Clueless

Verbal Diorama returns from partying with the Haitians..... I mean from the hiatus.... for one of the greatest comedies ever made - Clueless.

On the surface, just like any of the umpteen other 90s teen movies, but dig a little deeper and Clueless is a sharp, satirical and heartfelt look at teenagers; the way they speak, dress and think, in a thinly veiled adaptation of Jane Austen's classic novel Emma. Witty, sweet and way existential, Amy Heckerling directed, wrote and and enlisted a perfect ensemble cast of relative unknowns who have mostly all gone on to bigger and better things; including the likes of Paul Rudd and the late Brittany Murphy.

The star of the show is undoubtedly Alicia Silverstone, plucked from an Aerosmith video, into the role of shallow, but sweet Cher. Misguided in love and life (other than trips to the mall) but don't underestimate her. Cher contains surprise depth and character growth and knows her Shakespeare as well as her Alaia (it's like, a totally important designer!). Alicia Silverstone deserved to be a big star, but despite a few choice roles in the late 90s and early 00s her star never really materialised, but whatever.... she's a total Betty in this movie.

This movie taught me the words 'sporadic' and 'tardy', and that there was such a thing as a Pauly Shore movie. There's not many movies that you can say teach you vernacular and that hold up this well 25 years later.

And in conclusion may I please remind you that it does not say R.S.V.P. on the Statue of Liberty.

I would love to hear your thoughts on Clueless! You can get in touch on

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Thank you to patrons Simon E, Sade, Jardiel, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel and Derek for supporting Verbal Diorama!

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My website is at https://verbaldiorama.com