Clueless and Sleepless in Seattle stand out in that they have strong female protagonists. Cher and Annie are independent characters who are not simply defined by their relationships with men, probably as a result of being directed and written by women. In Sleepless in Seattle, specifically, female characters are more dynamic than their male counterparts. Annie’s fiancé does little beyond acting generally uptight and being allergic to everything, although maybe these bland qualities necessary to fulfill the role of the undesirable fiancé. Sam also has a less distinct personality than characters like Annie or Becky. Annie is quirky and complicated, and changes more than any other character in the movie. There are more scenes in Sleepless where Annie and Becky talk than where male friends interact.
Cher, in Clueless, like Annie, has a stronger personality than others in the movie, particularly the male characters. Many of the guys in Clueless are reduced to stereotypes. One thing that was surprising in both these films, though, was that despite being directed by women, both contained obvious female stereotypes. The female characters in Sleepless in Seattle cry during sappy movies or even simply over the retelling of a scene from a sappy movie, and the girls in Clueless are all very ditzy and obsessed with shopping. It was surprising coming from female directors, but really movies directed by men aren’t without negative male stereotypes. Overall, the involvement of women directors with these movies shows in the dynamic, independent female characters. Maybe if women are better at understanding female characters and male directors are better at creating interesting men, these should be what they focus on in their movies. However, this becomes a problem when, as discussed in Women Who Run the Show, the film industry is so dominated by men.