Clueless (1995)

81% of critics liked it
(57 reviews)
69% of users liked it
(483,289 ratings)

Jane Austen might never have imagined that her 1816 novel Emma could be turned into a fresh and satirical look at ultra-rich teenagers in a Beverly Hills high school. Cher (Alicia Silverstone) and Dionne (Stacey Dash), both named after "great singers of the past that now do infomercials," are… More Jane Austen might never have imagined that her 1816 novel Emma could be turned into a fresh and satirical look at ultra-rich teenagers in a Beverly Hills high school. Cher (Alicia Silverstone) and Dionne (Stacey Dash), both named after "great singers of the past that now do infomercials," are pampered upper-class girls who care less about getting good grades than wearing the right clothes and being as popular as possible. But Cher, who lives with her tough yet warm-hearted lawyer dad (Dan Hedaya) and hunky, sensitive stepbrother (Paul Rudd), also has an innate urge to help those less fortunate -- like the two introverted teachers she brings together ("negotiating" herself improved grades in the process) and new friend Tai (Brittany Murphy), who starts out a geek and ends up a Cher prodigy. Cher also possesses her own sensitive side, and she is looking for the perfect boyfriend, whom she ends up finding where she least expected. ~ Don Kaye, Rovi

Play Trailer

Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 45 min.
Directed By: Amy Heckerling
Written By: Amy Heckerling
Genres: Comedy, Romance

In Theaters: Jul 21, 1995 Wide
On DVD: Oct 19, 1999
Studio: Paramount Pictures

Critic Reviews

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly
There's such a gaping discontinuity between her physical beauty and her vacant, gum-snapping personality that she's like a walking advertisement for everything that's right and wrong with America.
John Leland, Newsweek
The summer's most compelling movie about teenagers.
Brian Lowry, Variety
A fresh, disarmingly bright and at times explosively funny comedy well worth a trip to the mall, even if it eventually runs out of gas.
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
Though this drifts at times as storytelling, it's mainly lightweight but personable fun.
Janet Maslin, New York Times
While Miss Silverstone guides Cher through the witty costume changes that serve as character development, she's backed up by a solid supporting cast.
Peter Stack, San Francisco Chronicle
By the time you skip out of the theater, you've had a great time but can't remember a single reason why.
Peter Canavese, Groucho Reviews
Its goal is humble: to walk the line between bubblegum pop that indulges trends, and a halfhearted critique of shallowness. I don't think this is what feminists mean by "having it all"...
Chris Cabin, Slant Magazine
Great teen comedies aren't afraid of being or looking foolish, and this highly admirable transfer of Clueless makes a renewed claim for the film's place in the canon.
James Kendrick, Q Network Film Desk
offers some of the best humor, entertainment, and social insight the teen comedy genre has to offer
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
...it's funny, poignant, and pointed. (Blu-ray edition)
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
'Clueless' is a sweet, comical, satiric, knowing film, and it's anything but clueless.
Rob Humanick, Projection Booth
A gag-inducing Four Loko misfire.
Tim Brayton, Antagony & Ecstasy
The most surprising thing about Clueless, given how enthusiastically it indicts its characters and their universe, is how much fun it is.
Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com
Clueless is a happy bubble, and Alicia Silverstone comes into her own as a confident young comedienne.
, Time Out
Silverstone makes Cher's insularity appealingly innocent (even in the midst of crisis, she can't resist checking out the latest fashion lines), and an attempted seduction scene is sweetly hopeless.
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
...although the movie isn't quite the classic it's been made out to be, it's a mindlessly diverting way to kill 97 minutes.
Walter Chaw, Film Freak Central
Smug and self-loathing.
Michael Szymanski, Wordmag.com
It's funny to watch how the careers of the teens have taken off, or not, and how movies about teens have changed in a meer decade...
Tony Whitt, Now Playing Magazine
Mostly harmless fun and totally rewatchable. Like, totally.

Read all 19 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Cassie H

Such a adorable teen comedy!!! Alicia Silverstone is absolutely beautiful & Paul Rudd is adorable as always. I really love this movie!!! :) :) :) :)
Dean !

Need to see it again, but think it was quite funny in a cheesy way.
Mike S

Whatever happened to Alicia Silverstone? She was a pretty prominent actress in the 90's, but then suddenly vanished into thin air. Or maybe it's because I never watched any of the live-action Scooby Doo movies. Anyhow, this is a magically entertaining high school flick with… More
Whatever happened to Alicia Silverstone? She was a pretty prominent actress in the 90's, but then suddenly vanished into thin air. Or maybe it's because I never watched any of the live-action Scooby Doo movies. Anyhow, this is a magically entertaining high school flick with a timeless and well-written plotline. A classic of its sub-genre that I think anyone can relate to, whether you are a teen or have been one. Just one little thing that bugged me though: was the 90's really that colorful?
Bethany M

A classic!
moon r

With a brash and trendy script and flippant performances by the stars one finds oneself not entirely repulsed by this insubstantial walk on the ultra rich side of California teen wish fulfillment. As if.
Jennifer X

How many times have I seen Clueless? A zillion, at LEAST. How many more times do I want to see Clueless? A zillion more! I think it is girl law to unconditionally love this movie. It's because Paul Rudd is so cute we can't stand it. Not to mention that Alicia Silverstone is… More
How many times have I seen Clueless? A zillion, at LEAST. How many more times do I want to see Clueless? A zillion more! I think it is girl law to unconditionally love this movie. It's because Paul Rudd is so cute we can't stand it. Not to mention that Alicia Silverstone is a H-o-T-T-i-E in her little white Calvin Klein dress.
AJ V

This movie is sort of like a new version of Valley Girl, it's very 90s, and it's charming and funny and enjoyable. I wasn't expecting to like it that much, but it was actually good.
Fernando Rafael Q

Good work from Alicia Silverstone, Brittany Murphy and Breckin Meyer, as well as a few clever one-liners scattered here and there are not enough to consider a film a "classic". Incredibly dated and as shallow as the lead character, Clueless is a miss more than it is a hit.
erika b

Clueless is about four high girls that live in a girl's world. Cher has to learn the hard way that the world is not fair all the time and you cannot talk your way out of bad times. The acting was Ok and the plot was Ok. Over time the film got annoying but the music was really… More
Clueless is about four high girls that live in a girl's world. Cher has to learn the hard way that the world is not fair all the time and you cannot talk your way out of bad times. The acting was Ok and the plot was Ok. Over time the film got annoying but the music was really good. I think the film mean girls would be a better pick if want a film that shows what high school cliques were like in the 90's. If you like films that are super grille click flick then u should give it a try.l
Michael S

I love this movie. I've seen it 30+ times since I was a kid. Every time I see it, I appreciate it more and more. It's not a guilty pleasure... It's just a great film.
Lorenzo v

"Why should I listen to you, anyway? You're a virgin who can't drive." Cher, a high school student in Beverly Hills, must survive the ups and downs of adolescent life. Her external demeanor at first seems superficial, but rather it hides her… More
"Why should I listen to you, anyway? You're a virgin who can't drive." Cher, a high school student in Beverly Hills, must survive the ups and downs of adolescent life. Her external demeanor at first seems superficial, but rather it hides her wit, charm, and intelligence which help her to deal with relationships, friends, family, school, and the all-important teenage social life. <center>REVIEW</center> Who would have thought that the best screen adaptation of Jane Austen's "Emma" would emerge from an updated parody set in a Beverly Hills high school and directed by Amy Heckerling? But that's exactly what has happened with this film. Heckerling obviously gets that Austen's continuous appeal lies in the fact that her stories remain relevant and timely---so why not update it, make the character of Emma (Cher here, played by the adorable Alicia Silverstone) a daffy valley girl, and fill the movie to the brim with pop-culture references and one very funny vignette after another? After all, the spirit and tone of "Emma" emerges unscathed. Comedic performances are always underrated, maybe because they look so easy, but Silverstone really deserves a lot of praise for this movie. It would be nothing without her performance.
Conner R

For some reason, I'll always have a soft spot for this movie. I think in a lot of ways it really does nail the entire nineties teen generation perfectly. While that might be annoying to some, it's hauntingly familiar to people who knew actual people like the characters in… More
For some reason, I'll always have a soft spot for this movie. I think in a lot of ways it really does nail the entire nineties teen generation perfectly. While that might be annoying to some, it's hauntingly familiar to people who knew actual people like the characters in this movie. The comedy is done so well and over-obvious, that it becomes intelligent on an entirely different level. Likewise, the actors are so perfect at playing complete morons. Alicia Silverstone and Brittany Murphy especially capture the Valley Girl accents so well.
Dean M

Not a bad spoof of spoiled Beverly Hills brats features adorably petulant Alicia Silverstone as the leader of the pack. What's good about this film is the hilarious spin on teen fads and slang.
Jennifer D

You know you liked this movie. Everyone did. Early Donald Faison and for that matter, Brittany Murphy. I think this is the best Austen adaptation I have ever seen.
Cassandra M

This movie is way above so many of the others of its' kind. It's consumately likable, funny, sweet and sharp- the script is a killer, and the acting is fun and enjoyable. Part of the success of the film is due to the fact that it appeals to several different audiences, and… More
This movie is way above so many of the others of its' kind. It's consumately likable, funny, sweet and sharp- the script is a killer, and the acting is fun and enjoyable. Part of the success of the film is due to the fact that it appeals to several different audiences, and on multiple levels. I first watched this movie with my mom, who loved the link it has to Jane Austen's Emma- all the main characters and the plot are direct modern equivalents to the novel. For instance, the famous passage in Emma inwhich Harriet burns all her "mementos" of Mr. Elton becomes the scene where Tai does so infront of Cher's gasfire. From this perspective alone, the movie is so fun and sharp to watch- even if your forte isn't usually American Teen High School comedy! But this movie works on a really dumbed down scale too- let's face it, not everyone is big on English literature. The movie has an awesome soundtrack, Paul Rudd is unbelievably cute as "Mr Knightly" or rather Josh- and my boyfriend leads me to believe that the same is true of Alicia Silverstone- who still sparkles 10 years later as a mid-nineties teen queen with good intentions, Cher. Her performance here is impossible not to warm too, unless you have some sort of grudge against Valley girls, inwhich case you might not like it so much. Seriously though, this film is a must see for anyone who likes some real quality comedy- I'm so fond of this film personally that I would suspect basically everyone would enjoy it.
Lewis C

First of all, the whole stepbrother/stepsister romance freaked me out. Yes, I know their parents had gotten divorced, but still. Clueless is one of those movies that has become a part of pop-culture. An entire generation of teenagers and young adults saw it in the 90's.… More
First of all, the whole stepbrother/stepsister romance freaked me out. Yes, I know their parents had gotten divorced, but still. Clueless is one of those movies that has become a part of pop-culture. An entire generation of teenagers and young adults saw it in the 90's. Thankfully, it still is fun to watch today. It's one of the few movies that I've seen Alicia Silverstone in, and it gave me a really positive impression of her. Good movie.
Carlos M

Not a classic, but still a nice way to kill some time for 97 minutes.
Anthony L

Not too bad a film but it spawned so much crap and must be held responsible.
Thomas B

i actually like this movie
Julie B

May be the best Jane Austen adaptation ever. Sorry, Colin Firth.