UGH... AS IF! CLUELESS IS 30 YEARS OLD!

If the words “as if” mean anything to you, chances are you came of age in the ‘90s. Clueless wasn’t just a film, it was a phenomenon. It launched the careers of Alicia Silverstone, Brittany Murphy and the ageless wonder, Paul Rudd. It also spawned funky fashions, a series of spin-off books I read until the pages wore thin, and a syndicated television series. You can bet it had me seated every Saturday morning.

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30 years after its initial theatrical run, it’s clear that Amy Heckerling’s Clueless caught lightning in a bottle. As a 9-year-old whose parents took me to a screening at a hometown cinema, the experience would be cemented in my brain. I mean, truly life-altering. While I didn’t know it then, Clueless was actually a modern-day adaptation of Jane Austin’s Emma, one of many modernized versions of literary classics that were all the rage in the ‘90s. That factoid probably wouldn’t have meant much to me at the time. All I knew was that these high school girls were beautiful and cool, they could drive around in their boyfriends’ convertibles, and they could sneak off to Christian Slater flicks in the middle of the school day without consequence. They were simply everything I wanted to grow up to be. My friends and I insisted on wearing tank tops over t-shirts and writing with fluffy-topped pens that barely worked. We wanted nothing more than to be Cher, Dionne and Tai.

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While the film’s heroines are rich, glamorized caricatures of the average high school student, many overarching themes are simply universal. Friendship, dating, and familial drama are what make Clueless so relatable to this day. The movie contains sexual themes that may not be super obvious to younger viewers, but its portrayal of love and relationships can be interpreted as positive upon rewatching as an adult. While Cher’s friends are openly sexually active, she takes a more conservative approach to sex, saying she’s going to wait until she finds the right guy (she is, after all, a virgin who can’t drive). The right guy turns out to be her former stepbrother, which is a fact that to this day puts some people off. But I’ve always been willing to let it slide in the name of Happily Ever After.

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More than anything, what sets Clueless apart from the pack, to me, is the underlying kindness at its core. Rich, beautiful Cher is the anti-Regina George. Despite having everything in life handed to her on a silver platter, she remains driven by her desire to help others. Whether it’s the new girl at school or her teachers, making others happy is Cher’s driving force. She’s sweet and respectful to her father and the authority figures in her life.

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Cher was a great role model for me to have as a child. Cliché as it may be, I’m so glad, 30 years on, that I get to exist at the same time as Clueless. Throw in one of the most killer soundtracks of the ‘90s and it remains a standout in teen comedy history. Not just for the fun and fashion, but for the love the film’s ingénue and supporting characters have for each other. And yes, you’ll still hear me throw out an “as if” on occasion.