Jawbreaker
TriStar Pictures | Release Date: February 19, 1999 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
24
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 21 Critic Reviews
Positive:
2
Mixed:
4
Negative:
15
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
Wickedly hilarious. [19 Feb 1999]
63
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
Like the candy from which it gets its name, Jawbreaker is fun at the start, but can turn into a chore to complete. Read full review
58
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
A synthetic yet shrill sadomasochistic cartoon. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
Jawbreaker breaks ground in one way. The movie is notably unpleasant, not just because it's morally offensive, but because it strives for this arch, artificial John Waters tone without any accompanying pay-off in wit. Read full review
40
Washington PostStephen Hunter
[McGowan's] serene psychopathology is the movie's most consistent pleasure, and to see her is to both love and fear her. Read full review
40
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
The movie's gossamer-thin plot, padded with dream sequences and flashbacks to scenes you saw less than an hour earlier, exists only as an excuse for obvious homages to better films, stunt casting...and what pass for clever remarks in circles unfamiliar with real wit. Read full review
38
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
A slick production of a lame script, which kills time for most of its middle half-hour. If anyone in the plot had the slightest intelligence, the story would implode. Read full review
38
Chicago TribuneMark Caro
It's not particularly funny or trenchant, and its portrayal of noxious high school cliques never amounts to more than was shown in "Heathers." [19 Feb 1999]
30
VarietyEmanuel Levy
The strongest dimensions of this self-conscious but centerless film are four sexy actresses parading in colorful costumes and Amy Vincent's radiant lensing, which makes the picture seem hipper than it is. Read full review
30
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
Jawbreaker has all the heart and soul of last week's mystery loaf (a dish that made the weekly rounds at my alma mater, sadly). And like that unidentifiable bovine by-product, the film is a chilly, messy anti-treat, sweet on the outside, sickly on the in. Read full review
30
Washington PostDesson Thomson
Why sit through a lesser imitation, when you could just rent "Heathers" and those other movies for a far more enjoyable time? Drop-dead bitchery? Been there, done that. Read full review
30
Film ThreatMerle Bertrand
Death and comedy rarely mix, and this tedious and painfully un-funny effort by director Darren Stein is no exception. Read full review
30
The New York TimesJanet Maslin
The film's bright look and visual energy are much more liberating than the machinations of its teen queens. Read full review
25
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
Unoriginal. Read full review
20
The A.V. ClubNathan Rabin
A nasty black comedy whose relentlessly glossy exterior recalls both Araki and John Waters without the wit or smarts of either...As a black comedy, Jawbreaker has one major flaw: It's not funny. Read full review
20
SalonMary Elizabeth Williams
Despite all their seamed stockings and Wonder Bras, the Reagan High girls are as far removed from their sexuality as Jawbreaker is from comedy. Read full review
12
USA TodayMike Clark
An air of self-congratulation hangs over the empty tank of gas called Jawbreaker, as if writer-director Darren Stein just can't wait to dazzle us with the gaudy visuals he's soldered onto a standard-issue black-comedy script.
10
L.A. WeeklyErnest Hardy
It’s like watching an annoying young drag queen who flubs the quips she’s stolen, refuses to shut up and thinks attitude is wit. Read full review
0
Village VoiceDennis Lim
Stein's script is slack and tin-eared, too feeble to pass for satire, and inadequate even by lazy-pastiche standards. Read full review
0
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
It's so low it scrapes through the barrel and deep into the earth's core. It's the lowest piece of garbage to hit screens in months. Read full review
0
Chicago ReaderLisa Alspector
This derivative concept movie is tiresomely slick as well as shamefully sloppy, and someone should issue a restraining order requiring writer-director Darren Stein to stay at least 100 yards away from irony. Read full review
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