This movie, is, like, totally awesome!

Clueless

Director: Amy Heckerling

Cast: Alicia Silverstone, Paul Rudd, Brittany Murphy, Stacey Dash, Donald Faison, Breckin Meyer

Released: July 19, 1995

I considered writing this entire review in Valley Girl speak, but decided that would be too grating and annoying, so I will not do that! 

I hadn't seen this movie in a very long time and despite the technology and fashion (still love it though!) being outdated, the movie holds up quite well. It's very funny and charming. Alicia Silverstone has all seemed to fall off the face of the earth (starring in Batman and Robin probably wasn't the best move she ever did), but it's probably no surprise that playing the spoiled but lovable Cher is her most well-known role. 

Cher and her best friend Dionne (Stacey Dash, who was surprisingly 28 when she played a high schooler!) are friends because they "know what it's like to have other people be jealous of [them]" and they were both "named after famous singers in the '70s who now do informercials."(I don't remember Cher ever doing informercials...) They live in Beverly Hills (and this was during the time Beverly Hills 90210 was popular, so there are Luke Perry and Jason Priestly mentions) where they spend their time attending high school, going to parties, and shopping at the mall. 

They take Tai, the new girl (played by Brittany Murphy) under their wings and decide to "adopt" her because she needs a major make over and they see her as a pet project to make her as one of the in-crowd. But when Tai overcomes Cher in popularity, Cher starts to get jealous.

A Carrie Bradshaw in training.

Paul Rudd plays Josh, Cher's once-stepbrother. His mother used to be married to Cher's dad, but they're divorced now. Even though they're technically not step siblings anymore, it was a little weird that they got together in the end. I mean, it's not as bad as on Gossip Girl where Serena has feelings for Dan. Uh, hello, S, your MOM is married to Dan's dad. Do you know how sick that is? Yes, I know they were an item before, so she's already been incestuous with her stepbrother and it is pretty messed up for your mom to marry your ex's dad - and now I'm getting way off topic. I'm not here to talk about the stupidity of Gossip Girl! It's not just weird that Cher and Josh got together in the end because they were once stepsiblings; they just don't have anything in common! But, whatever. 

Now time for my teen movie checklist!

Is there a party scene? Affirmative

Is there a prom scene? Negative

Is there a football scene? Negative 

Is there a make over scene? Affirmative 

Is there a scene where all the different high school cliques are being shown? Affirmative 

Was this movie spoofed in Not Another Teen Movie? IMDB says it is, but I don't remember which scene(s) were spoofed. 

Do I own the soundtrack/favorite song - I don't own the soundtrack, but who doesn't love Rollin' With My Homies?

Darkest scene - Really, the only "dark" scene is when Cher is robbed at gunpoint, but it's played for laughs when the guy tells her to get on the ground and she whines that she's wearing a designer dress.

Favorite line - So many great lines in this movie, but I just love the way Brittany Murphy says, "Wow, you guys talk like grown ups!" The way she says it is so funny. 

Favorite character - I should say Josh because he's the most normal character in the film, but I am partial to Travis, the lovable stoner dude.

Favorite scene - The Freeway scene is one of the funniest in the movie. 

1995 just called. It wants its cell phone back.

Hey, it's the '90s! - There's one scene where this guy says, "Has anyone seen my Cranberries CD?" This is a double whammy of '90s goodness because not only is he asking for a CD (today, people would be asking for an iPod), but the Cranberries are obviously a '90s band. I bet you a teenager today could not name you a song by them. (Zombie!) 

Also, Cher and Dionne have cell phones, that may not be as big as they are in '80s movies like Wall Street, but they are still significantly larger than cells you see today. 

I laughed when Tai is singing along to the Mentos theme song commercial because I honestly cannot remember the last time I saw a Mentos (the fresh maker!) commercial. 

And now I shall continue my list as to why 1999 is the best graduating class ever (by the way, these aren't in any particular order - I'm sorta coming up with these as I go along!)

1. Many teen/high school movies came out in 1999.

2. There was a song that came out in the early '80s that told people to "party like it's 1999."