Clueless
"Whatever!" Edition
(http://i.imgur.com/vtSznvh.gif)
(http://i.imgur.com/nPGwrrv.jpg)
Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RS0KyTZ3Ie4
Well, I finally got around to watching Clueless for the first time ever. And the last time as well. I don't get all the accolades this movie has gotten over the years. People tend to speak of Clueless as leaving an incredible legacy in the high school genre. For whatever reason, whenever I read Top 20 High School Movies of All Time, this usually sits in the Top 10. That's pushing it a bit for my taste. There were a couple of moments in the movie I found mildly amusing. But as a whole, this is average at best.
There were a few things that just irritated me to no end. First was the dialogue. Yes, I get that the time frame this movie came out played a huge part in playing up the stereotype. But the problem is, I hated the whole "as if", "whatever" lingo. It was unintelligent bunk then and even more so now, because this movie is a time capsule of what it was like back then and it doesn't paint a flattering picture. Second, I couldn't stand the narration of Cher (Alicia Silverstone). I'm usually a sucker for narrated films, but a lot of that is based on the story and more importantly, the character doing the narrating and I have to have a connection with said character. I had none in Clueless. The other thing that I just didn't care for was Tai (Brittany Murphy). Did not like the interpretation as she came off just way too ditsy for me. Also, it was like I was watching her do her version of Mona Lisa Vito from My Cousin Vinny. Marisa Tomei did it way better. I have no idea if Brittany's version of Tai was intentional or not or just something that came out that way.
About the only thing, beyond the few bits I found amusing, was seeing a cast of unknowns (at the time). I'm a fan of pretty much all the actors that appear in Clueless as I've seen plenty of their stuff elsewhere. Weird to see them so young here. Donald Faison, Paul Rudd, Stacey Dash, Breckin Meyer and Jeremy Sisto make up the rest of the cast. I'm being very generous giving it 2 1/2 Stars. Definitely a Skip and one that I have no intention of watching again. If I had to choose one word to describe the film, it would be 'Overrated'. Stick with the superior Mean Girls instead.
Clueless DVD Screencaps
As if.