Clueless

Starring: Alicia Silverstone, Stacey Dash, Brittany Murphy, Paul Rudd, Donald Faison, Breckin Meyer, Jeremy Sisto
Directed by: Amy Heckerling
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy, Romance
1995

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: Cher (Alicia Silverstone) tries to help those around her- her best friend (Stacey Dash) with boyfriend troubles and an uncool newcomer (Brittany Murphy) to the school, while growing frustrated with her step brother (Paul Rudd) and all the problems she deals with in Beverly Hills.

Review:

Tim: Clueless is a movie that probably shouldn't be as good as it actually ends up being. It defies all expectations and is quite entertaining. The fact that this is a modern update of Jane Austen's novel "Emma" doesn't hurt (excellent source material makes a big difference). But, you can't place all the credit on Austen. Director Amy Heckerling creates a hip, fun, memorable movie that instantly achieved mainstream success and became a large part of the 1990s. This movie isn't without its flaws, but it really works.

While Clueless is a very good movie, it would be nothing without the performance of Alicia Silverstone. She gives a career performance here, single-handedly turning this movie into a winner. She is so likeable as Cher, but evokes a number of emotions from us. We feel sympathy, enjoyment, we look down on her, and we admire her tenacity and her good heart. Silverstone truly brought this character to life, and this movie was better for it.

The rest of the supporting cast was pretty good, too. Stacey Dash and Brittany Murphy are both good as Cher's friends. I really liked Paul Rudd in this role. He and Silverstone work very well together, and are believable as step-siblings, as well as something more. I also really liked seeing Donald Faison, Breckin Meyer, and Jeremy Sisto in smaller, supporting roles. The cast was impressive.

This movie featured a great deal of invented words and sayings that helped to give it a fresh, cool feel to it. It is impressive that many of the sayings here became instantly quotable across America. It is rare for a movie to have such a large cultural impact, but this is that movie that achieves it.

Clueless isn't a terrific movie, but it does so much right that I can't help but be impressed. This movie captures the very spirit of high school, but puts the story in a different place- Beverly Hills is certainly not like the high school you or I went to. That is one of this film's strengths- we watch this story unfold in a surreal environment, but it is intimately familiar to us as well. This is one of the best high school movies ever made, and a film that has a surprisingly lasting impact.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



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