CLUELESS

Sometimes translating a literary classic to the modern day ends up simply being gimmicky but in this case transplanting Jane Austen’s Emma to a US High School works a treat.

Emma is now Cher, the spoilt and self-confident daughter of a wealthy litigator who has very strong views on everything, especially in respect to the fripperies of life such as fashion.  The outfits she and her friend Dionne wear are a constant delight.

Cher (right) and her friend Dionne (dig that hat)

Dionne is a character for which there is no equivalent in the source novel but who rightly has been added for extra comedy value and to give Cher someone to bounce off.  

It’s a skilful adaptation from writer-director Amy Heckerling which generally aims to streamline  the novel by removing characters such as Jane Fairfax and Miss Bates.  Making the Frank Churchill character gay is a nice touch. 

For the first half of the film Cher's shallowness is in danger of making her an irritating character but she is saved by Alicia Silverstone’s innocent charm and the funny lines she is given. 

Paul Rudd as Cher’s stepbrother is the equivalent of George and he's perfectly cast as the grounded guy who is gently disdainful of Cher's fripperies but who is always there when she needs him.  

However the romance between the two of them could have been stronger.  Mainly for this reason, and because the emptiness of virtually all the characters here does get a little wearying, I prefer the straightforward adaptation from 2020 which I recently watched, but this is a perfectly fine comedy in its own right.