Clueless (1995)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Amy Heckerling

Writer (WGA):

Amy Heckerling (written by)

Release Date:

19 July 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

Sex. Clothes. Popularity. Is there a problem here?

Plot:

Jane Austen's Emma meets Beverley Hills 90210 in US West Coast teen lifestyle parody.

Plot Keywords:

Makeover | School | Teacher | Girl | Popularity

Awards:

6 wins & 8 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sat. July 11	10:30 AM	TBS
Sun. July 12	2:00 AM	TBS

Cast

Alicia Silverstone	...	Cher Horowitz
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

Also Known As:

I Was a Teenage Teenager (USA) (working title)
No Worries (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sex related dialogue and some teen use of alcohol and drugs.

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #33483) | Iceland:L | Canada:14 (New Brunswick/Nova Scotia/Prince Edward Island) | South Korea:12 | South Korea:12 (DVD rating) | Philippines:PG-13 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Belgium:KT | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Chile:14 | Denmark:12 | Finland:S | France:U | Germany:6 (w) | Ireland:15 | Netherlands:AL | Norway:7 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | UK:12

Filming Locations:

Beverly Hills, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Alicia Silverstone did not know how to correctly pronounce "Haitians" in the classroom scene. Amy Heckerling told the crew not to correct her because she liked it so much and wanted it to be in the film.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When Cher is outside Circus Liquor, she says that she's in Sun Valley. Circus Liquor is a famous landmark in North Hollywood.

Quotes:

Cher: Daddy, this is my friend Tai.
Mel: [shouts] Get out of my chair!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko (1999) (VG)

Soundtrack:

ALL BY MYSELF

Cluey in spite of its cluelessness

"Let's set 'Emma' in a modern high school!" Does this sound the obvious kind of movie gimmick that everyone uses nowadays? Perhaps, but it's an inspired idea all the same. Jane Austen's characters, and her readers, and the society in which her novels are set, like Jane Austen herself, are HEAVILY conscious of class and social standing. No atmosphere quite so snobbish exists in the modern world. EXCEPT, that is, in the corridors and courtyards of the right kind of high school. And where else in the modern world would you find so many people who seem to spend all their time calling on one another?

I was reminded of how well Heckerling moulded "Emma" to fit a modern setting when I saw the idiotic 1998 version of "Great Expectations", adapted by someone who somehow failed to notice how important all the stuff about class and snobbishness was. It's clear that Heckerling understood her source. She isn't afraid to make changes - even radical changes, if the modern setting requires as much - and no character exists MERELY because they have an analogue in Austen's novel. (The most crucial thing is that the Emma-equivalent be sufficiently charming; and so she is.) The result is a film which is winning and satisfying, whether or not you know anything about the source material.