Despite its title, Clueless must surely rank as one of the better, smarter and funnier teen-coms of the last decade or so. Written and directed by Fast Times at Ridgemont High helmslady Amy Heckerling and featuring a clutch of youngsters who would go on to hit the big time, theres a lot to like about this breezy, well-meaning and completely safe chick-flick.
It stars the then-unknown Alicia Silverstone as Cher, a 16-year-old Beverly Hills gal who enjoys being the most popular girl in school (and who wouldnt? Other than a boy, that is). Of course, past experience and countless other High School flicks have taught us that such lasses generally tend to be complete and utter bitches but Cher, in actual fact, is quite nice. The best example of that comes when unfashionable school newbie Tai (a barely-recognisable Brittany Murphy) arrives on the scene from another town, and Cher takes her under her wing. Its not long before the pair are firm friends but will Cher feel quite as charitable when Tai overtakes her in the playground popularity stakes? Of course she will!
Based loosely on Jane Austens Emma (thats loosely as in loosely-enough-not-to-give-Austen-a-credit), Clueless follows a well-trodden teen path while at the same time injecting a humour, dialogue and sharpness that is all its own. The bulk of the cast were virtual nobodies at the time, but the fact that many of them have gone on to become household names is testament to their obvious ability: Silverstone achieved virtual overnight fame off the back of this, Murphy has gone on to become one of the most bankable stars in Hollywood, and other Clueless alumni such as Breckin Meyer and Paul Rudd continue to pop up in many a mainstream outing. Theres also an unsung hero in the shape of Stacey Dash who, as Chers buddy Dionne, somehow manages to pull off the remarkable feat of looking like a convincing 16-year-old despite actually being 29 at the time. The fact that Dash never really managed to capitalise on her mid-90s promise must go down as one of the movie worlds more inexplicable turns of events.
Nobodys splitting the atom here, but Heckerling is clearly a woman who knows her genre inside out, and it pays off with a great little piece of comedy. She might not have made much impact since (her only significant credit in the intervening years has been 2000s Loser), but shes clearly anything but clueless.