Clueless

Writer/director Amy Heckerling’s clever transposition of Jane Austen’s 1816 novel, 'Emma', to an upmarket 1990s’ Beverly Hills high school was a hit teen girl comedy that affectionately made fun of so-called “Valley” culture and is now regarded as one of the signature movies of the decade..

Alicia Silverstone plays Cher, a popular 16-year old with a rich lawyer dad (Dan Hedaya) who with her best-friend, Dionne (Stacey Dash who, though you’d never know it, was 28 at the time) live über-consumerist lives shopping and dreaming pretty dreams about boys and stuff. Determined to do something socially valuable, when gauche new girl, Tai (Brittany Murphy), arrives at the school, Cher takes her under her wing and grooms her for comparable status and style. In the process she discovers that there are more important things in life that being well-dressed. Well, sorta..

Replacing Emma's narration Cher's voice-over no longer has any connection to the manners and mores of early nineteenth century English society and Austen fans may well be disappointed by the constant display of snappy outfits and rich kid airheadedness but it's strength is that everyone is in on the jape. 

Silverstone, who came from a background of TV and Aerosmith videos, does a fine job in the lead although she never had so much success again. The film also provided a big screen calling card for Paul Rudd who went on to a much more successful career. The film is slickly-made and intermittently amusing albeit more likely to appeal to teenagers who saw it in its day rather than anyone coming to it for the first time.

FYI: In 2009 Brittany Murphy died in mysterious circumstances at the age of 32. 

 

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