Adaptation Analysis: Heathers

I'll be honest, I didn't expect to like the HEATHERS musical at all. But I thought the same thing about MEAN GIRLS. And LEGALLY BLONDE...

Now here I am singing "Seventeen" to my dogs at least 3 times an hour since I watched the pro-shot of the musical yesterday.

more specifically, i AM singing the skibidi version since that's the first version of the song i heard and now only those lyrics sound right to me

Before anyone says it, yes I see how me being doubtful of not only Heathers but also Mean Girls and Legally Blonde makes it seem like I'm doubtful of female-led musicals but HEY!!! I KNOW you know me better than that.

I was doubtful of these musicals because of how much I love the original films.

Since I haven't watched the Heathers film in over 10 years, I thought it would be a fun experiment to watch the musical with a somewhat clean slate, then re-watch the film.

I didn't remember too much beyond the basics of the film's plot when I watched the musical, but I found myself constantly thinking "Did that actually happen in the movie?" / "That line is so cheesy, they had to have written it just for the musical."

Cut to me watching the movie and seeing a LOT of things from the musical playing out exactly the same way once again -- cheesy lines and all.

I wrote down my thoughts as I watched both the musical and the film, mostly comparing the two and identifying what works, what doesn't, where both versions shine, and how elements present in one version of the story may or may not work in the other version.

So let's get started with my first of hopefully many installments of Adaptation Analysis!

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Plot Structure + Character Development

Opening Scenes / Inciting Incident

In the musical, we see how Veronica is recruited into the Heathers clique in a quick but all-encompassing musical number where she tranforms from an outcast who just wants to belong into the most popular girl in school.

In the film, she's already a certified Heather and fully acts the part.

This change in the musical frames the narrative in a much different way than we see in the film for two reasons:

• 1. In the film, the inciting incident that kicks off the rest of the plot is Veronica meeting JD for the first time. Having the musical start with Veronica's recruitment to the Heathers makes this feel like the inciting incident.

  • With the Heathers recruitment being the inciting incident, the musical's plot sets up the expectation that the Heathers' "friendship" will be the driving force of the story. However, in both the musical and the film, Veronica's relationship with JD shapes the narrative.

    • Because of this, the film has a much stronger first act than the musical.

      
      

• 2. Veronica's character in the film is established as having a clear flaw: a sense of superiority over others. In the musical, we don't see this at all, mainly because we're instead being shown this more "relatable" / "underdog" version of Veronica before she becomes a Heather.

  • But even once Veronica becomes a Heather in the musical, she never really gets to the level of mean she is in the film.

    • This change softens her character significantly in the musical, making her far less interesting to watch.

These changes were likely made to make Veronica a more accessible character in the musical.

I mean, I get it, not a lot of people can relate to the Veronica we see in the first act of the film.

Veronica's Character Arc

Because Film Veronica has such a clearly defined flaw and we see the effects it has on her life, this sets up her character for a strong arc where she'll learn than she's actually not so different from everyone else, and being a "normal teenager" is all she really wants.

She'll also learn how to use her social status for good instead of evil.

Musical Veronica seems to always have a clear sense of what's right and wrong. She never once takes joy in the chaos she and JD created; she's always actively opposed to it.

This provides Musical Veronica with no room to grow or learn, which is taking away one of the main aspects of the film that works so well.

Musical Veronica often acts as a passive observer to the events occurring around her, only sometimes being forced to participate. In the second act, when she starts taking control of her life, the plot becomes increasingly more engaging. This is not a coincidence.

Film Veronica is much more actively involved in the bullying and murders that shape the plot, which makes the film's version of the story engaging from start to finish.

Veronica’s True Want

Although Film Veronica's flaw is more clearly defined than Musical Veronica, there is something Musical Veronica has that Film Veronica does not: an identifiable want / goal.

From the start of the musical, we know Veronica just wants to "be seventeen."

This desire is front and center in the musical, giving the audience a solid understanding of her character. It’s a relatable, universal want that makes her decisions and struggle against JD's influence all the more poignant.

Film Veronica's want isn't as explicitly stated or shown.

She’s more of a lost soul, drifting through high school without a clear sense of purpose until JD comes along.

The film’s ambiguity around Veronica's true want mirrors the confusion many teenagers feel, which is why her journey resonates so deeply by the end even without a clearly defined want.

JD's Character Arc

I absolutely hated the Musical JD -- at first.

I thought he was way too soft, almost cartoonishly whiny, and just downright annoying.

But as the story progressed....... I'll admit, there are some aspects of Musical JD I liked more than Film JD.

Film JD is a clear-cut villain.

The moment we meet him, we know he's a bad guy and ultimately has bad intentions.

JD knows exactly what he’s doing every step of the way in the film, and he’s doing it because he wants to. His journey is a downward spiral into complete madness, and the movie doesn't shy away from showing just how far he’s willing to go.

Musical JD is portrayed as more of a tortured soul, ultimately providing space for his character to be redeemable, or at least far more relatable than Film JD.

He’s still dangerous and manipulative in the musical, but there’s a sense of vulnerability to him that’s completely absent in the film.

In the musical, JD isn't just some sociopathic killer -- he’s a broken kid trying to make sense of a world that’s treated him like garbage. Add into that the way he clearly feels a sense of true love for Veronica through the bitter end, and you've got a tragic character arc that honestly just works.

However, this added depth softens Musical JD’s character in a way that often diminishes the impact of his actions.

In the film, I felt genuinely worried about what JD would do next, even though I knew what was coming.

Musical JD didn't evoke that same level of fear and urgency.

Like I said, I thought he was annoying and whiny for a good portion of the story.

The Climax

Musical JD's plan to blow up the school is framed as a last resort act of love rather than a mere desire for chaos like it is in the film.

This makes the climax in the musical hit much harder, because we have that strong emotional arc tied directly to the high-stakes plot.

When Veronica stops him, it feels more like she's saving him from himself rather than just stopping a madman. There's a sad undertone to their final confrontation in the musical that the film doesn't capture.

The film doesn't attempt to capture this either, nor would it have made sense to do so, given the way the story plays out.

In the film, Veronica literally lights a cigarette with the flames that engulf and kill JD when his bomb goes off. It's bad-ass, but not nearly as cathartic and emotional as the same scene in the musical.

When Musical JD sings "Our Love is God" in his final moments, there's a genuine sense that he believes he's doing the right thing -- not just for himself, but for Veronica.

Veronica tries to convince him he can change, that he can be better, but he tells her he's too screwed up, and that he must die to make the world a better place.

You can tell these two have genuine love for each other. It's twisted love, but it is love, and you really feel those emotions with them.

In the film, the whole point is that JD was never actually in love with Veronica. He just made her believe he was so he could manipulate her into being and doing what he wanted.

The ending of the film gives a different sense of catharsis: Veronica finally escaped this literal demon that was wreaking havoc on her life and her world.

Honestly, after watching the musical, when I watched the film's final scenes, I was disappointed.

I craved that deeper emotional feeling we get during the same moments in the musical.

Seeing JD yell at, fight, and almost kill Veronica before his ultimate demise just made me sad. I'm not sure I would've felt that way had I not seen the portrayal of JD in the musical first. But I know I would've enjoyed the musical's ending more had I re-watched the film first.

I didn't realize how much I would have to say about JD when I started writing this post, but there you go.

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Plot Specifics

Veronica’s Reactions to Murders

Film Veronica is mostly complicit in JD's actions, even laughing along with him at how sad others are about these "suicides."

Her willingness to joke about the murders shows just how much JD's influence has warped her mentally, and how detached she truly is from the world.

She feels comfortable laughing at these deaths because she believes she's better than those people -- better than everyone.

By the end of the film, Veronica has changed so much, she's willing to put her own life at risk, and kill JD, to save a gymnasium full of people she hated at the beginning of the movie.

She's fully let go of the sense of superiority she had earlier in the film and replaced it with a sense of morality.

In contrast, Musical Veronica is consistently horrified by the murders JD commits. She’s always disgusted by his actions and never fully buys into his twisted worldview.

This moral clarity she has from the start makes her a less complex character in the musical.

She doesn’t have a dark side to overcome, and as a result, her journey feels less like a transformation and more like a series of unfortunate events happening to a fundamentally good person.

Heather Duke’s Ascension

In the musical, Heather Duke’s rise to replace Heather Chandler is portrayed as an opportunistic move.

She steps into the role almost immediately after Chandler’s death, driven by her own ambition and desire (and the chaotic nature of the high school's politics).

It's played more comedically, with a fun song to go along with it.

In the film, JD plays a more direct role in Heather Duke filling Chandler's position -- and it happens far later in the story.

In particular, JD uses Heather Duke as a pawn in his power play to get back at Veronica when she breaks up with him.

This highlights his manipulative nature, and aligns with the film’s focus on his complex, villainous role, making this moment far more dramatic in the film than in the musical.

Veronica Sneaks In

Early in the film, JD sneaks into Veronica's bedroom, and before you know it they've finished a game of strip croquet in the backyard.

It's clear that JD is the one driving the relationship, pulling Veronica deeper into his twisted world. But it's also clear Veronica is choosing to get involved.

In the musical, this is portrayed the opposite way.

Instead of JD sneaking into Veronica's room, Veronica sneaks into JD's room and initiates the hook-up right there.

Oddly enough, Veronica's actions feel more calculated and manipulative than JD's do in this scene in the film.

She's essentially using JD because she believes her social life is over anyway and she wants to go out with a bang (pun intended).

Sure, he goes along with it, but the moment still feels predatory as she practically -- well, literally -- forces herself onto him.

Because I watched the musical before re-watching the film, I thought: surely in the movie, JD is the one who comes across as predatory, and the musical reversed the roles in attempt to avoid the scene feeling so "rapey."

I could write waaaaay more about the flawed logic behind switching genders in sexual scenes to make the encounter feel less predatory. But this post would be like 13,000 words long and I'm not trying to write a dissertation here.

But the musical does exactly what it was trying to avoid by switching JD and Veronica's roles and, therefore, changing the context of the scene.

The scene is supposed to be funny or even romantic, but I felt...... Icky. Watching it.

It's such an odd moment for Veronica's character, and it really made me question the direction the musical was heading in. Especially because it actually made me feel empathy for JD so early on in the story.

Ghosts?

It was unexpected, but I immediately bought into the ghost idea in the musical.

The ghost versions of the characters JD and Veronica kill serve as a strong visual representation of the internal demons haunting Veronica and the lingering consequences of her actions.

By confronting these ghosts throughout the musical, Veronica is forced to grapple with the real life impact of her choices.

I liked the ghost idea so much, I thought a lot about how it would work in the film -- or IF it would work.

It could potentially elevate the story by adding a new dimension to Veronica’s psychological struggle. But the film already portrays this quite well without the need for ghosts.

The main thing I felt the ghosts would bring to the film is more comedy.

Like, how could you NOT laugh at Veronica being haunted by her ex-"best friend" who constantly roasts her and two douchey football players wearing just their underwear?

However, there’s a risk that implementing the ghosts into the film could come across as cheesy if it were done for comedy alone.

The musical’s more fantastical approach allows the ghost characters to really shine and not always feel like the butt of the joke.

Considering the film’s darker, more realistic tone, a similar approach might feel out of place and even undermine the story’s gravity.

It's worth noting, there is a scene in the film where Heather Chandler appears in Veronica's dream. As a standalone moment, this feels oddly placed, coming in at the near end of the story / well after Veronica has already gone through much of her character development.

If the ghosts were woven throughout the film, they could have provided a more continuous and nuanced portrayal of Veronica’s psychological state. Introducing this earlier in the narrative would allow the audience to witness the gradual build-up of Veronica’s internal conflict as her relationship with JD progresses.

So all this is to say... The ghosts could have worked in the film, but it would have been a very different film. And the effectiveness of this would've been largely determined by how the filmmaker approached it.

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Overall, I went into the Heathers musical with low expectations. Which were met in the first act.

But by the end, I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the story, especially given how tonally different it is from the film. I even enjoyed some aspects of the musical more than the film!

If you haven't seen the movie or the musical -- sorry for spoiling all of both of them for you. Next time just don't read my post ;)

Have you seen the movie and musical? Or just one? If so, will you now watch the other one?

Leave your thoughts in the comments below!