Sarcastic Humor, Good Script Gives ‘Clueless’ Its Bite
The most surprising thing about the new film “Clueless” is that it’s a very funny movie.
Even more surprising is that it’s well-made, the acting is good and there is no unintentional humor. All the gags are carefully executed and well thought out, and the audience isn’t laughing at anything they’re not supposed to.
You would expect that much from any movie. But keep in mind that “Clueless” is a “teen” movie. Most “teen” movies are funny because of the ignorance and immaturity of the filmmakers, not the intended jokes. The makers of “Clueless,” however, are always in control of their film and its humor.
Writer/director Amy Heckering knows her teenoid characters are too self-obsessed for the audience to really care about them, and that their problems are so superficial that they’re not really problems. Knowing this, Heckering tells a hilarious story without expecting viewers to take any of it seriously.
The plot focuses on 16-year-old Cher (Alicia Silverstone). Cher is rich, young and beautiful; some would say she has it all. But she doesn’t think so. For one thing, she hasn’t found the right guy to take her virginity yet (“She’s saving herself for Luke Perry,” one friend says).
What’s interesting here is that Cher does cave in to peer pressure and decides to have sex. There is no abstinence lesson here, we see a remorseless character who is governed not by her own morals but by the desire to be “cool.”
The other main plot element has Cher deciding to use her popularity to do good deeds. One of her “good deeds” is to take a new, unhip and unpopular girl, Tai, and elevate her to the plateau of popularity Cher and her friends rest on. This transformation includes a complete makeover and Cher programming Tai to fall in love with a well-known stud and dropping the “Barney” (which means dork) who Tai is attracted to.
The humor in “Clueless” is not as one-dimensional as “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” but not the biting humor of “Heathers.” But all the jokes have some thought put into them, and it shows.
The running jokes are good too, like how many of Cher’s classmates are wearing bandages from recent plastic surgery.
Most of the movie’s success is due to Heckering’s intelligent and smart script. She doesn’t just weave a simple tale of Our Hero vs. The Villain (in “Clueless” there are no bad guys) like most Hollywood films. Instead, she pokes fun at a terrifying part of society. And yes, kids like these who think Kuwait is “somewhere in the Valley” are terrifying.
Teens like those who populate “Clueless,” along with mass murderers, are some of the worst products that American society has produced. “Clueless” offers little sympathy for them. But you may find yourself kicking yourself for actually rooting for Cher as she frets over her “problems.”
And getting the audience to root for Cher is a pretty big accomplishment, for a “teen” movie.
Grade: A