Celebrating its 25th anniversary, and now a vintage youth film, Clueless had no original intention of being a star student.
“We were nobody. We were flying under the radar,” says principal Amy Heckerling. “For a lot of people, it’s this little women’s movie. We didn’t have big stars, the main characters were women, and it’s going to be in theaters in a multitude of children’s comedies. No one had any idea we were something and we didn’t represent anything. .
That temporarily replaced when Clueless made stars of its cast members, adding Alicia Silverstone, Brittany Murphy, Paul Rudd, Donald Faison and others.
Originally released in theaters on Wednesday, July 19, 1995, Clueless was reissued on Blu-ray and limited-edition Steelbook to mark the milestone. Manufactured for $12 million, it sold for $56.6 million. The filmmaker and never took for granted the good fortune of the film.
“If you lived in my head, you know that at every moment, I’m sure nothing will work. I’m sure it’s going to go wrong,” Heckerling said. “It was terrifying.
“When you do, it’s like every day you think: “This is what can happen badly. Even after you’ve been tested, you’re thinking about each and every one of the things that may have been better, even if they’re having a good time. After that, the movie will come out. Disoriented, not so many theaters, and it’s not about a campaign movie. He treated it like it was a children’s movie. In fact, not even for boys, it’s more like “Here’s one for girls.” It turned out to be a lot more than that. »
The dream, loosely based on Jane Austen’s Emma, temporarily developed a cult and a pop culture phenomenon. Its prestige has only increased in the last quarter century.
“For decades, other people have come to say what they liked or didn’t like about Clueless. I’m so glad to hear that. If I move on to Instagram, there are photos, other people say things about it, and it’s wonderful.” Heckerling said. “What really left me satisfied was when I was asked to speak at JASNA, the Jane Austen Society of North America.
However, although he understood the film’s message, the director feels that some frames have completely lost the point.
“What Hollywood took from Clueless was completely different for the audience,” the director lamented. “For them, it’s about thinking, ‘Oh, then maybe there’s a teenage audience, we can make more of this kind of movie.’ There were many like Confessions of a teen drama queen, Legally blonde, etc., and that’s a smart thing to do. However, in many cases, what Hollywood also took: “What we can do with those movies is mention the names of the creators, and it will be fun. They created rich or self-centered characters and in clothes and buy things.
“That’s not what a character like Cher in Clueless. She was distraught and in a safe world, and grew up from there, but at her center she sought to be an intelligent person. I’d see what Hollywood would do with that and I was like, “Oh, that’s it!” They completely lost the point.”
Overall, the fact that Clueless looks like this is one of the many reasons he’s still so loved. Heckerling credits the legendary cinematographer for the film.
“I can’t say enough smart things about Bill Pope. He’s a genius,” she said excitedly. “Every now and then you meet someone so bright, and you’re lucky. In this specific case, it was very vital to me because when you write something, there’s a movie betting on your head and you see it. Also often, it never looks the same when you believe it. In this case, we went through a lot of images and explained my emotions. I have a lot of things that stop me and he knew how to make me see things. Different. He opened my vision box.
“I’d tell him he hated night lighting fixtures. In the movies, it’s a huge thing. For me, it meant that my father turned off the lighting fixtures in our apartment in the Bronx, there were windows on one side and it was getting the darker, darker and brighter side. Nothing was fair and nothing happened. Bill can show me how to replace that. It showed me how things I didn’t like because I think they were miserable can just be beautiful. It’s in large part of the explanation why it seems rather than as it does.”
Clueless is far from the only Heckerling film that has influenced pop culture. He has also directed Fast Times at Ridgemont High, National Lampoon’s European Vacation and Johnny Dangerously. He would also be negligent with the $7.5 million family comedy circle budgeted for the Look Who’s Talking franchise.
But have you ever evaluated clueless’ legacy and meaning?
“I don’t think much about it. I spend most of my days scribbling things and taking care of my mom and preparing dinner or babysitting,” she confessed. “You see other people making a big stench in videos that I don’t have much respect for. It’s funny that some things last longer, anything is happening. Honestly, there are so many things out there, so I’m very flattered if I remember what I did, and I’m aware that in a few years there will be something else you’ll love and remember. Time is changing.”
Does Heckerling have any minds in preparation for Clueless’s (second) television reboot, described as Mean Girls Meet Riverdale?
“Honestly, I was surprised when I found out,” he admits. “I saw Riverdale, and then it’s like, “Okay, I love Archie Comics, but I don’t want to see that.” I don’t get it. But it doesn’t matter.”
“If that’s what other people like, of course. I mean, what can I do?
Clueless arrives on Blu-ray and Steelbook Blu-ray edition on Tuesday, July 21, 2020.
Simon Thompson is a freelance journalist and UK manufacturer who now lives and works in Los Angeles. He has worked for and with brands
Simon Thompson is a uk journalist and independent manufacturer who now lives and paints in Los Angeles. He has painted for and with the most important brands in the industry, adding Variety, Reuters, E! News, BBC, ITN, Sky News and more. Simon covered everything from red carpets to the Oscars, and created, wrote, produced and presented one of the prime-time entertainment screens in primary network paintings. Simon has also recently published his first feature film documentary. You can discover it on Twitter @ShowbizSimon and you can see more of his paintings on their website. www.thisissimonthompson.com