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. Is there a problem here?

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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

In the MTV Movie Awards for the year following the release of Clueless, the geriatric cast of The Golden Girls did a spoof on some of the high points of the film, most notably the "balls flying at my face" scene at gym class.

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Goofs

When Cher and Tai are at the party with Josh, Tai ties her sweater around her waist, yet, each time the camera reverts back to Tai, throughout the scene, you can see the sweater being put back on and taken off about 2 or 3 times.

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Quotes

Cher: Miss Stoeger, I would just like to say that physical education in this school is a disgrace. I mean, standing in line for forty minutes is hardly aerobically effective. I doubt I've worked off the calories in a stick of Carefree gum.

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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 Epic Movie (2007)

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Soundtracks

"SUMMER OF '42"
By Michel Legrand

User Reviews

Clueless: An near-perfectly updated classic

"Isn't my house classic? The columns date all the way back to 1972."

When romantic high-school comedy Clueless (1995) was released, it was immediately vaulted into cult-status and firmly stapled as one of the most original teen-flicks of the 1990s. 'Original' is perhaps a term wrongly applied since it is based on the queen of romance Jane Austen's Emma (1815) . But what Clueless did was update the classic story by coating it with high school drama, teenage girls and shopping and sprinkle it with heavy doses of humour.

Emma is no longer Emma; she is Cher (Alicia Silverstone), a spoiled rich girl walking around in her Beverly Hills mansion in a bubble of stereotypes and teen-clichés -- but with a great big heart. So big-hearted, in fact, that she takes on the lost goofy new girl in her school to find her love and popularity, knowing full-well that it could destroy her own reputation. Clueless thus sees Cher and her best friend Dionne (Stacey Dash) on a mission to do good. Real good.

All the detours this mission entail are captured brilliantly in the film, taking the form of love-interests, parties, shopping and misunderstandings. From Cher's grumpy lawyer-father (an hilarious Dan Hedaya) and her nerdy step-brother (a likable Paul Rudd) to her eccentric group of friends at school, Clueless is a superb ride of teenage comedy camp. Only just over 10 years old, it is still extremely dated today. But no matter, because the 90s clichés like skateboarding, Marky Mark and the catch-phrase "As if" just make it so much more contemporary and fun to watch.

What elevates Clueless (1995) above generic high school comedy is its use of stereotypes. In most films they are unintentionally there to create a subconscious effect, but in Clueless they are made fun of to a much higher degree -- they are overblown and glorious. It brutally satirizes rich kids and their 'problems' and juxtaposes them with a classic, heart-felt love-story. The kind that only Jane Austen can write.

9/10