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Clueless Blu-ray Steelbook Review

“Clueless” remains a cultural milestone when it comes to teen movies.

“Clueless” doesn’t have what I would call a traditional story. Instead, it’s more of a Beverly Hills set character piece about a teen girl named Cher who starts out as judgmental, materialistic and self-absorbed but realizes the error of her ways and becomes a better person. The story is told through the POV (and with narration) from Cher as she worries about grades, plays matchmaker for teachers, attends parties, goes to the mall, hangs with her friend Dionne, crushes on guys, attempts a driving test, and tries to mold a new girl/friend (Tai) into something she’s not. 

Written and directed by Amy Heckerling and inspired by Jane Austen’s “Emma,” 1995’s “Clueless” is a quintessentially 90’s movie that also happens to be a teen movie classic. The fast paced zany comedy is filled with snappy writing, quotable dialogue (“As if!”), a killer soundtrack (The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Radiohead, Coolio, Beastie Boys among others), and a fantastic cast of up and comers at the time (I’ll get to that shortly). Is it an exaggerated and almost cartoonish look at a time and place? Like, totally, but, it’s also a funny comedy that satirizes teen films while also being a fresh entry in the genre. Sure, there’s a ring of “Valley Girl” esque familiarity, but it’s very different in tone and style to that teen staple.

As I mentioned, the cast is filled with would be stars like Alicia Silverstone, Paul Rudd, Brittany Murphy, Donald Faison, Stacey Dash, Breckin Meyer, Jeremy Sisto along with a few veterans like Dan Hedaya, Wallace Shawn and, yes, even Julie Brown. Although it’s easy to spot Rudd, Murphy and Faison’s talent and comedic presence in this, this is very much Silverstone’s movie. She was never better than she was here. It’s as if the role was written for her specifically. 

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 1.78:1 1080p. How does it look? A crisp hi-def release. Why no special 4K for its 25th anniversary though?

Audio Track: 5.1 DTS-HD MA. How does it sound? A very lively track whether there’s dialogue or music playing. 

Extras:
* Digital copy
* Teaser and theatrical trailer
* Clue or False Trivia Game
* “Creative Writing”- Discussions about the origins of “Clueless.”
* “Fashion 101”- A featurette on the fashion of “Clueless.”
* “Language Arts”- This extra explores the lingo of the film.
* “The Class Of ‘95”- A featurette on the casting and cast
* “Suck ‘N Blow: A Tutorial”- A demonstration of the game
* “Driver’s Ed”- A featurette about the freeway sequence
* “We’re History”- A retrospective extra

July 11, 2020 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | "Clueless", Alicia Silverstone, Amy Heckerling, Brittany Murphy, Clueless 25th Anniversary, Clueless Blu-ray Steelbook Review, Donald Faison, Paul Rudd, Stacey Dash, Teen Movie