Jawbreaker

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1:43

Jawbreaker

R

Released Jan 30, 1999

1h 27m

Comedy

Drama

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Popcornmeter

14%

Tomatometer

64 Reviews

55%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

When an exclusive clique of teenage socialites accidentally murders their best friend, Liz (Charlotte Ayanna), on the morning of her birthday, the three girls responsible -- Courtney (Rose McGowan), Julie (Rebecca Gayheart) and Marcie (Julie Benz) -- conspire to hide the truth. As the trio make over nerdy reject Fern Mayo (Judy Greer) and groom her to take Liz's place, crack police Detective Vera Cruz (Pam Grier) launches an investigation that will turn Reagan High School upside down.

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Critics Consensus

This throwaway comedy falls victim to its hip sensibilities.

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Susan Stark

Detroit News

Rated: 2/4

Mar 10, 2007

Full Review

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.

Feb 28, 2007

Full Review

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?

Jul 21, 2005

Full Review

Marc S. Malkin

Out Magazine

If the cast of Clueless took a hit of acid, they'd be tripping into Jawbreaker.

May 25, 2022

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Trace Thurman

Horror Queers Podcast

Jawbreaker is the most mainstream John Waters movie that John Waters never made.

Rated: 3.5/5

Dec 30, 2020

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Cosmo Bjorkenheim

Screen Slate

Jawbreaker is a study of the nature of power relations, a Foucauldian teen comedy that takes positions on sexuality, the criminal justice system, and body image issues.

Jun 19, 2019

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Emily M

I thought this was written better than Planet Terror. I wish movies were this good these days.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

10/09/24

Full Review

Ivan N

Before Mean Girls, this was THE girlhood movie; not just because the girls are in hot-mess, but due to the reason that this film is also a hot-mess of its own. Changing the narrator half way through the movie, introducing a attention grabbing characters but not doing anything with them, and completely dismissing the law to give a “ the bad guy was defeated at the end” ending- this movie had so much potential but at the end it became a jumbled mess.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

07/30/24

Full Review

Alice M

Complex female characters, fun, looks amazing, lush soundtrack

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/15/24

Full Review

Leticia q

Omg just like Smurfs 2, this movie needs 14% tomatometer and 56% audience score

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/27/23

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Peter P

Overall not quite on the same level as other teen cult classics. Cinematography felt too much like a TV movie, despite the good customes and all the 90s style. But Rose McGowan is at the top of her game here and rules this movie. Humor is very dark sometimes, if you're up for that, the movie is definitely worth watching.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/10/23

Full Review

Xivono C

This movie was alright. The actors did the most they could with such an asinine script. I think this movie was a product of its time. A time where 90s teen movies flourished, but it just didn't quite hit the mark like its more notable and popular counterparts. Overall I really enjoyed the colour schemes and costume design used in this movie. I just feel that the movie tried to be something it wasn't and it ended up being a hot mess of teenage angst.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

05/21/23

Full Review

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Darren Stein

Director

Rose McGowan

Courtney Shayne

Rebecca Gayheart

Julie Freeman

Julie Benz

Marcie Fox

Judy Greer

Fern Mayo

Chad Christ

Zack Tartak

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Why 1999 Was The Ultimate Year for Teen Movies

Jawbreaker: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

When an exclusive clique of teenage socialites accidentally murders their best friend, Liz (Charlotte Ayanna), on the morning of her birthday, the three girls responsible -- Courtney (Rose McGowan), Julie (Rebecca Gayheart) and Marcie (Julie Benz) -- conspire to hide the truth. As the trio make over nerdy reject Fern Mayo (Judy Greer) and groom her to take Liz's place, crack police Detective Vera Cruz (Pam Grier) launches an investigation that will turn Reagan High School upside down.

Director: Darren Stein
Producer: Stacy Kramer, Lisa Tornell
Screenwriter: Darren Stein
Distributor: TriStar Pictures
Production Co: TriStar Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 30, 1999, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 16, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $3.1M
Runtime: 1h 27m
Sound Mix: Surround, SDDS, Dolby Digital

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