Jawbreaker (film)

Jawbreaker
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Darren Stein
Written by	Darren Stein
Produced by	Lisa Tornell Stacy Kramer
Starring	Rose McGowan Rebecca Gayheart Julie Benz Judy Greer Chad Christ Ethan Erickson Carol Kane Pam Grier
Cinematography	Amy Vincent
Edited by	Troy T. Takaki
Music by	Stephen Endelman
Production companies	TriStar Pictures Kramer-Tornell Productions Crossroads Films
Distributed by	Sony Pictures Releasing
Release dates	January 30, 1999 (1999-01-30) (Sundance) February 19, 1999 (1999-02-19) (United States)
Running time	87 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$3.5 million
Box office	$3.1 million[1]

Jawbreaker is a 1999 American teen black comedy crime film written and directed by Darren Stein. The film stars Rose McGowan, Rebecca Gayheart, and Julie Benz as girls in an exclusive clique in their high school. Charlotte Ayanna has a non-speaking cameo role as the murdered fourth member of the group. The film was inspired by the 1988 film Heathers, and is often compared to it, particularly the use of bright pastels, the plot involving a popular female clique, and the ostensibly accidental killing of one of its members.

Stein explained his concept for the film as, "The jawbreaker just came to represent the duality of the poppy sweetness of the girls, of high school and of youth, versus the whole idea that this thing could break your jaw."^[2] The film was released on February 19, 1999, and was a critical and commercial failure, although it has come to gain a cult following.