C L U E L E S S ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (1995) US, 90 mins Directed by Jonathan Lynn Starring Alicia Silverstone, Dan Hedaya, Stacey Dash, Brittany Murphy, Wallace Shawn
5 Star Rating: * * * *
In Brief: An awful lot better than I thought it would be. Definitely designed to appeal to an elite taste, but it's well written, well performed and quite charming nonetheless.
Just the other week I reviewed ROMY AND MICHELLE'S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION, and this week it's CLUELESS. You might well worry about the fact I've been watching too many "chick flicks", but the main reason is it's cheaper to watch and review videos that my sister has hired than it is to pay for my own ones! So, that's my reasoning. :-) To be honest, I didn't think CLUELESS sounded particularly interesting, and I wasn't expecting a great deal from it.
I was actually pleasantly surprised with what I saw. This could easily have been a feature film version of the dreaded CLARISSA EXPLAINS IT ALL -- a rather excruciating US 'sitcom', for those of you blissfully ignorant, about an annoying all-American teen girl stereotype. One first glance the two looked startlingly similar. CLUELESS is about…yup, an all-American teen girl stereotype, living in Beverly Hills. But, mercifully, the film is a full hundred-percent less irritating and stilted than the aforementioned series, and actually quite well-written and acted. But like I said, it was treading near potentially dangerous territory. Films about airhead American teenagers who have a lot more money than brains have become something of a cliché, based on some sort of parody of American teenagers in general. It was a novelty when this whole sub-genre began (a lot inspired by BILL AND TED, perhaps?) but as with all things cinematic, over-use tends to generate boredom. Luckily Clueless is a cut above the rest, largely due to clever, sharp scripting with just the right degree of self-indulgence to draw you into the story.
That said, it's not a film that'll appeal to everyone. It's obviously targeted at teenage girls (my seventeen year old sister loves it), and I don't suppose anyone over twenty-five will get much out of the film. I'm not a girl, but I am a teenager, so I guess I fall into part of that demographic! And I did, as I said, rather enjoy the film. I've certainly been exposed to far worse in my time.
Alicia Silverstone does a marvellous job breathing charm and wit into a potentially unsympathetic role, and she's a joy to watch. Other standout performances include that of Dan Hedaya as Cher's grumpy father, who's a delight to watch (Cher: "Daddy, this is my new friend Tai…" Daddy: "Get out my chair!") and veteran character actor Wallace Shawn as Cher's lovelorn teacher.
The last twenty minutes or so get a bit too bogged-down by focussing too much Cher's love-life, forsaking the happy-go-lucky wit of the film's first hour or so, but it still remains an enjoyable, well-performed and rather endearing diversion. Worth a look, though - not to be ageist or anything - it'll probably appeal more to the younger generation.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ For more Film and TV Reviews check out my site! http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Bungalow/4960
Written and (c) by Rory B Mackay - Emissary@goplay.com
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