ryder’s performance and youth. She’s a smart girl, but not too smart for her own good. Veronica is still figuring out how to process her emotions and channel her anger and rage. Most of all, Veronica is ruled by public perception. When we meet her, she’s willing to be unhappy so she can enjoy a better social reputation. Ultimately, Veronica starts to prioritize how she perceives herself, rather than how others perceive her.
What Heathers gets right is that people aren’t inherently good or bad. Instead, people are jockeying for things that they think will make them complete. J.D. murders because he wants to feel like he has control over something, as his home life is constantly in flux. The minute Heather Chandler is murdered, Heather Duke assumes the role of evil Queen Bee, ruling in the same way she was ruled over. Meanwhile, all Heather McNamera wanted was to be loved. This made her able to be abused by the other Heathers and eventually consider suicide. As the person behind all the murders, Veronica becomes the person who sees how everyone’s needs manifest in their reaction to the deaths of the high schoolers. Ryder’s performance plays off of each character very well. She’s a reactionary hero, always recalculating and finding her balance based on the strange world around her.
Looking like hell never looked so good.Heathers is a one-in-a-kind film in a lot of ways. As the TV reboot discovered, in our modern world of school shootings, the ultra-violent hook of Heathers isn’t satire anymore, unfortunately. Still, there’s something cathartic and grand about Veronica’s triumphant walk out of high school. Her rage had dismantled an entire hierarchy. Quite literally, she burned it all down in order to rebuild with Martha. Similarly, Ryder would craft a career that was constantly challenging the different archetypes thrust at her, only for Hollywood to lose space for her. She was the rebellious daughter, angsty youth, romantic love interest and dramatic ingenue. While she could bounce to each of these ideas, they never fully captured the range of her talents.
What’s your favorite Winona Ryder performance?
Tomorrow: Mermaids (1990)