Clueless (1995)
I can remember one night when I was younger, my sisters made me sit down and watch "Clueless" with them. I was much more interested in watching a Pokemon episode or Hannah Montana, but I agreed to watch it anyway. But, now I'm thankful for them forcing me to watch it. Although at that age I did not really understand the movie's meaning, I found it captivating, the way that the main character Cher walked around, and the life she lived, interested me. Although this movie isn't known for its incredible cinematography, it is a guilty pleasure of mine, which I always seem to reach for when looking for something watch.
"Clueless" is a comedy loosely based off of Jane Austin's book "Emma". It was released in 1995, marking it's 20 year anniversary 2 years ago. The movie is about a well-off girl named Cher who enjoys shopping, convincing, arguing and hanging around with her friends. The story is told from her perspective of her high school career. The main plot of the movie is Cher learning that she likes to help people, so she takes on helping a new girl. She reaches a conflict when she realises that the girl becomes more popular than Cher herself, and Cher becomes jealous.
"Clueless" is a comedy loosely based off of Jane Austin's book "Emma". It was released in 1995, marking it's 20 year anniversary 2 years ago. The movie is about a well-off girl named Cher who enjoys shopping, convincing, arguing and hanging around with her friends. The story is told from her perspective of her high school career. The main plot of the movie is Cher learning that she likes to help people, so she takes on helping a new girl. She reaches a conflict when she realises that the girl becomes more popular than Cher herself, and Cher becomes jealous.
The story is set in the 90's, which was the current time when the film was made, following Cher's life at the time. Using many props and different settings, you are informed early on in the movie that Cher is indeed rich. Firstly, being that the main setting, Cher's house, is very large. Another of the indications of how she is wealthy is how she has a computer system (1) that sorts out what she should wear that day. Even today, although many people have computers compared to back then, many people still do not have computers that sole reason is to sort through their closet. This prop became very iconic and is a major part of the film. It also is important detail who Cher is as a person. It shows you not only is she wealthy but also cares about her appearance and fashion. From simply seeing her use this prop, you can tell all these details.
Cher's Closet Computer (1) ("The 'Clueless' Closet Is Real, and You Can Own It", Mashable)
Another aspect that shows you who Cher is as a person is her facial expression and body language. For example, Cher is a moody teenager, who at times in the movie becomes grumpy and disgusted. She doesn't have to say anything to show you this, instead, she creates a face that shows you exactly how she feels. (2) Cher makes this face throughout the movie, becoming a staple expression. This simple expression is a vital part of this movie, for if she didn't make this face the audience would not know how she felt in many situations. During this movie, facial expressions and tone of voice often work together to tell the audience in detail how Cher feels about a situation. For example, when a boy tried to put his arm around Cher, she screamed out in disgust while creating her iconic face. (3) In this situation, she needs to use facial expression and tone of voice together, since if she did just one the audience would not get the same, correct, knowledge of what Cher feels. This all adds to the idea of who Cher is as a character.
One of Cher's Facial Expressions (2) ("Clueless", Pintrest)
Cher's "Ugh, as if!" (3) ("Clueless", Hercampus)
The editing of "Clueless" is chronological and has no flashbacks. But, at the end, there is a small epilogue. Cher does have voiceovers throughout the movie, that is her thoughts. These thoughts sometimes will lead to her realising something, and saying it out loud. This is also seen done in "Mean Girls". I think that hearing the thoughts of a character is very interesting and is a great way of telling the audience information. In a way, by having this it replaces the need of a narrator, as Cher's thoughts narrate the story.
Overall, I enjoy this movie a lot, and I think is defiantly worth the time to sit down and watch. Although comedies may not appeal to you, this movie is not just a comedy and has other elements to it. Furthermore, part of the reason I think I enjoy it so much is because I am able to associate it with memories of my own, watching it with my sisters. It is defiantly a feel good movie. If you enjoyed movies such as "Mean Girls", you will defiantly enjoy this film.
Overall, I enjoy this movie a lot, and I think is defiantly worth the time to sit down and watch. Although comedies may not appeal to you, this movie is not just a comedy and has other elements to it. Furthermore, part of the reason I think I enjoy it so much is because I am able to associate it with memories of my own, watching it with my sisters. It is defiantly a feel good movie. If you enjoyed movies such as "Mean Girls", you will defiantly enjoy this film.