To put it in simple terms, the movie Clueless can only be described as a cinematic masterpiece that has withstood the test of time. Released in 1995, this demonstration of an outcast teenage girl coming to a new high school and being accepted into the popular group continues to make waves even 27 years later. This movie looks into the lives, although maybe unrealistic, of teenage girls in the 90s. 

In the beginning of the movie one can only describe the main character, Cher, as a shallow popular rich girl, but throughout the movie Cher becomes somebody who we not only gain respect for, but also love for. Cher and her best friend Dionne are at the top of the Beverly Hills High social constructs, and normally, when Cher wants something, that is what she gets. But after seeing her end of the semester grades, Cher is not happy, so she decides to convince her teachers to change them. As her father is a lawyer, she is pretty convincing, but when her teacher Mr.Hall, a sour and lonely man, will not change the grade, she decides that she must set him up with another teacher to improve his general outlook. 

After a successful set up between her teachers, Cher is inspired to do more good deeds. When new student Tai shows up, Cher says that Tai is “clueless” and makes it her mission to give Tai a makeover. When Cher does just too good of a job with Tai, and Tai becomes more popular than Cher is at Beverly Hills High School, Cher’s ex-step brother’s previous criticisms of her selfishness become clear. While Cher works to become a better person, her romantic feelings for her ex-stepbrother Josh begin to transpire. 

Conflict between Cher and Tai begins to hit the fan when Tai confides to Cher about her newly found feelings for Josh. Not wanting to reveal her feelings for Josh to Tai, Cher tries to turn Tai off the track of Josh. But looking into the reasons she doesn’t want Josh to be with Tai, Cher completely realizes her own feelings for Josh.

Actress Alicia Silverstone could not have played her role as Cher more perfectly. She truly makes the viewers fall in love with her and allows us a glimpse of the true Cher under all the superficial aspects of her. The character development of Cher is unmatched, as Cher does not exactly change herself, she just begins to display who she really is.

Receiving an 81% Rotten Tomatoes rating, director Amy Heckerling has truly created an iconic movie. The idea that Cher could basically have any guy that she wants, but chooses Josh, who to be clear has no relation whatsoever to her, is perfect. Overall, I would rate this movie a 5 out of 5 as it is just iconic, and it couldn’t have gotten any better. I only wish we could have gotten to see more of Cher and Josh and what their relationship would turn out to be, as Josh grounded Cher and reminded her of what’s important, and Cher has a connection with Josh that he has not experienced in his past relationships.

Clueless set the path for other iconic movies, like Mean Girls, to follow in its footsteps. While Clueless may not be directly relatable for many high school students today, there are many different aspects that can relate to the lives of high-schoolers. The experience of heartbreak, embarrassment, anxiety, and the desire to have fun in your teenage years are many things to relate to in this movie. As the iconic Cher once said, “I was just totally clueless.”