by Brendan Foley
Two Cents
Two Cents is an original column akin to a book club for films. The Cinapse team will program films and contribute our best, most insightful, or most creative thoughts on each film using a maximum of 200 words each. Guest writers and fan comments are encouraged, as are suggestions for future entries to the column. Join us as we share our two cents on films we love, films we are curious about, and films we believe merit some discussion.
The Pick
Even though our plastic surgeons warned us from doing an activity where balls fly at our nose, we still decided to dig into Clueless, which celebrated its 20th anniversary last month.
Recommended by the irreplaceable Elizabeth Stoddard, Clueless served as 1995’s answer to Emma, updating Austen to the swanky houses an eternal summers of California. For many, Clueless became a constantly-quoted cultural touchstone.
But now it’s turning 20 and the time has come to determine if Clueless is still a total Baldwin, or if it’s soooooo last season?
Our panel of experts (we totally have credentials. They’re just… in our other coat) weigh in below!
Did you get a chance to watch along with us this week? Want to recommend a great (or not so great) film for the whole gang to cover? Comment below or post on our Facebook or hit us up on Twitter!
Next Week’s Pick:
So there’s a fantasy movie where Christopher Lee plays an insane, evil king. That’s no great leap, but what about Alan Arkin as wizard? Or Jeff Bridges as dashing Prince Charming? And, of course, Mia Farrow as The Last Unicorn.
Rankin-Bass’ animated epic vanished shortly after its theatrical release thanks to bankruptcy and other such boring nonsense, but the dark wonders and eclectic voice cast has resulted in a cult following that continues strong to this day.
What do you think? Is The Last Unicorn an under-appreciated animated classic, or should this one have been banished across the sea with the rest of the pointy-horses. The film is streaming on Netflix Instant, so please join in!
Would you like to be a guest in next week’s Two Cents column? Simply watch and send your under-200-word review to twocents(at)cinapse.co!
Our Guests
Brendan Agnew:Generation X had Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Pretty in Pink. My generation had Clueless.
We win.
1995’s modern-day transplant of Jane Asten’s Emma is cinematic sleight-of-hand. Not only were the air-headed cliques of high school a perfect analogue for Austen’s social strata satire, but everything from the title of the film to the “as-if” dialect to the vapid voice-over serves to hide a slyly intelligent film right in the middle of what might — at first glance — look like just another shallow 90’s teen flick. But aside from the still-on-point social commentary, Clueless pairs audio/visual cues that most movies of its genre would never touch (2001 reference!) with some of the most clever wordplay of the genre. It may even be the best example of a “really smart subversive film wearing the mask of idiocy” since Big Trouble in Little China.
Perfect example: during a party, Silverstone’s Cher remarks that “love was everywhere” as the foreground shows a drunk teenager puking into a pool. Funny, right? But a second glance shows the girl next to him is cradling the sick stooge. Now, that IS love. That’s the film in microcosm — genuine depths hidden by humor.
So give the movie some well-deserved snaps. (@BLCAgnew)
The Team
Elizabeth:As I was in high school when Clueless released (I’m totally dating myself here), the film has a special place in my heart. The swanky world Heckerling creates in her Emma adaptation was nothing like my experience at the time, although the language certainly made appearances in my daily life. Clueless was a screwball comedy for the ’90s; wealthy characters act ridiculous and silly, and audiences revel in it.
It’s crazy to think the film is 20, although some of the costuming definitely hasn’t aged well (a few outfits are still ON POINT, though). Pop cultural references might seem dated (for ex: “he’s kind of a Baldwin,” “Searching for a boy in high school is as useless as searching for meaning in a Pauly Shore movie”) but the writing in this film remains a cut above.
Watching Clueless is bittersweet after the death of Brittany Murphy. Her comedic talents are obvious (that accent! her delivery!). The rest of the cast is nothing to sneeze at either. Silverstone, Dash and Faison still crack me up in the freeway scene, and I’ll never tire of giggling when Cher’s misplaced flirtations lead to her falling off a bed. Despite the years, Clueless abides. (@elizs)
Justin:So Clueless is 20 years old? This makes me feel like way old.
This was an iconic film of my adolescence. I grew up the only male in a gaggle of female cousins, so I spent a ton of time invested in valley girl culture and the exact type of entertainment that Clueless embodies. Perhaps this is the reason that I like “chick flicks” a great deal more than my wife.
I have probably watched this film 30–40 times, maybe more, though much less of those viewings have occurred over the past decade as occurred in the decade that followed the film’s release. I do, however, try to watch this roughly once a year or so.
In the case of this viewing, it was probably about a year and half since I’d watched it last, but this was the first time in years that I put it on and actually watched intently.
My verdict this go ‘round… it’s still a ton of fun. Paul Rudd is great. Donald Faison is fantastic. Alicia Silverstone, Brittany Murphy, and Breckin Meyer all do a great job. It’s not groundbreaking in any way, but it’s not a Monet… in fact, I’d say it’s a total Betty. (@thepaintedman)
Brendan:Why didn’t anyone ever tell me that Clueless isn’t just a fun, poppy 90s teen movie? This thing is truly fucking great, with carefully constructed screwball patter that’s as stylized and metered out as something like Brick. The cast is an embarrassment of riches (there’s an entire separate movie to be made about Wallace Shawn and the other beaten-down teachers at school) and writer-director Amy Heckerling does a brilliant job shooting in such a way that emphasizes the dialogue but still leaves room for sneaky visual gags (like the never-ending parade of plastic-surgery bandaged faces in the school). Heckerling knows how to drag a gag out until the comedic payoff is amazing, like an extended freeway scene that had me in hysterics.
And it’s smart. Not just in the way it manages to simultaneously eviscerate the same teen culture it is epitomizing, but genuinely witty and thoughtful, especially in the way it evokes the gradual emotional growth of a teen girl. Warm and inclusive, it’s easy to see why Clueless still evokes such positive feelings and loyalty from its fans, even twenty years out from its release.
Also, this movie is like objective proof that Paul Rudd is fucking ageless. (@TheTrueBrendanF)
Frank:It’s hard to pinpoint which film of writer/director Amy Heckerling’s career is worthy enough to be called her masterpiece. For many, its this modern re-working of Jane Austen’s Emma. For me, it isn’t.
Don’t get me wrong, I like Alicia Silverstone as an actress. But there are better ways to spend two hours than listening to a pampered rich girl from Beverly Hills whine about how her life is better than everyone else’s yet STILL lacking in certain areas. The character and her story are both vapid, boderline insulting and devoid of any kind of real-world sensibilities.
The way in which Clueless DOES work however, is as an amazing document of the 90s. The outrageous fashions look like they belong in another planet, the overuse of slang is inventive and amusing and the incredible soundtrack, which featured the best of all the musical flavors that the decade had to offer, was in everyone’s boombox. The surroundings may be totally unrelatable, but the time in which Clueless exists, are anything but.
Heckerling has always proven herself to be more in tune with the decades in which her films are set more than most other directors around. And with Clueless, she’s taken the heart of 90s, and gave it cinematic immortality. (@frankfilmgeek)
Austin:When I watched this with my wife just a couple years ago (it’s one of her go-to favorites but I had never seen it), I initially missed the very crucial detail that Paul Rudd was Alicia Silverstone’s step-brother. Needless to say, I found the film’s central romance… confusing.
The film is both clever and funny, and a loving send-up of a time capsule.
Silverstone’s Cher is a pretty weird if not outright terrible protagonist, though. If this were made ten years earlier, Tai would be the main character and Cher would be the villainous popular girl who made a bet on whether she could turn the homely new kid into a hit with the boys. (@VforVashaw)
Did you all get a chance to watch along with us? Share your thoughts with us here in the comments or on Twitter or Facebook!