Latest news with #AmyHeckerling
Times
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Times
Clueless (1995) review — it's difficult to overstate the impact of this film
It's difficult to overstate the reach of this Amy Heckerling teen standard. It's a loose revamp of Jane Austen's Emma that buzzes with the kind of emphatic 'Valspeak' (Valley Girl parlance) that eventually spread beyond the cinema and helped transform the very rhythm of spoken English. And so, while Alicia Silverstone as Cher (the Emma Woodhouse to Paul Rudd's Mr Knightley) conspires to matchmake teachers and new high-school students alike, we learn that she is consistently 'like, totally' disappointed with failure. She greets an unwanted male arm around her shoulder with a wince and a baffled 'as if!' And her dyspeptic classmate Amber (Elisa Donovan) demonstrates her studied boredom with thumbs and fingers posed in the shape of a 'W' accompanied by a long-drawn-out 'what-ever!' Some of the Clueless words and phrases that didn't make it, alas? Calling an attractive woman 'a Betty'. And, infamously, describing menstruation as 'I was surfing the crimson wave'.★★★★☆12A, 97minIn cinemas from Jun 27 Times+ members can enjoy two-for-one cinema tickets at Everyman each Wednesday. Visit to find out more Follow @timesculture to read the latest reviews
The Guardian
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Clueless review – Alicia Silverstone and Brittany Murphy are class acts in 90s Jane Austen parallel
Thirty years ago, the world was swooning over Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle in the BBC's Pride and Prejudice adaptation … but all the time, the actual Jane Austen screen sensation that year was happening elsewhere in plain sight. Amy Heckerling's high school romcoming-of-age masterpiece, inspired by Austen's Emma, is now on re-release for its 30th anniversary and more than ever it feels like a complete joy, a deliciously movie-literate (and literate-literate) classic, with references to Stanley Kubrick, Oscar Wilde and William Burroughs to go with the Austen parallel. Clueless is something to compare with Bringing Up Baby and The Philadelphia Story – and Alicia Silverstone's final, tearful scene matches, and even outclasses, Julia Roberts' speech in Notting Hill about being just a girl standing in front of a boy. Like Withnail and I, it's a film which is composed entirely of quotable funny lines and for each rewatch fans could lip-sync along with the entire film. Maybe some of the material wouldn't fly now – Cher's body-image jokes ('I feel like such a heifer!') are … of their time … but what contemporary movie has this level of sustained wit and fun? Silverstone gives a lovely performance as the spoilt, yet innocent and sweet-natured not-quite-16-year-old Cher (like her friend Dionne, played by Stacey Dash, she is named after a star of the past who does infomercials). She is the daughter of a widowed, wealthy lawyer in Beverly Hills, played by the formidable Dan Hedaya, who had terrified audiences in the Coen brothers' debut Blood Simple. Cher's conceit is gently mocked, and yet we're always laughing with, not at her. Silverstone is amazingly innocent and charming and her sublimely weightless screen presence has a kind of serenity and maturity that belongs to an instinctive comedy performer. Super-popular Cher, having already played matchmaker to her two teachers Mr Hall (Wallace Shawn) and Miss Geist (Twink Caplan), decides in her high-handed and meddling way to take a new student under her wing: maladroit suburban kid Tai (Brittany Murphy). But the endlessly considerate Cher, always thinking of others in her narcissistic way, finds it poignantly difficult to find a soulmate herself, having conceived a tendresse for the beautifully dressed Christian (Justin Walker) who seems to be more interested in hanging out with other guys. The awful truth is that Cher may have feelings for her goofy, annoyingly progressive stepbrother Josh (Paul Rudd). Watched again 30 years on, it's impossible not to marvel at the fact that eerily youthful Paul Rudd really doesn't look much different now (really, it should be Rudd, not Sarah Snook, doing a stage version of The Picture of Dorian Gray). There is also, sadly, a tone of melancholy in savouring Murphy's terrific performance; she died in 2009 of drug-related issues aged just 32 and like Silverstone, she was a natural comedy player and, also like Silverstone perhaps, she never got a role as good as the one in Clueless. There is great stuff also from Breckin Meyer as stoner skater-boy Travis, with whom Tai is really in love, Donald Faison as Dionne's boyfriend Murray, Jeremy Sisto as the caddish Elton, and also Walker as the sleek gay exquisite Christian. Never was a title more misleading. This is sophisticated pleasure. Clueless is in UK cinemas from 27 June.
CNN
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
‘Clueless' director Amy Heckerling looks back on the inspiration for everyone's favorite scary dad, Mel Horowitz
CNN — There are few patriarchs within the teen film genre like Mel Horowitz in 'Clueless.' The straight-talking litigator portrayed by Dan Hedaya terrifies everyone in his path – with the exception of his daughter Cher, played by Alicia Silverstone in the beloved 1995 film. He's a man of multitudes. Direct and assertive, yet attentive and loving. The heavily New York–accented Mel is an outlier to the breezy Beverly Hills setting of the movie. Although 'Clueless' is loosely based on Jane Austen's 1815 novel 'Emma,' the film's director Amy Heckerling drew on a range of influences outside of Emma's father, the charming Mr. Woodhouse. 'I suppose the main inspiration for Mel was my father – an angry accountant. He was always yelling about one thing or another,' Heckerling recently told CNN over email. 'I never seemed to figure out how to diffuse his anger, unless we were driving and I'd stick in a Benny Goodman or Mills Brothers tape.' Heckerling continued to build Mel, taking cues from detective and gangster archetypes, looking for an actor who would be normally cast in such roles – like 'Law & Order' star Jerry Orbach or Quentin Tarantino fixture Harvey Keitel. Both were approached, but prior filming commitments and a strict budget for 'Clueless' kept either from landing the role. Hedaya came into the picture via a recommendation from a friend of Heckerling. 'He looked like he could play Bob Shapiro, the famous litigator working on the O.J. trial. I was so happy we were able to get him,' she said of casting the character actor, whose other credits include 1996's 'The First Wives Club' and playing Richard Nixon in 'Dick' in 1999. In 'Clueless,' although Cher is Mel's only biological child, he opens his home to his college-aged stepson Josh, played by Paul Rudd. Mel 'treats him like a son,' according to Heckerling. Studying law, Josh spends an inordinate amount of time at the Horowitz mansion, aiding Mel in his legal cases and referring to him as 'dad,' much to Cher's chagrin. But in Mel's words, 'You divorce wives, not children.' While other characters who encounter Mel appear to find him scary, 'Cher only sees lovable daddy,' Heckerling observed. Cher possesses the ability to stay positive and calm in the face of her dad's fury, which is something Heckerling learned when dealing with her own father: 'If anger is coming at you, it doesn't mean you have to let it in.' In a touching scene toward the film's climax, Mel lists Cher's personal achievements, mentioning that her organizational skills and caring nature reminds him of Cher's dearly departed mother. Although Mel is seen as tough, he's also fair. His ability to verbalize praise sets him apart from fathers in similar features at the time, such as the overbearing Walter in '10 Things I Hate About You' (Lary Miller), rigid Harlan in 'She's All That' (Tim Matheson) and the legacy-obsessed Sam in 'Varsity Blues' (Thomas F. Duffy).
Yahoo
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Clueless' director Amy Heckerling looks back on the inspiration for everyone's favorite scary dad, Mel Horowitz
There are few patriarchs within the teen film genre like Mel Horowitz in 'Clueless.' The straight-talking litigator portrayed by Dan Hedaya terrifies everyone in his path – with the exception of his daughter Cher, played by Alicia Silverstone in the beloved 1995 film. He's a man of multitudes. Direct and assertive, yet attentive and loving. The heavily New York–accented Mel is an outlier to the breezy Beverly Hills setting of the movie. Although 'Clueless' is loosely based on Jane Austen's 1815 novel 'Emma,' the film's director Amy Heckerling drew on a range of influences outside of Emma's father, the charming Mr. Woodhouse. 'I suppose the main inspiration for Mel was my father – an angry accountant. He was always yelling about one thing or another,' Heckerling recently told CNN over email. 'I never seemed to figure out how to diffuse his anger, unless we were driving and I'd stick in a Benny Goodman or Mills Brothers tape.' Heckerling continued to build Mel, taking cues from detective and gangster archetypes, looking for an actor who would be normally cast in such roles – like 'Law & Order' star Jerry Orbach or Quentin Tarantino fixture Harvey Keitel. Both were approached, but prior filming commitments and a strict budget for 'Clueless' kept either from landing the role. Hedaya came into the picture via a recommendation from a friend of Heckerling. 'He looked like he could play Bob Shapiro, the famous litigator working on the O.J. trial. I was so happy we were able to get him,' she said of casting the character actor, whose other credits include 1996's 'The First Wives Club' and playing Richard Nixon in 'Dick' in 1999. In 'Clueless,' although Cher is Mel's only biological child, he opens his home to his college-aged stepson Josh, played by Paul Rudd. Mel 'treats him like a son,' according to Heckerling. Studying law, Josh spends an inordinate amount of time at the Horowitz mansion, aiding Mel in his legal cases and referring to him as 'dad,' much to Cher's chagrin. But in Mel's words, 'You divorce wives, not children.' While other characters who encounter Mel appear to find him scary, 'Cher only sees lovable daddy,' Heckerling observed. Cher possesses the ability to stay positive and calm in the face of her dad's fury, which is something Heckerling learned when dealing with her own father: 'If anger is coming at you, it doesn't mean you have to let it in.' In a touching scene toward the film's climax, Mel lists Cher's personal achievements, mentioning that her organizational skills and caring nature reminds him of Cher's dearly departed mother. Although Mel is seen as tough, he's also fair. His ability to verbalize praise sets him apart from fathers in similar features at the time, such as the overbearing Walter in '10 Things I Hate About You' (Lary Miller), rigid Harlan in 'She's All That' (Tim Matheson) and the legacy-obsessed Sam in 'Varsity Blues' (Thomas F. Duffy). Just make sure you don't sit in Mel's chair.
CNN
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
‘Clueless' director Amy Heckerling looks back on the inspiration for everyone's favorite scary movie dad, Mel Horowitz
There are few patriarchs within the teen film genre like Mel Horowitz in 'Clueless.' The straight-talking litigator portrayed by Dan Hedaya terrifies everyone in his path – with the exception of his daughter Cher, played by Alicia Silverstone in the beloved 1995 film. He's a man of multitudes. Direct and assertive, yet attentive and loving. The heavily New York–accented Mel is an outlier to the breezy Beverly Hills setting of the movie. Although 'Clueless' is loosely based on Jane Austen's 1815 novel 'Emma,' the film's director Amy Heckerling drew on a range of influences outside of Emma's father, the charming Mr. Woodhouse. 'I suppose the main inspiration for Mel was my father – an angry accountant. He was always yelling about one thing or another,' Heckerling recently told CNN over email. 'I never seemed to figure out how to diffuse his anger, unless we were driving and I'd stick in a Benny Goodman or Mills Brothers tape.' Heckerling continued to build Mel, taking cues from detective and gangster archetypes, looking for an actor who would be normally cast in such roles – like 'Law & Order' star Jerry Orbach or Quentin Tarantino fixture Harvey Keitel. Both were approached, but prior filming commitments and a strict budget for 'Clueless' kept either from landing the role. Hedaya came into the picture via a recommendation from a friend of Heckerling. 'He looked like he could play Bob Shapiro, the famous litigator working on the O.J. trial. I was so happy we were able to get him,' she said of casting the character actor, whose other credits include 1996's 'The First Wives Club' and playing Richard Nixon in 'Dick' in 1999. In 'Clueless,' although Cher is Mel's only biological child, he opens his home to his college-aged stepson Josh, played by Paul Rudd. Mel 'treats him like a son,' according to Heckerling. Studying law, Josh spends an inordinate amount of time at the Horowitz mansion, aiding Mel in his legal cases and referring to him as 'dad,' much to Cher's chagrin. But in Mel's words, 'You divorce wives, not children.' While other characters who encounter Mel appear to find him scary, 'Cher only sees lovable daddy,' Heckerling observed. Cher possesses the ability to stay positive and calm in the face of her dad's fury, which is something Heckerling learned when dealing with her own father: 'If anger is coming at you, it doesn't mean you have to let it in.' In a touching scene toward the film's climax, Mel lists Cher's personal achievements, mentioning that her organizational skills and caring nature reminds him of Cher's dearly departed mother. Although Mel is seen as tough, he's also fair. His ability to verbalize praise sets him apart from fathers in similar features at the time, such as the overbearing Walter in '10 Things I Hate About You' (Lary Miller), rigid Harlan in 'She's All That' (Tim Matheson) and the legacy-obsessed Sam in 'Varsity Blues' (Thomas F. Duffy). Just make sure you don't sit in Mel's chair.
