
That these are characters who do speak like they are much more educated than they really would be. And that feels like an obvious thing.Īnd of course the way it sort of revitalized how we do a high school comedy is another way that Clueless is so important. You look at Glinda in Wicked and there is a template being forged by Cher in Clueless that is so I think relevant to this in terms of having a central character who is charming and popular and yet still needs to grow. I think it would be hard to imagine a Wicked or a Glee without Clueless tilling some soil ahead of them. And also you look at the impact this film has had. So as a writer and a director, just phenomenal work throughout this. So as we look at updating old projects, Clueless is a great model.Ĭraig: Well, to talk about why the tone of Clueless and the comedy of Clueless and the characters of Clueless work so well, I think you have to start with one of the great heroes of American film comedy, Amy Heckerling.Ĭraig: In a just world Amy Heckerling is mentioned right up there with Billy Wilder, and Harold Ramis, and every great male director of comedy ever because she’s that important. It is a weirdly faithful adaptation and yet such a smart adaptation. So, Clueless is of course based on Jane Austen’s Emma. And it’s also just a terrific adaptation. I’m always in awe of the denseness of its comedy.

This is a movie that would not be possible without its narrator, without being able to see inside Cher’s head.

I really think about tone and POV in this movie and sort of how well it does everything. To me this movie is a masterclass in many things that we want to let our listeners really appreciate. I know this movie from watching it a thousand times. Craig, let’s set the table about why we are talking about Clueless. John: And for Premium members we are going to have a bonus segment where Craig and I talk about learning to drive which is of course a key plot point in the film Clueless. As far as you know everything is fine.Ĭraig: It’s a normal day. These deep dive episodes are standalone, so if you’re listening to this is in 2033 we will not be referencing the current situation that we’re in. And that is all we are going to talk about today. Today on the program it’s a deep dive on one of my favorite movies of all time, 1995’s Clueless, written and directed by Amy Heckerling. A podcast about screenwriting and things that are interesting to screenwriters.

John: And this is Episode 444 of Scriptnotes. The original post for this episode can be found here.
