We’re halfway through my look into the high school/teen films of the past. I’m switching perspectives with this one and the following one. I don’t know if it was intentional but it’s interesting how I’m showing both the male and female perspective with these films. Perhaps it represents the changing time or just a concept of a story told in a different perspective. This one is probably considered the best in the 90s and it’s indicative of just how casual it is.
1. Cher Explains it All
Just an observation before I start, it’s really something to admire just how far the whole sub-genre can change within the succeeding decades. Mind you that the first one that I talked about reflected the 60s but released in the 70s. Like all of them are time capsules in a way that showed just how the time was and that it’s timeless when looking at them for the first time or marathoning it. One can say that the films are dated in some sense due to lingo being used and whatnot but are classic since the stories are all too relatable.
With that, we follow Cher as we see everything in her perspective as she narrates her life to us. I was shocked that she’s so loaded that she has a touch screen computer to figure out what outfit to wear. We see that she’s a polite girl that’s a little bit ditzy. Not an airhead by any means but is willing to go beyond to have her own grade change within a semester. What I like about her is that we see and hear how she perceives her world. She doesn’t understand some things and gives us her own opinion on why it’s not clicking for her. That’s really the key thing that makes Cher such an interesting character.
One moment that represents her is when she is asked to participate in a debate about Haitian immigration. Topical nowadays but oh well. She manages to talk about the topic but then transition to a relative topic that only makes sense to her. While one could interpret it how the class is applauding her for her talk, in one way that’s just indicative of who Cher is. While she isn’t that in touch with what’s going on around her, she manages to make it relatable to her. Which is her big flaw since she’s delusional with everything and it kicks off her slow change in the film.
I think in one way some people think that this movie doesn’t really have a story. It has a very introspective look into how Cher perceives the world and inevitably changes her perspective on life. You can say that the main story starts when the new girl Tai enters the school, both Cher and Dionne take her in and change her so she can be acclimated to her new environment. Right down to even selecting the boy who they want her to go out with. That part doesn’t work when she falls for the skater Travis. This is where we see the shift for Tai and Cher.
As I mentioned earlier, she doesn’t understand certain things even though she puts on the façade that she gets it. She falls in love with a new guy in school and even goes above and beyond to flirt with him even though he’s not smitten. It’s not the fact that the guy is gay, but the fact that Cher can’t see that since everything that she’s doing isn’t working. She doesn’t pick up on his nuances and instead just goes with it without really taking anything into thought.
I would never have imagined that this film would be Paul Rudd’s debut in acting. He plays Cher’s stepbrother Josh and is the wisest family member that tries to level with Cher. The moments between them are cute since Josh teases her with how superficial she sees things instead of being aware of the bigger things in life. The perfect moment is when she’s watching cartoons and he’s on CNN. It’s the standard brother sister relationship, but some have reservations that the relationship gets questionable near the end of the film. Not that it gets explicit, but the fact that Cher has a realization that ultimately brings them both together.
2. Fashion
Aside from the interesting character arc that the film has going for it. I must commend the costume design that practically makes the film into a time capsule of the 90s. Now, yes it’s a chick flick and so there’s a heavy emphasis to make Cher and the other’s be pretty and presentable. What I like is that there’s more to the actual clothes than just being that. Specifically, that we see that another girl Amber tries to copy what Cher wears but could never exactly pull it off. Since Cher is very meticulous with how she looks, one could represent that what she wears represents how she feels.
For instance, when there’s a party that everyone goes to Cher dresses up in a nice red dress. This is where we see Cher try to have Tai go with the guy that she picked for her. Of course, it doesn’t end well since the guy falls for Cher and she bails out of his car. All of it ending as she has a gun aimed at her head as she’s getting robbed. Another is when she wears white to her date but again, it doesn’t exactly go well since her date isn’t interested in her.
3. Legacy
The movie was successful when it came out and it put the stars into the spotlight. With Alicia Silverstone, she was supposed to be the next great actress for Hollywood. It’s such a shame that just after this is when she appeared in Batman and Robin. Not to say that the film ruined her image, but the fact that she was a bankable star, and the studio easily had her in the film to make it more broadly interesting. If there’s one thing to critique the film is that this is probably her only best and memorable role in her career. There has been a tv spinoff of the show and another being developed by CBS.
Now everybody knows Paul Rudd with his various appearances in comedies and with a particular insect hero. I talked about both of his appearances if you want to check them out. The film was referenced in the actual adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma in the 2020 version of the film. Cher’s famous yellow plaided was featured in the film, albeit designed to match the times that the story takes place.
4. Overall
Clueless is one of the touchstones of the 90s and is one of the most beloved films that I’ve seen.
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