Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
When an exclusive clique of teenage socialites accidentally murder their best friend on the morning of her birthday, the three girls responsible conspire to hide the truth.
Jawbreaker is a gleefully mean-spirited dark comedy that wears its influences (Heathers, Mean Girls before Mean Girls) on its sleeve. The plot is serviceable — a darkly comic cover-up among teen socialites — but never transcends its premise or digs deeper than its candy-colored surface. The acting is campy and self-aware, with Rose McGowan delivering a memorably icy performance, though the ensemble is uneven. Cinematography leans into its garish, hyper-stylized aesthetic with some visual flair but inconsistent execution. Novelty is moderate — it occupies a well-worn teen-cruelty niche and feels derivative of Heathers without matching its wit or bite, though its extreme camp gives it a distinct personality. The ending fumbles, resolving the moral chaos too neatly with a conventional comeuppance that undercuts the film's transgressive energy.