Clueless (1995)

Director:

Amy Heckerling

Writer (WGA):

Amy Heckerling (written by)

Release Date:

19 July 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

Sex. Clothes. Popularity. Is there a problem here?

Plot:

Jane Austen's Emma meets Beverley Hills 90210 in US West Coast teen lifestyle parody.

Plot Keywords:

Makeover | School | Teacher | Matchmaker | Jane Austen

Awards:

6 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Alicia Silverstone	...	Cher Horowitz
Stacey Dash	...	Dionne
Brittany Murphy	...	Tai
Paul Rudd	...	Josh
Donald Faison	...	Murray
Elisa Donovan	...	Amber
Breckin Meyer	...	Travis
Jeremy Sisto	...	Elton
Dan Hedaya	...	Mel Horowitz
Wallace Shawn	...	Mr. Wendell Hall
Twink Caplan	...	Miss Toby Geist
Justin Walker	...	Christian
Sabastian Rashidi	...	Paroudasm
Herb Hall	...	Principal
Julie Brown	...	Ms. Stoeger

Also Known As:

I Was a Teenage Teenager (USA) (working title)
No Worries (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sex related dialogue and some teen use of alcohol and drugs.

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #33483) | Iceland:L | Canada:14 (New Brunswick/Nova Scotia/Prince Edward Island) | South Korea:12 | South Korea:12 (DVD rating) | Philippines:PG-13 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Belgium:KT | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Chile:14 | Denmark:12 | Finland:S | France:U | Germany:6 (w) | Ireland:15 | Netherlands:AL | Norway:7 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | UK:12

Filming Locations:

Beverly Hills, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Paul Rudd auditioned for the roles of Murray, Christian and Elton.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: All of the actors and actresses are supposed to be playing high-school students, yet in the scene with Elton and Cher in Elton's car, Elton be seen wearing a wedding ring.

Quotes:

Josh: Do you have any idea what you're talking about?
Cher: No. Why, does it sound like I do?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Meltdown (2006) (TV)

Soundtrack:

FASHION

An Excellent Modern Teen Adaptation Of Austen's 'Emma'

Just the other day I watched Heckerling's wonderful romantic comedy satire 'I Could Never Be Your Woman' and I thought I'd revisit 'Clueless'. The last time I saw it was 10 years ago and today I enjoyed it just as much. Heckerling's adaptation of Jane Austen's 'Emma' may appear like a fluffy teen flick on the surface but there is a lot more to it. It works on multiple levels and 'Clueless', in a way, is a social commentary as it reflects a reality that still exists in today's society. First of all, the teen life is very realistically portrayed albeit with a sarcastic tone (such as the striving for high grades, obsession with image and partying). It somewhat reminds me of 'Heathers' (another excellent teen satire). While 'Heathers' is a much darker film that looks at teens in the 1980s, 'Clueless' looks at the adolescents of the 90s. Moreover, Heckerling brilliantly uses different kid of comedies through one-liner and dialogue, situational, and slap stick.

Then the class distinction too is cleverly demonstrated through the eyes of Cher. The characters too work on multiple levels. Cher appears to be a popular stuckup bimbo type lass but once Hecklerling allows us to dig a little deeper, we see that she is unintentionally manipulative and knows how to use her strength (her power of persuasion). Yet, she is good at heart and even though her initial intentions of getting the two teacher together was to get an A grade, she's happy with the outcome of her matchmaking and the acts that follow are with more sincere purpose. Tai too appears to be the dumb new girl but she is far more experienced than Cher and when opportunity strikes she makes a place for herself in 'society' (i.e, highschool).

Alicia Silverstone plays the part as though it was made for her. She has the right looks, age, excellent dialogue delivery and is a total natural in performing. 'Clueless' was the film that made her an overnight star and a very promising actress however, unfortunately, her following movies have been disastrous and the actress rapidly vanished into oblivion. She is supported by an equally great cast that includes a goofy Breckin Meyer, a weirdly fashioned but still gorgeous Stacy Dash, a naive Brittany Murphy, a laidback Paul Rudd, a hilarious Donald Faison, a bitchy Elisa Donovan and a fire breathing Dan Hedaya.

For me 'Clueless' is among the top teen films along with movies like 'Heathers'. Those who childishly dismiss it as a fluffy chick-flick don't know what they missed. I was watching '10 Things I Hate About You' which is an adaptation of Shakespeare's 'The Taming Of Thew Shrew' and while that film failed to engage me for the most parts, 'Clueless' succeeds in all departments because it's much more than just another teen flick. It's a highly entertaining satire and it's a nuanced teen comedy with a subtle social comment.