Clueless
Directed by Amy Heckerling
Written by Amy Heckerling
1995/US
IMDb page
Repeat viewing/Amazon Prime rental
One of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
Mel: Do you know what time it is?
Cher: A watch doesn’t really go with this outfit, daddy.
I am currently re-rereading Jane Austen’s “Emma” so I thought I should do a re-watch of this modern reboot. It’s far broader comedy than Austen ever dreamed of but it’s pretty good.
Cher (Alicia Silverstone) is the daughter of a high-powered attorney. Her hobbies are clothes shopping, applying makeup, and persuading her teachers and others to cut her undeserved breaks. Her best friend Dionne (Stacy Dash) is cut from the same cloth. They consider themselves the most popular girls at Beverly Hills High.
Cher succeeds in getting her debate teacher (Wallace Shawn) to raise her grade by surreptitiously getting him together with a wallflower civics teacher.
So when Cher spots cute stoner Tai (Brittany Murphy) she is ready to launch her career with the in crowd and make another match. Will Cher wise up and stop being such an entitled brat?
The film borrows only certain elements of the novel’s plot and I found its heroine far less sympathetic. It’s more a farce than a comedy of manners. But it’s kind of fun.
