Clueless

Most people know that Clueless is loosely based on the Jane Austen novel, Emma. It is a decent adaptation considering the audience it was aimed for, but it paints men in a bad light. Granted it is sort of a payback for all negative portrayals of women, it doesn’t depict women as much stronger either. Clueless is merely a poorly perceived modernized retelling of a classic novel. It does not allow for depth of character; if it does, there isn’t much.

The film does seem to show that it is directed by a female director because it demonstrates Cher’s transition from a vapid, self absorbed teenager into a less shallow, more thoughtful young adult. But the film does not delve beyond the surface story. The film does not show the depth or back story of why the characters are the way they are; they just are.

Not to say that a male director would have gone any deeper into the character’s lives, but a male director would not have depicted the male characters as dumb or people who only think about having sex and earning money.

As a female director, Amy Heckering was probably trying to be satirical, but it may not have come off that way to everyone. Viewing the film when a person is older may help one to see that it is a satire but it is still seen as a teen flick. No one would look at it like that unless they were told to or were a film critic.