reviewed by: Charity Bishop

           

Very loosely based on Jane Austen's classic novel Emma, Clueless is a quirky teen comedy about the ups and downs of romantic love. Cher (Alicia Silverstone) is the only daughter of a wealthy Beverley Hills attorney. Her mother died when she was little and several marriages and divorces later, her father has resigned himself to being a workaholic with high cholesterol. Besotted with great clothes, a charge account, her own Jeep despite not yet having a license, and fabulous friends, Cher's perfect life is only missing one thing: a boyfriend. Having glanced through the local boys, she's concluded they're all out of her league and too immature to give her a satisfying relationship.

Instead she's focused on matching up other people... particularly her crabby literary professor (Wallance Shawn). When he refuses to up her grade after giving a miserable speech, she becomes convinced the only thing to make him happy would be to find true love. Thus the games begin, and the end result is instant worship by her peers, who all benefit from his renewed passion for life. Her father is impressed with her "ability to argue a D- up to an A!" but her ex-stepbrother Josh (Paul Rudd) believes she's a spoiled brat. Cher finds matching teachers up to be enjoyable and looks for a new prospect. Enter Tai (Brittany Murphy), a girl in desperate need of a makeover. She immediately clicks with the local druggies but Cher wants to put her in the top clique just to prove how good she is. A dye job, haircut, and several mangled wardrobes later, Tai is the hottest girl on the block. Best of all, Elton (Jeremy Sisto), one of the school's local hunks, seems interested in her. Cher begins scheming up ways to throw them together, never suspecting Elton's target is someone else altogether. In the meantime she must deal with passing her driving exam, convincing her best friend Dionne (Stacey Dash) to give up her loser boyfriend, and her own feelings for the latest new hunk, Christian (Justin Walker).

Viewers able to get past the obvious mangling of Austen's timeless characters might actually enjoy Clueless. Alicia Silverstone manages to make Cher likable even when she's behaving badly. Her tantrums, moments of enlightenment, and overall good intentions make her much more personable than the other characters. She's snobby and foolish but fun to be around, and makes a good counter-foil for the "hero," Josh. He's not perfect either but their banter is worth listening to. The most ludicrous changes involve the Harriet Smith character (Tai) being something of a tomboy druggie, and Frank Churchill (perhaps purposefully named Christian) gay. There are of course a fair share of predicaments. Instead of being attacked by gypsies, Tai is threatened to be dumped over the railing in the mall. After resisting Elton on the way home, Cher's purse is stolen and "her new dress absolutely ruined!"

There are some content concerns. I wasn't too pleased with the drug involvement since these characters are only fifteen years old. They pass around a marijuana cigarette at a booze-infested party and get a little tipsy. A boy is shown throwing up into the pool. Hip guys at school walk around with their pants falling off and their multicolored boxers showing. Cher and all of her friends show a lot of leg, cleavage, and midriffs. Some of her skirts are about as long as a winter scarf wrapped around her hips. There is some mild violence; Cher scrapes several parked cars while taking her exam, and forcibly has to extricate herself from Elton's car. A gun is held to her head. Some boys bully girls in the mall and try to tip Tai over the railing. Christian comes to her rescue. There are some cavalier discussions on virginity and sex. Tai isn't a virgin and is proud of it; it's implied through conversation that Dionne loses hers midway through the film. Cher has kept herself "for that one special person" but psyches herself up to sleep with Christian. It never comes about and the next day she learns why -- Christian is "gay." She also winds up romantically attached to Josh.

Most of these elements were forgivable in how light and funny the comedy is, but the moral lessons in the film could give impressionable girls the wrong idea about love and sex. Cher is not the most admirable heroine ever invented but does strive to improve herself. The whole film is somewhat tongue in cheek, essentially an upper-class mockery of teen life and angst. Those who love the original story should stick to the novel or one of the closer adaptations, but for average mainstream viewers, Clueless is a fun way to spend the afternoon... if you're willing to overlook its flaws.