Three of Reagan High School's most popular girls pretend to kidnap their friend by shoving a jawbreaker into the victim's mouth to keep her from screaming. Their plan goes awry when the girl swallows the jawbreaker, choking to death. Now the leader of the pack will do anything to keep the accident a secret.
Not quite a satire, not quite an homage, Jawbreaker falls into a third category: audaciously unoriginal.
– Liam Lacey,
Globe and Mail,
22 Mar 2002
rotten:
It's a tired lousy movie, a terrible twosome that deserves your heartfelt indifference.
– Chris Vognar,
Dallas Morning News,
6 Nov 2002
rotten:
Only the soundtrack (the Donnas, Imperial Teen) and the irrepressible McGowan make it fractionally more bearable.
– Dennis Lim,
Village Voice,
7 Nov 2002
rotten:
The producers of this film, which depicts teen-age girls as an assemblage of negative stereotypes, are female. Can females practice misogyny?
– Jeff Millar,
Houston Chronicle,
21 Jul 2005
rotten:
Lame shock scenes, crucial plot points inserted without setups, and an unsuccessful attempt to exploit the camp value of some actors cast in minor parts are the least of the problems in this black comedy.