Jawbreaker

"Death totally bites."

1999 1h 27m EN

😐

6.4

MID

★6.4TMDB · 619

ComedyCrimeThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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.

“Death totally bites.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Rose McGowan
Courtney Shayne
Rebecca Gayheart
Julie Freeman
Julie Benz
Marcie Fox
Judy Greer
Fern Mayo
Pam Grier
Detective Vera Cruz
Carol Kane
Ms. Sherwood
Chad Christ
Zack Tartak
Ethan Erickson
Dane Sanders

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Darren Stein
Writers: Darren Stein
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

87 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $3.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

27 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Darren Stein, shot by Amy Vincent. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Stephen Endelman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Troy Takaki shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Rose McGowan and Rebecca Gayheart and Julie Benz carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Death totally bites.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Darren Stein directs. Amy Vincent behind the camera. Stephen Endelman scores. Troy Takaki cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

187 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Shot for just $3.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
327 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4Directed by Darren Stein, shot by Amy Vincent. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Stephen Endelman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Troy Takaki shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Rose McGowan and Rebecca Gayheart and Julie Benz carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Death totally bites.".
9IMDB entry: tt0155776 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 24 themes, including "high school", "jealousy", "nightmare", "confession".

The technical file

Cinematography: Amy Vincent
Original score: Stephen Endelman
Editing: Troy Takaki
Production design: Jerry Fleming
Costume design: Vikki Barrett
Makeup / hair: Alex Dizon
Sound: Dean Hovey
Runtime: 87 min · 1h 27m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $3,000,000
Box office: $3,100,000
Return: 103% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Jawbreaker (1999)

Also by

Darren Stein

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2018-09-09
★ 6/10
Similar to “Heathers” and has some highlights, but it’s not compelling enough After a high school girl (Charlotte Ayanna) accidently dies in a prank, her three besties cover it up (Rose McGowan, Rebecca Gayheart & Julie Benz). They’re forced to allow a shy, unpopular girl into their clique because she knows the truth (Judy Greer). Pam Grier is on hand as a detective while The Donnas perform a couple songs at the prom. “Jawbreaker” (1999) is a black comedy high school flick with similarities to “Heathers” (1988), elements of “Carrie” (1976) and influenced “Mean Girls” (2004). It’s unique enough to stand on its own and is arguably on par with “Heathers” and the overrated “Mean Girls,” but it’s not as good as “Carrie” or its excellent sequel, “The Rage: Carrie 2,” which was released the same year. McGowan is great as the alluring biyatch while Gayheart looks too old for the part at 27 during shooting, not to mention nigh anorexic. Two years after the film’s release, Rebecca hit a Hispanic kid with her car in Los Angeles and killed him, which tripped up her career. It’s decent, has a great soundtrack and is worthwhile if you favor the cast, but don’t expect the greatness of teen flicks like "Clueless" (1995) and "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" (1982). The movie’s stylish enough and has its highlights, yet the story’s just not that compelling and I found myself relatively bored. The film runs 1 hour, 27 minutes and was shot in Los Angeles, Downey & Culver City, California. GRADE: B-/C+

Production companies