Clueless (1995): I was clueless to it’s charm

It’s that time of the year again. The leaves are turning, the temperature is dropping, and the sun is setting. The bleak realization that school is an everyday reality has occurred. What do we do to combat that?

Watch Clueless!

The first time I tried to watch this movie I turned it off after twenty minutes, failing to see its value. It seemed ridiculous, and Cher annoyed me. I didn’t get that part of the point is that it’s absurd. She drives on the wrong side of the road, plays matchmaker with teachers, and lives in a huge house with literal columns. Her biggest problem is that her favourite white shirt isn’t back from the dry cleaners yet. Not to mention the ridiculous catchphrases used by all the characters, such as “Oh my god, I am totally buggin’” and “You are a snob and a half”. I’m pretty sure that isn't how teenagers talked in the 90s, but I’m going to go on pretending it is.

Is it certainly a 30-year-old movie with 90s ideals and stereotypes? Yes, of course! Does she get with her (ex) stepbrother? Unfortunately, yes, but supposedly, it’s okay because it’s Paul Rudd? Up for debate.  

Despite all that, what makes it at heart such a lovable movie, is that despite the iconic,  laughable dialogue and the satire of it all, the characters are allowed to care. They’re earnest and optimistic, each allowed to be their character archetype shamelessly. The lesson of caring about problems other than your own is squeezed in. (Although it is triggered by the want to impress a guy, to refer back to the 90s of it all.)

Overall, it’s funny, unserious, and satirical, the complete opposite of what you’d accept from a movie inspired by a Jane Austen novel. It’s a lighthearted depiction of high school life, which is exactly what’s needed when the math homework starts piling up and the hours of sleep drop in time for midterm report cards.