Clueless (1995)

US 97m, Colour
Director: Amy Heckerling; Cast: Alicia Silverstone, Stacey Dash, Brittany Murphy, Paul Rudd, Donald Faison, Breckin Meyer, Dan Hedaya

Clueless is a teen movie about a beautiful, but not very bright high school student who lives a privileged life in Beverly Hills, and who takes it upon herself to help those that she considers less fortunate. As matchmaker she hopes to bring together two teachers in the hope that they will become happier people and give her better grades. She also makes over the new and previously unpopular girl, which eventually results in her own self-assessment. A lighthearted affair with some amusing dialogue, Clueless is however, little more than an updated “Valley Girl” (1983). While Heckerling gives nods to segments popular culture of the mid 1990s (hip-hop, Grunge and skaters), Clueless is not very effective in capturing the period, as a John Hughes film does, or even her 1982 teen opus, Fast Times at Ridgemont High (Klaus Ming January 2013).