or, if not, will this become a cult movie. what do you guys think?
it seems to have the feel of one for some reason.
I know it didn't get a major theater release, and yet most people have heard of it. It's got a unique late 90's look and is completely dated. Really bright and happy looking even though it's dealing with dark subject matter.
I don't know, will it be forgotten, or always have a following.
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definately
Veronica:If everyone jumped off a bridge, would you?
Heather McNamara:Probably
This is not by any means a "good movie"
but whenever I find it on TV, I leave it on and watch it. Its just one of those movies...so yeah...I'd say its a cult flick.
"An entire generation of Cinderellas and there's no glass slipper coming..." - Almost Famous
Doubt it. I don't know a single person who has seen this and now 10 years later it has virtually been forgotten. Plus Mean Girls was more beloved and much more similiar so stands a far greater chance of getting the cult status.
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Do you even know what "cult" means? Mean Girls was a mainstream success and critical darling. How could it possibly be a cult movie, let alone a cult classic? Idiot. Might as well call Sixteen Candles or Pretty In Pink "cult".
Anyway, I think Jawbreaker is a cult movie, but not a cult classic. Heathers is definitely a cult CLASSIC. Cult, as in when it came out it bombed and was panned by critics. And now has this huge cult following.
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It could definitely have a cult following.
I agree, it won't be like Heathers, because it's very much seen as a rip-off (which, I think is unfortunate. Granted the movies have similar subject matter, I think they're actually very different)
I know so many people who've seen this. Every time someone asks me what my favorite movie is, and I saw Jawbreaker, they know exactly what I'm talking about, and exactly why I would love it so much.
"Please don't attack the window treatments."
Yeah I just don't get the Heather's rip off..I love Heather's too but it's not like that movie invented the dark comedy....and Jawbreaker has it's own elements...not to mention some great music from Veruca Salt and the Donnas.
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It is definetly considered a cult classic
"Its hard being called deepthroat during football practice."
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Someone mentioned that this movie did not get a major theatrical release.
This is wrong, it DID get a major theatrical release. I even remember it getting hyped on MTV right before it came out. Unfortunately, it completely bombed in theaters.
If Jawbreaker isn't a cult flick, then it deserves to be!
You are right that most folks have heard of it, so it does seem to have some 'underground knowledge' about it out there amongst the masses.
One dude I worked with asked me what flicks I liked and one of the three or four I mentioned was Jawbreaker and dude just said 'You are into really weird and ****ed up movies!' and so like people do know this flick assuredly.
It will always have a small following, but all films do basically. Sure it has the feel of a cult film, because it's a dark comedy. But the fact is that the film is far too shytty to ever be granted status as any kind of cult phenomenon. Sad, but true.
My body's a cage, it's been used and abused...and I...LIKE IT!!
I'm not sure what being shi tty has to do with it. actually if anything being shi tty gives it a better chance. Ed wood comes to mind.
Shytty has a lot to do with it. It is true that many cult films are quite shytty in certain ways, however even those shytty cult films are at least very unique in some way or another. This is just a shytty film in many ways, and one with a totally regurgitated story. It's pretty difficult to find anything original in this film at all. Ed Wood films were shytty on purpose, and many of them actually were different than anything else made in his era. Only a few of his films really have a decent cult following, and it is mostly because of their originality, and because of the comedy that is created by them being so purposely shytty. Ed Wood films are a unique kind of comedy, especially in the time he made them. It's quite obvious that Jawbreaker isn't trying to be a shytty film, it just is one despite efforts to the contrary. There isn't much funny about how shytty Jawbreaker is. It is rather on the pathetic side. It is not shytty in a unique or funny way. It is shytty in the same old ways film goers have seen before, over and over again.
Ed Wood in fact became a cult director in a very unique way. He was long gone and forgotten by almost the entire film world. In fact even in his own time he was barely noticed at all. I believe that Plan 9 From Outer Space was his only film that actually made a small profit. However in the 1980's, Ed Wood was given the label of 'worst director of all time'. This unflattering tag brought about a ressurgence of interest in Wood's films, and then of course the Tim Burton Ed Wood film brought about more interest. Truly these 2 events are the only reasons he ever even achieved status as a cult film director in the first place.
I do think there are a couple of things in Jawbreaker that are fairly good. Such as Rose McGowan's performance, and the look of the film. I just don't think there is nearly enough originality or strengths in this film to ever give it any kind of major cult status. It will have a small following for awhile, sure. But 40 years down the road, this film will almost be totally forgotten by the film world in my opinion, and will never be talked about much again.
Jawbreaker obviously is highly influenced by the 80's film Heathers. In fact, it borrows much of the overall plot. Heathers did recieve some decent critical acclaim, and some mainstream success. It has definitely gone on to gain some sort of cult status. That one person is certainly correct in saying that Heathers didn't invent the dark comedy. However it is undeniable that Jawbreaker is a very similar film plot wise, and even has a very similar setting of course. However even Heathers takes much of its plot from the 70's true cult classic, Massacre At Central High. Massacre At Central High is the type of cult film that is not talked about, and rarely ever will be in the mainstream. However it will probably long, long have a decent following even despite its obscurity. This because of its extreme originality, there was nothing quite like it beforehand. This is a true cult film that will stand the ultimate test, time.
My body's a cage, it's been used and abused...and I...LIKE IT!!
one thing is I'm not sure this film is much less original than some cult movies, and two, I'm not sure all cult movies are as original or unique as you claim here.
there are some general trends-like uniqueness-but no definitive pattern to cult movies. everything from the some coen brothers, to some troma team, to some 70's slasher flicks are considered by many movie fans to be cult. at a certain point, uniqueness can become relative. slasher flicks as a whole might be a unique genre, but there are so many that most of the particular films (including some of the ones considered cult) are not unique. dark comedy in the vein of jawbreaker I'd argue is part of a unique genre itself, though many of the genre's particular films aren't necessarily unique. and any one of those particular genre films might be considered cult, whether or not they started the trend or even did it best.
same if you look at most 70's exploitation films, they were not original, or even unique because there were so many of them, but after enough years, enough of them are forgotten that a few that stand out and become cult and are assumed to be unique; whether or not they were copycats to begin with. sometimes the reason one film is chosen out is not obivous.
to get a little more specific, I wouldn't say buffy the vampire slayer is an overly original movie. it simply marries two ideas that aren't usually married together. a seemingly non threatening, petite girl protaganist, and a monster hunter theme. yet it is to my knowlege considered cult.
here two, we have the idea of non threatening, hot teen girls, married to a murder cover up story.
if you want you can say that either film is based on regugitated ideas. but you can also so they are unique because of what they mix.
sometimes it's simpler still, a cult movie is just of an era, with a defined and stylistic presentation, like clueless. I feel jawbreaker can be described by those characteristics. It is not excluded from becoming cult on that basis. that is to say sometimes a cult movie just shows an era in a dated style that becomes ironic to a different generation. you could say that is unique or not.
Jawbreaker is a contrast heavy dark comedy. It's a dated movie of an era with a specific look and tone, and a unique mash up of two cliched themes. to me I see those attributes as potentially making it a cult film. in 20 years if people forget about clueless and I know what you did last summer, this movie might stand out.
the fact that you feel it's shi tty and without any unique style is only your opinion. and may or may not be beared out.
Well there are many interpretations of what is, and what isn't a cult film as well. And it seems to me that this is where we differ in our views the most. Personally I go by the original meaning of the term. Not by some ridiculous confused evolution of it. Many people have tried to claim that this or that is a cult film because they happen to love the film, and because it isn't well known, or well loved, or because it is somehow more bizzare than the average film. Or some simply even seem to think that the term 'cult film' somehow makes them cool or something ridiculous. The term, as many terms do over time starts to lose its true meaning as people argue for their likes to be included. Similarly for example the term 'pop music' has taken on a crazy evolution that really makes no logical sense.
Buffy, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and Clueless were all pop culture hits. While some of those films may be considered cult films by some people. They can never be cult films in my view. They are and were successful mainstream films. In fact, I saw all 3 of those films in the theatre myself. And believe me, people won't forget about Clueless. In fact I'm quite sure it will enter into rotation on Turner Classic Movies eventually. Not to mention that crappy channel, AMC. That film will basically never go away, but it definitely isn't a cult film in any real sense of the term.
When it comes to such things as 70's exploitation films. Sure, there is a cult type interest in exploitation films, as well as slasher films as you mention. There are cult type followings of these entire genres. However few of the films in each of these genres really qualify as true cult films in my opinion. Very few of these films will have a large long standing fan base of them individually. In order to achieve this kind of cult following. A film usually will have unique qualities to other films of its kind, or at least stand out quite drastically quality wise or artistically in some way or another. Many slasher films themselves have of course even achieved certain mainstream success. But I would agree that there is a cult following of the genre in itself.
The Coen Brothers? I'm not sure who in their right mind would call anything they have done a cult film. Just because they are somewhat off beat in their style of storytelling doesn't make them cult directors. And none of their films can truly qualify as cult films in my opinion, they are 2 of the most famous Hollywood directors in the entire world. They are total mainstream/pop culture directors, off beat or not.
I did not say that Jawbreaker doesn't have some unique style, in fact I believe it does have a little of that. I said that, "I just don't think there is nearly enough originality or strengths in this film to ever give it any kind of major cult status." Apart from having SOME unique style though, it really does lack originality in my view. I stated previously that the look of the film was failry good. Its style of blending bright color with dark subject matter is far from new however, but it is somewhat unique to this genre to my knowledge. The fact that I feel the film is shytty, certainly is an opinion. Although if the rating on IMDb is any indication, I am far from alone in that opinion. I've seen Jawbreaker a few times, and the truth is I really have tried hard to like this film, lol. No joking, but I really do think it stinks overall. I certainly don't think that it is wrong of you to think that it may become a cult film. However I just don't see it happening myself.
My body's a cage, it's been used and abused...and I...LIKE IT!!
Buffy the movie itself is a cult movie. I could probably count on my fingers the number of people outside of my circle of friends that have seen the movie itself, or that have seen the movie and LIKED it.
shareYou must have a lot of fingers. Buffy made almost 17 million dollars in U.S. theatres alone when it was released. Obviously NOT a cult film. The film was certainly a decent success in its original release.
My body's a cage, it's been used and abused...and I...LIKE IT!!
Yes, i'd say this is definitely a cult movie :)
shareBuffy the Movie was Terrible, It made no sense and yeah I couldn't understand if it was written as a Comedy or Horror? I would consider jawbreaker a cult movie is this a good movie errmmm welll it's watchable yes the plot is completly unrealistic, but it does have a small following.
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