Jawbreaker

Jawbreaker follows a trio of popular high schoolers (Rose McGowan’s Courtney Shayne, Rebecca Gayheart’s Julie Freeman, and Julie Benz’s Marcie “Foxy” Fox) as they accidentally murder a friend during a routine prank, with complications ensuing after the girls’ efforts at cleaning up the crime scene are interrupted by the school outcast (Judy Greer’s Fern Mayo). Filmmaker Darren Stein delivers a briskly-paced and broadly-comedic satire that benefits substantially from a go-for-broke screenplay (by Stein himself) and several appealingly larger-than-life performances, with, in terms of the latter, McGowan’s scenery-chewing, tongue-in-cheek turn as the catty central character elevating the proceedings on a fairly regular basis. And although it’s a murder that initially kicks the narrative into gear, Jawbreaker is, for the most part, predominantly interested in exploring the dynamics of a typical high school and the power that popular students wield – with the movie’s mild success certainly due in no small part to its trenchant perspective on issues that are still surprisingly relevant. There’s never a point, ultimately, at which Jawbreaker becomes the wholeheartedly engrossing thriller/drama/comedy hybrid it wants to be, which confirms the movie’s place as a watchable yet somewhat forgettable endeavor that’s deservedly become a cult classic in recent years.

            **1/2 out of ****

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