Persuasive Essay On Clueless

878 Words2 Pages

Clueless is a rare film in the pantheon of teen films primarily because of its ability to satirize high-school melodrama without disparaging it. It may continually poke fun at the dimwittedness of its characters, but it never judges them. It’s a ridiculously optimistic film with incredibly low stakes, situated in a frothy, neon-pop, fantastical universe. And yet, Clueless is perhaps one of the most loved and universally relatable of all the teen movies, continually finding new life generation after generation. The film’s care for its characters, coupled with its heightened cartoon-90s universe, is what makes it surprisingly lasting. It both feels like a time capsule and timeless at the same time.
Part of this is because of world that it creates …show more content…

It genuinely loves its characters and insists that the audience do as well. Cher’s big emotional arc comes to a head with the crescendo of a Celine Dion song and well-timed Rodeo Drive fountain splash: “I was just totally clueless.” This would read as camp if the film weren’t so emotionally invested in its characters. It simultaneously acknowledges the ridiculously low stakes while sympathizing and acknowledging that to Cher and her peers, everything ¬– escaping the house party, the failed driving test, the unrequited high-school love, the emotional trigger of a Coolio song, all of it –¬ ¬feels incredibly high stakes. This is what makes Clueless stand out in the long tradition of teen films. We acknowledge that the problems of these characters are silly, but we understand they are problems to them nonetheless. After Cher realizes that she’s the one who needs to change, that she is the one who is clueless, she embarks on the task of saving Pismo Beach by excitedly donating her skis and uneaten caviar. It would feel completely ridiculous if she didn’t approach it with the same gusto that had for Tai’s new workout routine. Within the Clueless universe, this feels like a genuine moment of self-awareness and

Open Document