"CLUELESS" (1995)

Check out those cell phones!

Dir: Amy Heckerling

Rating: PG-13

Cool Quote: "As if!"

Recommended? Yes

I heard a ton about "Clueless" before actually watching it so I went into the movie with a bit of dread that it would be full of Valley Girl lingo and have a ton of really annoying and shallow characters that I was supposed to root for. In some ways, that is exactly what I got (I picked up a new insult in the form of comparing someone to a Monet painting). However, although I wasn't "butt-crazy in love" with the film, I also got a highly entertaining flick with an extremely likeable protagonist.

This protagonist is Cher Horowitz (named after the singer, of course), a hip, fashionable, and wealthy girl from the Hills, played energetically by Alicia Silverstone. While this may sound like the description of one of those teen sitcom villains (you know, the materialistic girl who surrounds herself with other materialistic girls to torment the quirky lead, you see it all the time), Cher sets herself apart by having some depth, a conscience and a lovable naivety that gets her into some pretty hilarious situations. In fact, I wonder if her quirkiness and good nature served as any inspiration for the protagonist of "Amelie." Cher is not dumb either, as her surprisingly observant and articulate voice-over monologues prove to us time and time again throughout the film. All of these elements form an intriguing and captivating character that both breaks and adheres to the "superficial popular girl" stereotype, being shallow and deep at the same time. In fact, the entire movie can be seen as both shallow and deep (apparently it is actually loosely based on the Jane Austen novel, Emma, though I have never personally read it).

What I thought would be a mindless romp through supposedly funny '90s teen hijinks actaully turned out to be a movie that is very driven by the development of Cher's character as she tries to help the new student, Tai (Brittany Murphy), fit into the Beverly Hills high school lifestyle and set her up with a boy while trying to find love herself. All the while, the focus remains on Cher's character as she goes to parties, gets flirted with, gets rejected and even gets mugged (you know, the usual teen stuff...except for maybe the mugging). These events are simply backdrops for Cher's evolution and rarely overstay their welcome for the sake of unneeded comedy or plain goofiness. We see her grow, fall in love, fall out of love and come to conclusions about herself and those around her. While many teen high school movies try to add depth to their characters, it usually comes off as not very genuine and ends up being a drag. That is not the case with "Clueless." 

Cher's character shines through so brightly that it may actually be a detriment to the audience's feelings toward the other characters. In all honesty, besides Cher, Tai, Cher's friend's funny boyfriend Murray (Donald Faison) and her dad (Dan Hedaya), I don't really remember paying much attention to the other characters, let alone caring about them. For example, Cher's best friend Dionne's (Stacey Dash) only main role seems to be comedic relief (often paired with Murray, the boyfriend, who I thought was funnier and more entertaining). I don't really see much of a deep friendship or relationship with Cher and she seemed to slip into the background most of the time. The same could be said about most of the other characters, they just weren't that interesting without Cher! The "main plot" about how Tai somewhat infringes on Cher's life also seems to be a little undeveloped compared to Cher's character and the plotline seemingly disappears at various points in the movie. 

However, the strength of Cher alone is enough to carry the film as an entertaining slice of '90s culture that stands out among other movies of its kind with its witty dialogue, self-awareness and fantastic main character. "Clueless" knows what kind of movie it wants to be but twists a few things around, making it far more interesting than what meets the eye. I can definitely recommend this one!