Clueless is a 90's teen movie take on Emma by Jane Austen, starring Alicia Silverstone, the late Brittany Murphy, and Stacy Dash. Cher Horowitz (Silverstone) is a vivacious, bright, naïve, ditsy daddy's girl in Beverly Hills. Like her literary counterpart, Cher is a matchmaker. Her sidekicks are Tai (Murphy) and Dionne (Dash). This movie is rife with makeover montages, fashion shows and little romantic dramas. From Dionne and Murray's constant bickering, to Tai's sassy stoner tendencies, this movie is fantastic as a female-driven, candy colored vehicle of outrageously 90's proportions. The script is really something special, though clearly teenagers written by adults. "Buggin'?" "Jeepin'?" Clueless, in all its Hollywood exaggeration, is at least a legitimately teenage movie. I do remember a lot of the vernacular becoming de rigeur, while Never Been Kissed's "roofus" was pretty clearly an adult's imagining of how teen slang comes about.
Tai is the new girl in school, and in all her plaid-shirt-wearing, gum-chewing, Brooklyn-accented glory, she very quickly becomes the subject of a makeover. Tai's a gritty outsider who is clearly not of the same class as Cher and Dionne. Her first statement to the Beverly Hills "Betty's" is "I could really use some herbal refreshment" - and they assume she means tea. Despite these differences, Cher decides to turn Tai into her project. She and Dionne primp and pluck and overhaul Tai's wardrobe, turning her into a midriff-baring social climber. Not only does Tai allow Cher to exercise control over her appearance, but also her romantic inclinations. Cher draws Tai away from sweet, dopey stoner Travis and tries to plant a seed of attraction between her and Elton, a preppy asshole fulfilling the role of an Austen archetype. And, when Elton rejects Tai, her whole world falls apart - she can't hear "Rollin' with my homies" without bursting into tears, and it's not until White Knight Josh dances with her at a party that she feels she can move on and burn her memories of the non-relationship she had with Elton. While all of these things are exaggerated, it's actually kind of accurate as to how everything feels so big in high school, raging hormones wreaking havoc and blowing conflicts way out of proportion. Tai and Cher's friendship suffers a blow when Tai becomes über-popular after a "near death experience" in the mall. They aren't estranged for long, however, and Cher learns not to meddle so much in others' lives - you might not like the person they become. Tai and Cher, typical teenage girls that they are, obsess over boys and clothes and, for some reason, Mel Gibson. Cher is Tai's guide to navigating the cut-throat world of Beverly Hills High, and Tai is a more down-to-earth friend, who can ground Cher. Tai is a pretty special beta friend, and we probably have Jane Austen to thank for that.
Screen time: 22 minutes
Sassy Quips: "Shit you guys, I've never had straight friends before." "Why am I listening to you to begin with. You're a virgin who can't drive" "Oh shit, now I'm gonna go ahead and cry"
Dionne is Cher's bffl. They definitely share an appreciation for avant garde fashion. Dionne's primary conflict is the tumultuous relationship she shares with Murray, and this provides quite a lot of amusing side action. Dionne is skeptical of Cher's decision to makeover Tai, but goes along with it all anyway. She's got a pretty sharp wit, and can easily keep up with Cher's flair for the dramatic. The two plot to hook up two of their teachers to improve their grades, to stunning success. Dionne is also Cher's more sexually savvy friend. I do enjoy the girls' blatant use of (gigantic!) cell phones as they meet up between classes. Dionne is very sidekicky, and we don't really see a whole lot of her, or get to know her very well outside of how she relates to Murray, shrilly screaming at him when he shaves his head, or repeatedly disregards her request to stop calling her "woman". There are very few African-American besties in chick-flicks, and I'm afraid she's a pretty stereotypical representation of that particular demographic, although she does speak very articulately, which I totally appreciate from the writers. Even Murray spouts some pretty fantastic lines, and he totally gets a special mention for "
Okay, but, street slang is an increasingly valid form of expression. Most of the feminine pronouns do have mocking, but not necessarily in misogynistic undertones." Dionne is pretty likable, as she supports Cher's quests to remedy being "hymenally challenged" or taking on philanthropic activities, and of course, picking out a perfect outfit for a date. I wish there were more Dionne's in chick flicks. It's called diversity, Hollywood.
Screen time: 15 minutes and 45 seconds
Snappy Quips: "The PC term is hymenally challenged."
Tai is the new girl in school, and in all her plaid-shirt-wearing, gum-chewing, Brooklyn-accented glory, she very quickly becomes the subject of a makeover. Tai's a gritty outsider who is clearly not of the same class as Cher and Dionne. Her first statement to the Beverly Hills "Betty's" is "I could really use some herbal refreshment" - and they assume she means tea. Despite these differences, Cher decides to turn Tai into her project. She and Dionne primp and pluck and overhaul Tai's wardrobe, turning her into a midriff-baring social climber. Not only does Tai allow Cher to exercise control over her appearance, but also her romantic inclinations. Cher draws Tai away from sweet, dopey stoner Travis and tries to plant a seed of attraction between her and Elton, a preppy asshole fulfilling the role of an Austen archetype. And, when Elton rejects Tai, her whole world falls apart - she can't hear "Rollin' with my homies" without bursting into tears, and it's not until White Knight Josh dances with her at a party that she feels she can move on and burn her memories of the non-relationship she had with Elton. While all of these things are exaggerated, it's actually kind of accurate as to how everything feels so big in high school, raging hormones wreaking havoc and blowing conflicts way out of proportion. Tai and Cher's friendship suffers a blow when Tai becomes über-popular after a "near death experience" in the mall. They aren't estranged for long, however, and Cher learns not to meddle so much in others' lives - you might not like the person they become. Tai and Cher, typical teenage girls that they are, obsess over boys and clothes and, for some reason, Mel Gibson. Cher is Tai's guide to navigating the cut-throat world of Beverly Hills High, and Tai is a more down-to-earth friend, who can ground Cher. Tai is a pretty special beta friend, and we probably have Jane Austen to thank for that.
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