Assignment 4

As if!

Clueless, a film directed by Amy Heckerling in 1995, offers a humorous and satirical story of the life of valley girl, Cher, who eventually makes the discovery that she is clueless. A popular student at Beverly Hills High School, Cher contemplates the woes of getting a driver’s license, playing match-maker, passing her debate class, and finding a boyfriend. This film stars Cher (Alicia Silverstone), her best friend Dionne (Stacey Dash), and Cher’s stepbrother, Josh (Paul Rudd). Transfer student Tai (Brittany Murphy) is completely out of the loop as far as fitting into Beverly Hills goes. Cher decides to take Tai under her wing to show her the ropes, but things get out of control when Tai becomes more popular than Cher. In order to raise her grades, Cher decides to help two of her teachers by playing matchmaker. Cher tries desperately to make Christian (Justin Walker) her boyfriend, only to find out he is gay. She comes to realize that she has been in love with Josh the whole time. A satirical film, Clueless mocks itself by over stereotyping and creating extreme characters.

Throughout the film “valley girl” speak and funny one-liners keep the pace and tone of the film light; inner dialogue in the form of narration further develops Cher’s character; the plot becomes a journey of self discovery for the main character. Clueless is by far Heckerling’s most feminist film (Felando). Her comedic films boast fast paced dialogue and clever humor that occasionally point to the sexism and superficialities of American consumer culture. They both mock and celebrate the insipid yet well-intentioned values of suburbia, even in upscale Beverly Hills. Clueless has feminine humor despite its big studio backing (Felando). Cher expresses a clever awareness of the superficialities of consumer obsession and of sexism. (Felando) One example of the way consumerism shines through the film is the names of the characters Cher and Dionne. Both names come from well known figures “of a bygone pop culture era”. The reference to Cher and Dionne Warwick “link the film to an era in which teen culture first economically and socially dominated the US. The reference to the two stars’ infomercials links the two film characters with consumerism... since her (Cher) lifestyle is dominated by mall culture, by the urge to buy and consume.” (Margolis)

Clueless has a very high production value and a very Hollywood nature about it. Bright colors of scenery and costume emphasize the over the top nature of Beverly Hills High School. Clueless uses clear lighting and focus. This translates the idea that main character Cher hides nothing from the viewers that could live under the surface of her vain, self-absorbed and self-centered facade. Cher epitomizes the very essence of transparency. Viewers hear her every thought and her emotions are clearly on her sleeve. She voices her inner dialogue consistently throughout the film so viewers do not miss a beat of it.

Along with inner dialogue, there are other techniques to show stereotyping throughout the film. Gender roles and gender stereotyping prevalently appear in the film. Cher is the main portrayal of female stereotyping. She is represented as a “ditz with a credit card” who can’t drive or park, and has a predisposition toward the mall. The only way which Cher can find comfort when she is feeling distressed or upset is through shopping. This reinforces the idea that women are a shopping mall’s target audience and the things they love best involve shopping. The stereotype that women cannot drive is also shown in this film, when Cher fails her driving test after making extreme disregards for the laws. Cher cries her way out of a bad grade in P.E., claiming “an evil male had broken my heart.” This situation fuels the stereotypes that show women as weak and break down and cry over frivolous things, and those instances in particular that involve men. The film also shows the idea that women always compete or vie for a male’s attention. Cher overtly uses her sexual appeal by doing things she thinks will get the attention from Christian that she seeks. With Cher in the foreground of the shot, Christian remains in focus. Occasionally Cher, while still being in the foreground, loses the focus while the main focal point shifts to Christian. The use of this rack focus allows for Cher to remain in the frame but allows for the attention to shift to Christian.

Males in the film are represented as dominating, evil, and heart-breaking creatures. Cher’s father is the source of her wealth and makes his money as a scary litigator. He is a widower consumed with his work and does not care too much about Cher’s activities. However, he is very hard on her about her grades and when she gets a parking ticket. His facial expressions in response to Cher show viewers that even he thinks she is just an airhead with too much money and not enough focus. Her father is the definition of white male privilege. He yells at Tai, “Get out of my chair”, while they sit down to dinner. This shows that he feels entitled to get anything he wants and applies his lawyer tactics to all parts of his life. After only meeting Tai for the first time this outburst establishes his dominance in the room. He also exemplifies the doting father by buying Cher a brand new car despite her lack of license since she “needed something to learn on.” Murray (Donald Faison) Dionne’s boyfriend portrays black male masculinity. He exhibits his dominance when he tells Dionne, “Yo, woman, give me five dollars.” She responds with, “Murray, I have repeatedly asked you not to call me woman.” “Excuse me Miss Dionne? Street slang is an increasingly valid form of expression. Most of the feminine pronouns do have mocking, but not necessarily misogynistic undertones.” This scene addresses male superiority in that a certain kind of slang regularly puts women down. His use of street terms and the way he dresses in baggy clothes sets him apart from the other white male characters in the movie. This signifies the distinction and diversity of race in the film. It also stereotypes black characters as street through his speech and clothing.

Along with stereotyping, the film addresses the issue of female body image. Body image concerns most women in everyday life, however the film poses this point in a way that makes body image is a woman’s main concern. For example, before her makeover Tai does not dress like a Beverly Hills girlie girl and has more of a “grunge” style. After Cher’s makeover on her she dresses much more provocatively and gets attention from men. Tai ditches the baggy clothes, which “she could be a farmer in”, and opts for dressing just like Cher and all the girls at Beverly Hills High School. She sacrifices her personality and her ways in order to fit in with the other popular superficial girls who would never talk to the skateboarder or stoners who Tai identifies with the most. Instances still occur that show viewers that Tai has not fully accepted her new way of dressing. For example, when Cher, Christian, and Tai go to a college party, Tai fidgets and adjusts her overalls and sweater in about seven different ways. Two tall older men try to talk to Tai, but viewers understand from the camera angles and the fact that the men’s necks and above are out of the shot that she finds herself once again out of her element. Cher’s mother is introduced in the beginning of the film, bringing up another issue of body image. She died during a “fluke accident during a routine liposuction”, which emphasizes the importance of society’s standards on female beauty and the extremes that are taken because of it. Plastic surgery is also seen at the high school; while Cher and Dionne show Tai around, girls with bandages on their noses surround them. Clearly nose jobs are the best way to fit in at the high school since they are so normal that almost every girl has one. This idea comments on society’s emphasis on the pressure to reach a perfect ideal. In a world full of rich people, these extreme measures taken on a person’s body in striving to achieve perfection is a complete norm when in reality they are such unnecessary drastic measures. These elements in Clueless fuel Heckerling’s mocking of plastic surgery obsessed people and the consumerist ideals of our society.

Clueless mocks the elements of a box-office hit film. Clear lighting and focus provide a direct and to the point interpretation. The comedic feeling is emphasized by an upbeat pop soundtrack. “Kids in America” (by the Muffs) being played in the opening scene has a lot of implications for the movie. It implies that Cher and her friends symbolize typical American teens, which is absurd since they are an overly stereotyped character representation. These characters do represent types of teens but to an extreme extent. “Supermodel” by Jill Sobule plays during Tai’s makeover, in which has the lyrics, “I don’t care, what my teachers say, I’m gonna be a supermodel; and my hair will shine like the sea; and everybody will wanna look just like me”. When analyzing the lyrics, not caring what your teachers say and only caring about the way you look stresses a superficial element. This music in this scene implies that through the makeover Tai will be better off while adding to the fact that the whole process is entirely superficial. Because of the generic pop style of the song, viewers focus more on the melody instead of the lyrics and message of the song. Consumerism and branding is clearly seen in one particular scene where Tai is singing along to the Mentos mint commercial. The fact that she sings along and knows all the words shows our culture’s obsession with buying products and the way media captures audiences to buy those products. “Rollin’ with My Homies” by Coolio also shows the superficial connection between Tai and Elton (Jeremy Sisto), the boy she tries to make her boyfriend. After Tai realizes Elton is not interested, she acts like it was their song every time she hears it. She focuses so much on the song being their main connection that viewers can see no substantial relationship will develop from her efforts. In a very clichéd moment, “All By Myself” by Jewel plays as Cher walks alone and ponders her relationship with Josh. She comes to her epiphany during the climax of the song while a fountain lights up behind her, emphasizing the pivotal moment in the film.

Clueless provides Amy Heckerling’s satirical commentary on the wealthy teens living in Beverly Hills while still incorporating feministic ideas. She addresses stereotyping and sexism head on. At the same time, Heckerling mocks American consumer based society while also celebrating it. Clueless was successful while having its serious issues underlying the comedic performance of the actors and dialogue. This film also launched Alicia Silverstone’s career into gear. Clueless’ Major box office success through widespread acceptance among viewers and critics solidified Heckerling’s status as a legitimate director despite being in a male dominated field.