Movie review

 Clueless Movie Review – Adrianna Reyes

 

Clueless, released in 1995 by Paramount Pictures, was directed by Amy Heckerling (Look who’s Talking, Red Oaks), follows the story of Cher (Alicia Silverstone), a materialistic teen from Beverly Hills. Other cast members include Paul Rudd playing Josh, Stacey Dash playing Dionne, and Brittany Murphy as Tai. This movie, loosely based-off Jane Austen’s “Emma”, is a classic 90’s chic-flick, and an easy watch. I remember being ten, and watching this movie for the first time, and wishing for a outfit-making machine in my closet, just like Cher herself in the opening scene. I was transfixed by the vintage 90’s style and aesthetic. The costuming in this movie was superb, and incredibly faithful to the 90’s fashion of the time. Costume designer Mona May wanted the costumes to be as authentic as possible, saying she wanted the girls to look like “mall rats” not models. The budget for the costuming, therefore was relatively small for a Blockbuster film of the time, so her 63 outfits only cost 200,000, including the iconic Calvin Klein dress, which sold out in stores everywhere soon after the release of the film. The films writers also sat in classes at Beverly Hills high, to take inspiration from the students. 

 

The movie’s plot line is relatively predictable, however not dull on overdone: it is riddled with cliches, but the writers were aware of this fact, and were able to poke-fun at the superficiality of Beverly Hills youth, which is still relevant today. Being from California myself, I was extremely familiar with the tropes the character’s portrayed. Clueless manages to be delightfully clever, and although not an incredibly thought provoking watch, the characters show clear development throughout the film. This is one of the few teen blockbuster movies I’ve seen with a well done first person narraration.

 

Cher herself is an incredibly likeable, fun character, that the audience is able to support throughout the whole film. It’s refreshing to be presented with a popular character, who is clearly self-absorbed, and isn’t cruel to everyone else; she’s not this overdone “Mean – girl” trope. She maintains this quirky innocence that makes her accessible to the audience. She plays into the “dumb blonde” cliché without thoughtless or unintelligent, as shown in the scene were she negotiates all her grades higher.

 

Clueless in-full, is a poster movie for 90’s blockbusters, and is an easy watch, full of entertaining characters, fashion, and design.