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
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for its characters: a heightened version of the 90s where everyone is rich, the girls wear matching boas with their plaid mini-skirts and everyone speaks in new vernaculars, understood by the audience only through context clues. Clueless exists both within and separate from the 90s. It didn’t so much reflect a culture as create an entirely new one. A larger part is that the characters are just so damn charming. Cher’s optimism and hopefulness grounds the film and prevents its universe from spinning off the rails. She is refreshingly sunny, more youthfully naïve than ignorant and cynical. Cher genuinely wants to help Tai in the only way she thinks matters – through increasing her popularity and encouraging her usage of crop tops. Her relationship with Dionne, her best friend and co-conspirator, feels more Lucy and Ethel than Lindsay and Paris. Her debate class speech on immigration is particularly hilarious, highlighting both her cringe-inducing stupidity and her earnest generosity: So, OK, like right now, for example, the Haiti-ans need to come to America. But some people are all 'What about the strain on our resources?' But it's like when I had this garden party for my father's birthday, right? I said R.S.V.P. because it was a sit-down dinner. But people came that, like, did not R.S.V.P. So I was, like, totally buggin'. I had to haul ass to the kitchen, redistribute the food, squish in extra place settings. But by the end of the day it was, like, the more the merrier! And so if the government could just get to the kitchen, rearrange some things, we could certainly party with the Hati-ans. And in conclusion may I please remind you it does not say R.S.V.P. on the Statue of Liberty! But Clueless doesn’t completely let its characters off the hook either. It’s this quality that is particularly special to the film. It continually makes fun of its characters with the kind of love usually reserved for siblings or children – their complete cluelessness is what makes them so loveable. We never forget that Cher is ditzy and entitled, that her attempt at playing Cupid with two teachers is only for her own benefit and not theirs; yet, just like her huffs and squeals when things don’t go her way, we accept that her cuteness comes with a side of obnoxious. When the film takes jabs at her idiocy – “I feel like such a heifer. I had two bowls of Special K, 3 pieces of turkey bacon, a handful of popcorn, 5 peanut butter M&M’s and like 3 pieces of licorice” – it manages to do so with a wink and a nudge, a tease instead of an admonishment. This teasing is what allows for the film to achieve such success.
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
growth. Clueless belongs to the same category of teen comedies as Heathers and Mean Girls, satires of insular high-school life with larger than life characters and biting dialogue. But Clueless is far more optimistic and touching than either of those two films. It doesn’t resort to cynicism but doesn’t spare any slick social critiques either. It’s quick witted and irreverent, biting and bright, sympathetic and loving. Clueless stands out and continues to resonate with younger generations precisely because it creates such a fun and unique universe for its characters, clueless-ness and all.
Nothing is more American than the crossover appeal of products in the mass media; this appeal is what propelled the idea for the 1985 release of the film Clue, based on the Parker Brothers board game. Furthermore, in keeping with the game's theme, the film appeared in theaters across the country with different endings. With an ensemble cast of talented but little known actors—Tim Curry, Christopher Lloyd, Lesley Ann Warren, Martin Mull, Madeline Kahn, Eileen Brennan and Michael McKean—Clue seemed like a film destined to slip into obscurity. After all, it was a comedy, clever but crass. A deeper analysis of the film provides some insight into a running commentary that presents not just a murder mystery involving several comedic characters, but rather a complex allegorical situation that presents characters as archetypal figures for repressed forces in the dominant American ideology. In reality, Clue is a film about the crisis of the upper class white male in American culture.
Usually, she has a male friend who will one day be the richest man, at the ten year reunion. Denby focuses highly on the outsiders redemption and, as Denby claims, how “they might have been working at a hip software company, or have started their own business, while the jocks who oppressed them would probably have wound up selling insurance or used cars.” These high school movies are meant to intrigue us, and for the most part, they do and this is why there are so many of them. Denby closes the argument with expressing that in Alexander Payne’s, Election, Reese Witherspoon plays a very credited girl who even though she is on top, feels excluded. This shows that even surrounded my numerous cliques, you can still feel like you do not fit in. By ending this article in such a way, it gives the reader another view on these teen movies and shows that there are other movies that differ from the “mainstream” teen
‘Dazed and Confused’ made it’s debut on September 24, 1993 and did not obtain instant success in the box office but has been considered a classic because of how well the movie captured the free will and problems of high school aged kids. The movie’s setting is a high school in Texas during 1976, and follows a diverse group of teens as they go through their last day of school before summer break. The movie embodies what it feels like to be that age by depicting the conflicts that kids their age face and allowing you to relate to them. It even makes you feel nostalgic with how well they depict the teenagers as they are going through their last day of school and the overwhelming happiness you got when the final bell of the year rang. The simplicity of the plot is what makes the movie so relatable because there are not many unreal elements. Even though the movie was released in 1993 the
In “High-School Confidential: Notes on Teen Movies” David Denby criticizes movies portraying high school. He writes “The most commercial and frivolous of genres harbor a grievance against the world” (426). In many movies starting in the early 90’s you began to see an extreme amount of disrespect to adults from teenagers. High school movies are filled with unruly
The film Clueless praises the white rich feminine voice. The film begins with high school students from Beverly Hills shopping, partying, and spending money as the kids in America. This economic capital is unrealistically flaunted as the normal life of a teenage girl. Cher’s father, as a lawyer, earns $500 per hour. His occupation allows Cher to have a jeep, designer clothes. Her economic status puts her at the top of the academic social hierarchy. Her persuasiveness and popularit...
“A person’s a person, no matter how small.” This lovely quote was spoken by a brilliant mind we all know today as the children’s book writer, Dr. Seuss. When someone mentions his name, we all immediately think, “Oh! The children's book writer!” but what we fail to recognize is that Seuss was shaping the minds of us and millions of other children to find the best in people, be a better person and to agree with equality.
The jury was locked in the room to deliberate because they don't want them to leave until they have come to a decision. If the jury was allowed to leave, they might just go when they want and not return. Also, the accused could try to come in to convince the jury that he is innocent.
Amy Heckerling’s movie Clueless focuses on an upper middle class 16-year-old girl, Cher, who lives in a nice neighborhood with her father and stepbrother, Josh. Cher and her friend, Dionne, take in a new girl, Tai, to help her fit into their high school. All of the major characters in the movie are in adolescence, which ranges from 10-19 years of age. In adolescence, teenagers undergo cognitive and emotional development. According to Piaget’s cognitive developmental theory, adolescents are in formal operational period from 11-20 years of age. During this period, adolescents develop abstract thinking and rational decision making. They experience two aspects of adolescent egocentrism, imaginary audience
Social division within the society is conveyed in the opening scene through a montage, displaying a satirical depiction of the commercial American youth culture: teenagers driving, swimming, partying, implying that it’s normal behaviour for adolescents in America. The use of music further enhances this image as “Kids of America” plays in the background, however it does not define the life of the majority, but only the wealthy children. Through voiceover Cher says ironically “Actually I have a way normal life for a teenager” contrasting the montage of her partying and using a computer program to determine her clothing. Social division, particularly within the school, is demonstrated through costume. The men’s fashion during the 90’s is described by Cher to appear as if “They just fell out of bed”. This is juxtaposed to when Christian is introduced through the use of slow motion and full body camera shots in the exaggerated scene portraying his perfect persona from his well groomed physical appearance contrasting him from other men. The notion of social division in Clueless is present through the cliques of modern society, defined by wealth, popularity and physical appearance which both reaffirms and introduces new insights due to the change of
I’m scrolling through the articles on Snapchat and find my way across one with an intriguing title, I instantly tap on it. I begin to scroll further down only to find myself going through extensive paragraphs of information and suddenly this article that seemed so interesting became a bore. In Nicholas G. Carr’s novel, The Shallows, he argues the internet is creating more problems to us humans than actual benefits. Our social skills are starting to lack and our interaction with technology is beginning to heighten. Humans contemplative skills are slowly fading away due to our reliance on the internet to solve our problems. Technology is inevitable by humans, seeing that individuals use it in their everyday lives. Unfortunately, this is a problem considering the use of high-tech gadgets decrease in one’s capacity for concentration, contemplation, and personal memory.
Homelessness in the United States has been an important subject that the government needs to turn its attention to. There has been announced in the news that the number of the homeless people in many major cities in the United States has been increasing enormously. According to United States Interagency Council on Homelessness reported that there was an estimation of 83,170 individuals have experienced chronic homelessness on the streets of the United States’ streets and shelters on only a single night of January 2015, which is a small decrease of only 1% from the previous year (People Experiencing Chronic Homelessness, n.d.). The United States must consider this subject that most of the people underestimate it and not pay attention
Youth have a certain quality and charisma that has made making films about them not only an interesting endeavor but also fundamental to cinema (Shary, 2002). Representative of hope and change, children are viewed as the future. Youth culture, with its ‘here today and gone tomorrow’ kind of dynamic, suggests that children are also the future of film. For decades the film industry has relied on young audiences for patronage and also looked to youth for inspiration and just the kind of material that makes a relevant and refreshing script (Shary, 2002). Youth-oriented film has subsequently become a genre all its own (Shary, 2002). A history of American youth cinema would indicate no different. It is thus interesting to explore youth-oriented films and how films across time, namely Lolita (1962), Marathon Man (1976), Rain Man (1988), Kids (1995), and The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012), have depicted youth culture, specifically the theme of “Coming-Of-Age.”
I chose to analyze Despicable Me, an animated film geared towards a younger audience, because I was interested in examining underlying theories and messages that this film would be relaying to its viewers. Often times, when watching animated films, children are not aware of these messages, as they are absorbed by the characters, special effects, and humor. But as we have learned throughout this semester, our brains are subconsciously primed by the various surroundings we are exposed to. Since we also studied the impacts of entertainment, such as television and video games, on children, I wanted to see how a popular children’s film might also affect them.
Homelessness is a subject that has inspired many to write poems, speeches, and even songs. However, there is more depth to homelessness than just a source for inspiration; this is an ongoing problem for many all over the world. The 40th president to the United States, Ronald Reagan, once said that "what we have found in this country, and maybe we're more aware of it now, is one problem that we've had, even in the best of times, and that is the people who are sleeping on the grates, the homeless, you might say, by choice."(Reagan). The president's expression is very powerful even today, implying that even in the best of times homelessness is one of the top issues in society. Notice how President Regan cleverly used the wording "by choice" at the end of the sentence, what did he mean to convey by this? Was he implying that those who are homeless are so by choice? Or that many individuals perceived homelessness to be a choice? Perhaps it was a way to raise awareness of the impending problems that can lead an individual to homelessness. According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness and the National Coalition for the Homeless, there are three triggering factors that lead to homelessness, lack of affordable housing, unemployment, and health care ("Why Are People Homeless?"). Therefore, when exploring into more depth the determining reasons, considering the key roles that a home, money, and employment play in an individual’s life will facilitate a better understanding of the downward spiral towards homelessness.
I should receive a passing grade in this class because I can write now. Not just an exaggeration, but after another semester of English I finally feel confident that can write. Three of the reasons behind my confidence is I learned, I experienced and best of all I repeated. These three values helped prepare me for what is in store in English 1302 and here is why.