Clueless (1995)

A parody of Jane Austen's novel Emma, about Cher, a popular girl who spends her days playing matchmaker, helping friends with fashion choices, advising the new girl at school on a makeover, and looking for a boyfriend.

Director:

Amy Heckerling

Writer:

Amy Heckerling

Stars:

Alicia Silverstone, Stacey Dash, Brittany Murphy

6 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Alicia Silverstone	...	Cher
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

Storyline

Cher, a high school student in Beverly Hills, must survive the ups and downs of adolescent life. Her external demeanor at first seems superficial, but rather it hides her wit, charm, and intelligence which help her to deal with relationships, friends, family, school, and the all-important teenage social life.

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Plot Keywords:

school | makeover | teacher | high school | teen | 

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Taglines:

Sex. Clothes. Popularity. Whatever.

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Official Sites:

Paramount [us] - DVD site

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

19 July 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

I Was a Teenage Teenager

Filming Locations:

Beverly Hills, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

£3,433,233 (UK) (17 November 1995)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The part of Mr. Hall was based on real Beverly Hills High debate teacher Herb Hall, a friend of director Heckerling. As a favour the real Herb Hall was given the part of the school Principal.

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Goofs

When Mel and Josh are sitting at the dining room table working on documents for Mel's case, Cher comes down the stairs in her white dress. She is first seen at the top of the stairs, then the camera switches to Josh, who apparently is watching her walk down the entire flight of stairs. However, from where Josh is sitting, he can only see the bottom few steps and could not watch her descend the entire staircase.

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Quotes

Josh: Hey, James Bond, in America we drive on the right side of the road.
Cher: I am. You try driving in platforms.

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Crazy Credits

Other than the Paramount Pictures logo and the movie's title, there are no opening credits.

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Connections

Referenced in Gossip Girl: Gone with the Will (2009)

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Soundtracks

"JUST A GIRL"
By Gwen Stefani & Tom Dumont
Performed by No Doubt
Courtesy of Trauma Interscope Records

User Reviews

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.