Clueless is the iconic teen drama inspired by Jane Austen's Emma. The film take's the premise of Austen's novel--a young girl takes it upon herself to serve as match-maker to those around her--and sets it in an upper-class public high school run by popular girl Cher. Clueless features much smart, hilarious writing marked by a notable crudeness.
The humor comes straight from the films' iconic predecessor Heathers, which most definitely influenced this and most teen-related films after it. Heathers is known for similarly unapologetically blunt and cringe descriptive language. Clueless hardly touches the eye-widening content of Heathers, but many of its quotes push the envelope in a similar fashion. Here are 5 quotes we love, and 5 that makes us groan.
Love: "Lucy Is From El Salvador, Not Mexico"
Josh is the rare romantic opposite who actually makes the female protagonist a better person without completely redefining her. Josh and Cher are very different people. We meet Cher when she is obsessed with shopping and popularity and generally things only having to do with her own interest in mind. Josh is interested in public awareness and in contributing to the betterment of the world, which can come off as pretentious.
As the film progresses, Josh comes to see that although Cher is in the habit of self-obsession, she tries in the best way she knows to help other people. Cher in turn grows to appreciate Josh's efforts to have a positive impact on the world and those around him, seeing that it's genuine and not just pretentious. They even each other out.
Don't Love: "Have You Given Any Thought To Our Discussion About Corporate Law?"
This quote is a play on the fact that a job intended for good, such as environmental law, is actually something undesirable. Someone who considers himself a do-gooder, such as the character Josh who expresses interest in the profession, may see it as something shrouded in purity and sophistication.
The jarring response of Josh's stepfather is a testament to the unfortunate reality that to work in a career which promotes social or environmental health is to take a path of constant resistance, as corporations are the ones who rule the world.
Love: "They Way I Feel About The Rolling Stones Is The Way My Kids Are Gonna Feel About Nine Inch Nails..."
The film sneaks in many tongue-in-cheek moral lessons under the guise of teenage stupidity which ends up revealing a bigger truth. Poking fun at teenagers allows the writers to bring greater social issues to the surface in a way that is palatable to the general public.
This particular quote makes use of the humor in a teenager's short attention span and habit of asserting off-topic comments. The student clearly wasn't listening to the lesson, but, all the same, makes a worthwhile remark which the teacher humorously takes advantage of.
Don't Love: "You're beautiful, popular..."
Josh and Cher find themselves in the perfect opportunity to profess their feelings of affection for each other. It's a sweet moment characterized by Josh bashfully stammering into admitting his adoration of Cher, and would be a typical, pretty accurate representation of the preciously awkward moments of teen love (or any love, for that matter) but it is thrown off a bit by the fact that Josh mentions the fact that Cher is "popular" as a reason to admire her.
The film so far has held popularity as something to be held in skeptical regard, yet here we are at the close of the film watching it being validated as a legitimate representation of Cher's worth.
Love: "Cher's Main Thrill In Life Is A Makeover. It Gives Her A Sense Of Control In A World Full Of Chaos."
This clever instance takes something that seems petty and shallow, then flips it by placing it within the context of a greater insight. The moment extends itself as a small metaphor for the film as a whole. The film is occupied by the daily concerns of teenagers, something that the adult world doesn't take seriously.
But by intertwining these teen themes with intuitive insights and genuine world concerns, the film speaks to the true messiness of the world, and how seriousness and non-seriousness are not so easily defined.
Don't Love: "My Plastic Surgeon Doesn't Want Me Doing Any Activity Where Balls Fly At My Nose."
It's a funny quote. From an objective standpoint, the writing is witty and quick. The unfortunate aspect of the joke is that the humor is at the expense of a girl who is being sexualized through the joke. The same character is later the subject of a joke about her looks.
Is it still a good line? Maybe. Could it have been written to be just as funny but not put women once again at the receiving end of sexual humor? Definitely. These writers are smart, they could have found a way.
Love: "Street Slang Is An Increasingly Valid Form Of Expression."
Murray, the boyfriend of Cher's best friend Dionne, is told off for calling Dionne "woman" after she has requested repeatedly that he doesn't. Murray abides by her request, referring to her instead as "Miss Dionne," but goes on to explain the modern-day reclaiming of slang terms and how they aren't necessarily derogatory anymore. It's a great moment in the movie where we get to see the depth of Murray's character shine.
Don't Love: "You Mean You Argued Your Way From A C-Plus To An A-Minus?"
Another moment which makes us both laugh and groan with despair at the same time. Cher's father is the steady symbol for big business, capitalist America. We want to hate him for it, but also acknowledge his appreciation for the reality of American life and his full awareness in trying to teach his children how to end up on top in an unfortunate system.
Okay, maybe he's mostly hateful. But all the same, he's a well used character as a reminder of the fact that upward mobility is usually a result of smooth-talking and being born into privilege.
Love: "I Just Don't Want To Do It Until I Find The Right Person. You See How Picky I Am About My Shoes, And They Only Go On My Feet."
Cher struts across the screen with all the sexual confidence in the world--then we find out half way through the film that she is a virgin, something that she owns with the same self-assurance with which she meets everything else. It's a lovely moment in the movie which has aged well for the modern viewer, who can find reassurance in this table of three female friends all with differing sexual experience and all completely accepting of each other.
Don't Love: "Isn't there someone superior to you I could talk to?"
It's a low point in the film for Cher, but also a time which marks the crumbling of Cher's deluded, entitled view of the world. You can see the confusion and slight disbelief in her face even as she hears herself voice the words to her driving instructor, who has rightfully failed her in her driving test. We can see that while it's her learned instinct to pull this manipulative trick, her heart isn't in what she's saying. Training her friend Tai to be just like her has allowed her to look in a mirror, and to realize that she doesn't like what she sees.