There are certain comedies that seemingly come out of nowhere and define a generation of viewers. In the mid-1990s, Clueless was one such movie. It should not come as a complete surprise, though, since director Amy Heckerling accomplished a similar feat in the 1980s with Fast Times At Ridgemont High. The movie seemed innocent enough; it was a loose adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma, it had Heckerling at the helm and it starred a girl best known for being featured in Aerosmith music videos. A positive return on investment was surely anticipated, but the immense success the movie experienced at the box office was truly a marvel. Not only that, the film had a monumental cultural impact that introduced all manner of slang into the zeitgeist, welcomed Paul Rudd to stardom and turned the character of Cher Horowitz into a cultural icon. Twenty-five years later, the film continues to have a huge following and is widely considered one of the greatest teen comedies of all time.
For the uninitiated, Clueless follows the exploits of Cher Horowitz (Alicia Silverstone), an attractive, popular and wealthy student in Beverly Hills. Although she has all of the makings of a potential villain, Cher is in actuality a sweet girl with only the occasional naïve, elitist or thoughtless tendencies. Cher is best friends with Dionne (Stacey Dash), an equally beautiful and rich girl who is in a long-term relationship with Murray (Donald Faison). Cher is not always the brightest student in class, but she has way more depth inside of her than anyone gives her credit. Cher has a language all of her own, and you need to get on the same page if you are going to appreciate her unique knowledge. Cher is much more in her element when she is helping people, either in their relationships or with their appearance. The latter happens to be the case when the “tragically un-hip” new girl Tai (Brittany Murphy) arrives at school, who Cher and Dionne take under their wing. By pouring all of their wisdom into Tai, she emerges from her makeover with a newfound confidence and sense of style. But it is through Tai’s experiences that Cher begins to see the world a bit differently.
Tai is not the only one that has Cher buggin’ about her lifestyle. Her socially conscious ex-stepbrother, Josh (Paul Rudd) has come home during a break in college, which has resulted in continuous playful sparring. As anyone who has watched a rom-com before knows, it is those that drive you crazy that end up being the one you are meant to be with. One of the most remarkable things about Cher’s journey throughout the film is that it is not solely focused on getting into a relationship. Cher mostly finds nothing interesting about high school boys. When she does happen to take an interest in one, he is wrong for her for a variety of reasons. Cher is an independently minded character that is taking in everything around her and using it to decide to live a more purposeful life. This less conceited version of Cher was always inside of her; she just needed the right keys to let her take over. The romance in the film is very sweet, but Heckerling smartly uses this as a secondary focus for the character.
Clueless has sustained its popularity throughout the years due to smartly written characters and its endless supply of quotable moments. Sure, there are many aspects and slang that are incredibly dated, but that is part of the film’s charm. The words lose their relevance, but the feeling the film evokes is evergreen. The entire cast is perfectly suited for each of their roles. Alicia Silverstone should be given major kudos from bringing such nuance to a character that could have easily been too unlikable. Likewise, Paul Rudd shows early evidence of the endless charm that he has maintained until this very day. Amy Heckerling has an incredible sense of how to craft a film that will remain noteworthy long after its initial debut. Clueless remains incredibly funny and heartfelt more than two decades after its premiere.
Video Quality
This Steelbook release of Clueless reuses the exact same Blu-Ray disc that was released in 2012. While a 4K UHD would have been aces, this original Blu-Ray features a stellar 1080p transfer. The colors on this disc are simply fantastic. The picture is bright and vivid with colors popping off the screen with a nice vibrancy. Clarity is very impressive while maintaining a proper amount of film grain to allow details to shine through. Black levels are fairly deep and skin tones are natural throughout. The transfer offers a great amount of texture including clothing and other elements of the production design. There is the occasional blemish apparent, but overall the level of detail and clarity is most impressive.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray disc comes with a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that perfectly represents the film. Clueless is not a sonically dynamic movie, but there are some lively moments such a Dionne’s accidental freeway excursion or sequences at the dance. The track makes good use of the surround speakers in these and other instances. Dialogue remains clear and upfront without ever being clipped by any of the pop songs that are constantly cropping up. As for the quality of the music itself, let’s just say some things from the 90s are better left forgotten. There are some interesting environmental sounds within the school that engage various speakers. This one was never going to be a house-shaker, but it does a great job of capturing the essence of the film.
Special Features
The main reason for this new release is to get the film in a sleek, glossy new Steelbook that is really lovely in person. The front artwork depicts Cher in a yellow plaid outfit with the pattern extending around the entirety of the case. The interior features an assortment of photos from the film made to look like Polaroids. Photos of the Steelbook can be found at the end of this review.
- Clue or False Trivia Game: A pop-up trivia game that runs throughout the film, which features questions ranging from easy to very obscure. It should be noted that if you choose to watch the film this way, you cannot pause/rewind/etc. Yours truly didn’t do too hot with the trivia. Apparently I’m a “Barney” who is clueless about Clueless.
- The Class of ’95: A nearly nineteen-minute featurette that deep dives on the incredible casting of all of these characters. This is worth it just to see some of these actors light up talking about their characters and experiences with the movie.
- Creative Writing: A ten-minute look at developing this film with Jane Austen as a jumping off point, a discussion of how the film was originally developed as a TV show, the research that went into the project, studio reactions to the script and more. Those who love to dive into the origins of a picture will love this.
- Fashion 101: An eleven-minute dive into all things fashion in this film. This is one of the most important aspects of the film, and this shows how much consideration was put into every aesthetic choice.
- Language Arts: An eight-minute look at all of the unique terms used within the film and how Amy decided what to use in the film. Some of the terms are cringe worthy in how uncool they are today, but it is so dated that it becomes hilarious.
- Suck ‘N Blow – A Tutorial: A three-minute featurette that shows how to properly play the game featured in the movie, as well as how the film had to cheat to create the desired outcome.
- Driver’s Ed: A four-minute behind the scenes look at shooting the freeway-driving scene. The cast was never in any real damage, but most of their fear was real.
- We’re History: A nine-minute retrospective on the movie featuring the cast and crew sharing their personal experiences and funny moments from the film. Everyone seems proud of the film, and everyone maintains the highest appreciation for director Amy Heckerling.
- Trailers: The teaser and full-length trailers are both provided here. Both of them do a masterful job of establishing the tone of the film without giving away every single joke.
Final Thoughts
Clueless can feel dated in places, but that does not take away the overwhelming joy the movie provides to all those who grew up with it occupying a special place in their hearts. Director Amy Heckerling is a master of her craft, and she once again created a seminal high school comedy. Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment has given us a beautiful new Steelbook release of a Blu-Ray with an excellent A/V presentation and fun extras. Fans of the film should not hesitate to pick this one up if they do not already own it. Recommended
Clueless: 25th Anniversary (Steelbook Edition) will be available to purchase beginning July 21, 2020 on Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
