sleepy without a clue

In both Clueless and Sleepless in Seattle the director uses the actors personas in order to fulfill the roles that they play. Meg Ryan is typically referred to as “America’s sweetheart”, her role in Sleepless in Seattle portrays her as just that. Meg Ryan plays Annie, a compassionate, hopeless romantic searching for something that she can’t quite name. Annie can be brought to tears by a radio show about a little boy and his widowed father miles away, she spends her days listless at work thinking about a man that could fulfill her uber-romantic fantasies.

In Clueless Alicia Silverstone portrays the ultimate teenage girly girl who uses her good looks and charm in order to get what she wants. However Alicia (Cher) doesn’t want to considered just another vapid queen bee. Cher then takes it upon herself to do makeovers and spark romance amongst her peers in order to give her life “meaning”. In the 1990’s Alicia Silverstone was just that, just another pretty Hollywood face gracing music videos and movies. Alicia Silverstone then tried to take deeper more indy type roles in order to gain recognition as a more versatile actress. One could look at both of these actors and movies and say that indeed life imitates life. Others could say that it’s great casting that the actors were able to fit their roles so adequately. The directors of both Clueless and Sleepless in Seattle used the personas of Alicia Silverstone and Meg Ryan in order to create a stronger more relatable character.

I remember watching Clueless at least 8 times when I was younger. Watching it over break I just couldn’t get over how silly it must of seemed to my parents that I loved Cher so much and wanted to have that kind of life. Girls are attracted to the outfits, the nonchalance, the attention she receives without even asking for it. Who didn’t want tell a skater freak that the burnouts “sat on the grassy knoll” or that dating high school boys was sooo not worth it. Cher was the Barbie doll of the 90’s and every girl I knew wanted a part of her lifestyle. As for Sleepless in Seattle every time I watch that movie I too feel as if true love has now boundaries and that if it is meant to be it will happen. Really it’s creepy, sending letters to a stranger because you felt some cosmic connection? However Meg Ryan makes it all seem alright in fact, she makes it seem possible for all of us. Clueless and Sleepless in Seattle allow girls to be both self-indulgent and fantastical without a care in the world.

Clueless and The Holiday

Clueless:

Tell me how many girls, at the age of about 12, didn’t dream of being exactly like Cher Horowitz? I know that for me and the girls I grew up with treated Clueless as a bible. Through middle school (that awkward age when all that matters in the world is how popular you are and that you look your best 24/7 even though its pretty much the ugliest point in your life…or was that just me?), the social life of a 12 year old girl was getting together for a sleepover, painting our nails and watching clueless while mom baked cookies for every one. Every teenage girl dreamed of having a white jeep wrangler just like Cher! It was the dream car! Cher, Dionne, Tai, and all the other girls, who wouldn’t want to be just like them? Cher and Dionne turn Tai from looking like a “farmer in those clothes” into a popular high school icon. All the 12 year olds love Christian for his great sense of style and charming smile (okay,okay, so he’s into men, still the best person to shop with). Elton is viewed as the bad guy because he was into Cher and not Tai and then left Cher in the valley because the feelings weren’t mutual. Josh, is all the girls favorite male character. He’s nice, flirtatious, older (Cher doesn’t date high school boys, and she’s saving herself for Luke Perry…who isn’t?), Cher is most comfortable around him and therefore, they’re perfect together…except for the minor detail that he was once her step brother!! Now this is the one aspect of the movie that I wasn’t 100 percent comfortable with; I’ve never had any step siblings so maybe I don’t know how it is exactly, but if he was once part of the family, to me that would mean OFF LIMITS. So anyways, Cher gets a bad report card and by getting involved in school activities and uniting two lonely souls she raises her grades to all A’s. The movie addresses so many issues that teenage girls may be experiencing such as grades, drama with girlfriends, the teacher that is always out to get you, but all you care about is your social life and appearance. Amy Heckerling, portrayed Cher, Dionne, Tai and the other female characters to be the way that most teenage girls strive to be. As young girls, we always want to be older, or act older than we actually are. Cher goes off driving in her dreamy white wrangler even though she doesn’t have a license, she invites Christian over and tries to bake, she goes to parties and she shops. All in all,Heckerling made the characters of Clueless teenage idols for girls. Clueless is essentially a guide to young girls, and who would be able to portray that that best other than a woman who probably remembers what it was like to be a teenage girl?

The Holiday:

The Holiday was the best movie that I have seen this year. Although seeing all the pretty colors, dresses, shoes and cakes in Marie Antoinette puts it towards the top of the list also. Only a woman would know that when a woman (Cameron Diaz’s character) says she wants to be somewhere without any men because she just went through bad breakup with cheater Ethan, she really means that she doesn’t want to be around any men that could potentially hurt her. When Jude Law comes strolling in, you have to be thankful for that! What woman actually wants to be alone at her age after a breakup and around the holidays? But, she wants to be away from the hurt and humiliation of breaking up with someone and being cheated on. All women know that even after the worse break up in the world, we’re always looking for that Jude Law dream guy to show up when your least expecting it. I would have to say that my favorite part in the whole movie was at the end when Cameron Diaz’s character turns around the cab and goes back to the house to be with Jude Law. Now its romantic and what the audience wants, of course, but the best part of it is, that she storms into the house and Jude Law is sitting there sobbing!! How many men directors would portray a man sobbing like that over a woman he knew for only 2 weeks! Women wish men could be that sensitive and romantic and I know there are men like that, but I don’t usually see it in the movies. I was not surprised that Jude Law was still in the house and it is realistic that he is upset, but I find it very funny that he was sobbing like a little girl! It is sweet though.

Sleepless in Seattle and Holiday

Sleepless in Seattle is a classic romantic comedy that viewers of all ages can relate to. There are two characters destined to fall in love, but stuck on opposite ends of the continent. They overcome great obstacles in order to find true love. This film is definitely written by a woman because only a woman knows what to say and do to make another women’s heart ooze. Viewers feel terrible for Sam because he is a loveable enduring character who tasted the sweet kiss of love, but then tragically had it taken away when his wife died. Viewers also feel bad for Annie because she is in a boring relationship with dead-end written all over it. Ephron presents two characters that have everything they need in life except love, and that is where the plot thickens. It is a beautiful story of unexpected love that speaks to female emotions. No man could ever write a story that spoke to a woman the way Sleepless in Seattle and other iconic romantic comedies do.

Holiday is by far the best romantic comedy I have seen in quite some time. All the elements of a good romantic comedy are there with a twist. Instead of focusing on two characters falling in love, the story follows four characters. The women are both recovering from bad relationships in which their hearts were broken. Although recovering from similar experiences their reactions are quite different. Cameron can’t cry while Kate can’t STOP crying. Cameron quickly moves on and says little about her former love, while Kate continues to struggle to get over her previous love and even has a few relapses. Ultimately both women see the error in the their ways, learn from previous mistakes in the men department, thus becoming stronger, and find real true love. The story has several ups and downs and keeps the viewer wondering how things will shape up for these wounded women. Most female viewers are able to relate to one of the two female characters, leaving the film empowered or least feeling that true love is still possible.

Sleepless in Seattle

I first watched Sleepless in Seattle when I was very young. I couldn’t grasp the concept of everlasting love or what it was like to loose someone, so I didn’t understand why Sam Baldwin couldn’t move on with his life after his wife died. After watching the movie again, I realized how emotionally straining a loss of someone so close to you could hurt you so badly you wouldn’t want to open your heart again. Personally, I believe that men can feel the same way, but females are better at expressing it. I think that if a male were to have directed the film, the emotions of Sam’s loss and Annie’s longing wouldn’t have been brought out of the actors like it was on screen. It wouldn’t have had the same impact on women and men. A female director would more than likely know what to say to the actors to get the right reaction because women are more attune to their feelings and how to express them than men are. This isn’t a judgment; it’s merely an observation from experience and what science has evidence to prove as so.

Like Clueless, men aren’t portrayed in their normal light, as strong, unemotional people. They are shown as lesser in my opinion. They have more feminine traits due to the fact that a female is directing the film. The male characters are less abrasive, more caring, and softer than how men are usually depicted by male directors. The women in both these films seem to be portrayed, at first, as confused women who don’t know their path or what they want, but by the end of the movies, they are empowered. I believe that only in films written or directed by women, this is more evident than not and more of an occurrence than in movies written and directed by men.

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.

Clueless

Clueless was a classic movie for all preteens in the 90's. It was one of the movies that all the girls would die to watch whenever we had sleepover parties. Clueless was meant to define the lifestyle of over privileged teens living high class life. Clueless depicts the shallowness of popularity in high school. It indirectly makes fun of how shallow teenagers are in high school. It also started a trend with young girls to be extremely feminine and accessorize to the max. Although Clueless was a huge hit, many of the actors and actresses never regained their popularity after the film. Clueless was such a big hit, that they even made a TV. show after it. Although, the show never became as popular as the movie. A big part of this film is when the main character Share, (Alicia Silverstone) decides to reach out to the new girl and make her pretty. She is supposed to be doing a good deed but it really just shows how shallow and self-centered high school girls can be. Although high school was nothing like how it was depicted in the film for me, I found that I can compare them to some degree. Girls weren't walking around with furry pens and completely matching outfits, but they were still cliquey. It shows how mean girls can be and how hard high school can be if you are not in the right crowd. It also shows the lifestyle of teenagers with money in a comical way. Although many people do not actually live like this, it is still realistic with a humorous spin.

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.

clueless film

This film is probably the most high-school oriented film I have ever seen. The central theme is extremely immature, though I think it was meant to be that way. Alicia Silverstone plays the typical immature teenager who is overly concerned with appearance and judges others by it. This film, although it doesn't show many similarities, reminds me of something like Legally Blonde. Both films show ditzy females with almost highly unlikely conflicts that are more or less minor in their nature. Although I know this film was extremely popular in its time, I cannot see the great moral value behind this, nor do I see a central theme in the movie. In my mind this is nothing more than a high school story in the eyes of a girl who is in the 'popular' scene and is trying to help someone get into it. Of course, there is a conflict, as there is in any story, book, or flim. That conflict is the person Cher tries to help look good and gain popularity. Of course the girl she tried to help eventually beat her at her own game, which is the main centrallized conflict of this movie. There really isn't much else of a conflict that could even be brought into this movie other than that. The only conflict in this movie is high school fighting, drama, and popularity. Of course, this movie has its audience, and its followers... Of course, I CAN'T relate to this movie in any way shape or form.

SIS

Sleepless is Seattle was a total jogging of my memory. I know the movie came out in the early 90s, I vaguely remember it. I think I watched it with my mom when I was like 5 or 6. Of course, back then I didn't even understand what they were talking about except for the fact that I had a crush on Meg Ryan. Sleepless in Seattle was definitely a "chick flick" but I'm not convinced that it is solely because of a female director. Many chick flicks that are box office hits are directed by men, such as "Pretty Woman," or "50 First Dates." I think that Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks have great chemistry in both movies- Sleepless in Seattle and the 1998 hit "You've Got Mail." Sleepless in Seattle does indeed have an ending where you don't know what the results will be; I think this is the major flaw with this movie. Some movies can pull it off, but Sleepless in Seattle was SOLELY based on Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan's relationship- I think an ending with marriage would have been more appropriate. I believe this movie to be impeccable in its plot, however, and most of all: its soundtrack, which was nominated for 2 Academy Awards. The female direction of this film did not cross my mind at all- it doesn't seem like any film would, however. Surely, "chick flicks" would seem as if they would all be directed by women, but they are not. I think that it doesn't matter who's directing the movie, I think it is the movie's topic and central theme that makes it a "chick flick."

Sleepless in Seattle

When I announced to my boyfriend that we were going to watch Sleepless in Seattle one night, I was somewhat expecting him to ask, “Isn’t that a chick flick?” Luckily, he had never heard of it before and willingly agreed to have a movie night with me. I had only seen Sleepless in Seattle once when I was very young, so I was actually looking forward to seeing the movie again. I did remember it being the type of movie women would love and men would hate, and now that I know it was directed by a female director, it makes much more sense. The story line itself is pretty far-fetched, but that is exactly why women love this movie – we watch it and wish that the romantic fairy tale will happen to us one day. There are a few specific things I noticed while watching the movie that hinted that this film was by a female director, such as the underlying idea that women, at this period in time, are much more bold and controlling than in the past. Sam (Tom Hanks) has not been in the dating scene for a while, and has to learn that women will pay for their own meals and organize dates. There is a memorable scene where he calls to ask a woman on a date, and after practicing what he is going to say, he ends up barely saying anything, while she decides what they will do on the date, where they will go, and when and how they will meet. This type of scene, with the addition of female bosses and Doctors, shows the new power that women were getting in the work place at the time of this movie. Another scene that made me think that this movie was directed by a woman is the scene where Annie and her female coworker are talking to the two men they work with, and the conversation is very “boys vs. girls,” but the women are the ones whose side you want to take and the men are portrayed as arrogant and insensitive.

The Holiday

I was looking forward to seeing The Holiday because it seemed like a very typical, but well-done, romantic comedy or chick flick. I wasn't disappointed, because it had all the ingredients of a well-done chick flick: endearing characters, compelling love interests, unrealistic situations, a happy ending. It was also a well-done chick flick because of the influence of the female writer-director, Nancy Meyers. Although I enjoyed the film, I have to say that some parts of it were very unrealistic, and I think this is partly because of the female influence - Meyers knew how to present a fantasy that would appeal to female viewers. The situation itself, that two women from LA and England would trade houses and find love in their respective locations, was pretty unrealistic, though a nice fantasy. The most unrealistic part for me, however, was Jude Law's character, who was kind of like every girl's dream. Cameron Diaz meets this gorgeous guy, who just seems like the typical party guy who sleeps around. However, he has strong feelings for her and she realizes that he's more than he seems, that he's actually deep and sensitive. His wife died and he's raising their two daughters on their own, and he even cries easily. These are all things a woman would dream of: a gorgeous man who is not what he seems, with two adorable daughters and a sensitive heart. However, it is not something that is likely to happen in real life. It makes a very appealing fantasy, and Meyers incorporates all the elements that a female audience would like.

However, there are other aspects of the film that are more realistic. Diaz's character has a successful Hollywood career, but her drive and her ambition have alienated her from her own emotions and made relationships difficult for her. I thought this was a very feminine perspective in showing her struggle between her need to be strong for her career, and how it is difficult for her to balance this with her personal life. I also thought Kate Winslet's character was pretty realistic, although her weepiness was a bit exaggerated and she was too much of a pushover. Her friendship with her old neighbor, however, was a nice touch, and something that I doubt a male writer would have thought to include. Helping someone else helped her feel better about herself, and her platonic friendship with him gave her the support she needed. The most memorable line to me was when he told her that she's a "leading lady, but for some reason [she] acts like a best friend." This was a new way for him to tell her to gain confidence, and I think it's advice that Meyers intended for all of her female viewers. It's also a funny way to make some fun of the romantic comedy genre. This film delivered exactly what it promised, a cheesy romantic comedy, but the female perspective, while giving it more of that cheesiness, also lent it a new point of view.

Clueless

Clueless was one of those movies I watched over and over again when I was a kid. Rewatching it in terms of how a female director-writer, in this case Amy Heckerling, affects it was a different experience than those youthful repeat watchings. Clueless is the typical high school coming-of-age romantic comedy, but the witty way the characters are portrayed sets it apart from other movies of its type. The main character, Cher, can easily be seen as just a blonde ditz, but her portrayal makes her endearing to the audience. I think this is largely thanks to the influence of Heckerling. A male director would have simply fed into the ditzy stereotype, portraying Cher as a shallow girl only obsessed with clothes and other "girl" things (like Legally Blonde), but Heckerling makes sure to demonstrate her more positive qualities to make her likable. Even though she can be shallow at times, Cher is intelligent in her own way, and is especially very perceptive. She's perceptive in a way that a guy couldn't be, because she knows how to manipulate other people's emotions (for example flattering her teachers or setting up their romance) and anticipates how other people react. For example, she makes over the new girl, Tai, to help her fit in. Again, you can see the female perspective because Cher isn't just making over Tai to help her get a guy. This is part of the motivation, but it isn't the main part. She mostly does it because she truly believes that this will positively benefit Tai. In the end she realizes that she was too pushy and involved, but along the way the audience is never led to view her in a negative way, such as seeing her as too manipulative. This is because of her sympathetic portrayal.

I noticed other little things that only a female would have thought of. Cher uses her period as an excuse for being late for class, which is something that guys don't think of. Another more important thing was that Dionne would get irritated when her boyfriend called her "woman." A male director probably would have included this without a thought, but Dionne's protests show the touch of a female director. It was easy for me to see how she would be offended by this, because him addressing her this way is a way of objectifying her, not seeing her as a person. However I think this is a subtlety that most men wouldn't think of.

Finally, the way Cher's romance with Josh is portrayed is again indicative of a female writer-director. Cher and Josh are friends first, constantly teasing each other and joking around, before they realize their attraction for each other (especially for Cher). This friends-first scenario and slow realization of their attraction is more of a feminine perspective on romance, because male portrayals just show the guy pursuing the girl with cheesy lines, and her instantly falling for it and falling into bed with him. However this movie was much more realistic as Cher and Josh slowly grew attracted to each other during their friendship, and I think that this is a more romantic portrayal, and much more realistic. Thus, this movie is not only entertaining, but also unique because it offers a female point of view on matters that are usually seen through a male lens.

I have seen the movie “Clueless” at least twenty times, no exaggeration. Its always on TV, so though I had never seen the whole movie in one session, I have watched snatches of it at least, as I said above, twenty times. The one thing that I noticed, however, was the fact that it was obviously directed by a woman. What man in his right mind would have a movie with high school girls exclaiming “like what?”, and “like, Oh my gosh”, and other “like” phrases. Not to mention the plot of the movie. Love.

Indeed, the main theme of the movie ends up being love. Predictable. As in all chick flicks, love is always there. Big surprise. I didn’t think the movie was bad or anything like that, but I could tell the exact direction it was headed from the very beginning. Is this a classic symptom of all women directors? Are they cursed to only make predictable chick flicks? The movie “Clueless” was creative in that it kind of made fun of the girls of the early nineties, it certainly made me laugh at some points. But I could tell from the start it was a chick flick, and there was no surprise in the ending. Is that bad? No, but is life ever really that predictable?

As a girl, I always find myself being caught up in the stereotype of girl+movie=chick flick. Indeed, nearly all my guy friends assume that because I am a chick, I must therefore love chick flicks. I even find myself stereotyping girls of my own gender into that category, and I’m not often wrong in my assumptions. Don’t get me wrong, it’s perfectly acceptable for girls to enjoy that particular breed of movie; I’m just not one of them. However, because so many girls love the scenario of guy meets girl, then they fall in love and get married, blah, blah, blah, the chick flick industry makes quite the killing.

After those brief thoughts on the stereotypes of girls and movies, the obvious thought of chick flick passes through my mind when I think of a movie directed by a woman. Indeed, I will take for example “The Holiday” which was directed by Nancy Meyers, a woman. Going into the movie; I said to myself “Jessica, this is probably going to be a chick flick, so brace yourself”. I was not disappointed. I’m not saying the movie was bad, but it did follow the chick flick guidelines to the t. Girl meets guy, they fall in love, they didn’t get married, but that was definitely a future option for the two couple involved.

Yet in the process of watching and reflecting on our assigned movies, I thought of some questions regarding that girlie stereotype. Do girl directors always make chick flicks? Do we as women simply have a softer set of emotions in general than men? Causing us to want to the watch warm fuzzy love movies, over the sci-fi death movies of our opposing gender? Or do women (such as Nancy Meyers), simply accept the consumer girl’s need for nice thoughts into a cash crop? Or do guys simply have too much pride to admit that they too like nice, lovely, and kind movies? My brother certainly refused to see “Marie Antoinette” with me!

Presentation of Male Characters

The film Clueless focuses on the trials and tribulations of the Beverly Hills high school student Cher Hororwitz. Indeed, most of the conflict in this ‘chick flick’ revolves around Cher and her two female friends, Dionne and Tai. The males in this film are definitely secondary characters; they are mostly one dimensional and represent typical high school/college stereotypes. Travis is the skateboard wielding stoner/slacker who is sweet but not entirely respectable. Elton is the entitled rich popular boy (“do you know who my father is?”) He is definitely superficial and self absorbed, not entirely unlike Cher. However, the audience feels unsympathetic towards Elton and in spite of her clueless behavior, sympathizes with the good hearted Cher. Murray, Dionne’s boyfriend is the faux-ghetto hipster. Lastly, Josh is the bleeding heart liberal college student. He cares about what is going on in the world and the environment. His drab clothes and existential choices in literature (Nietzsche) make him seem to be Cher’s polar opposite.
For the most part these men, as seen through the eyes of Cher, leave a lot to be desired. As Cher enumerates in her rant on high school boys they are immature, slobby, lazy, egotistical, and not worth her time. Although this observation may be correct, the truth is Clueless’s portrayal of high school (and college) men is not entirely unrealistic.

It is fitting that in such a romantic fantasy film such as Sleepless in Seattle, the male characters are equally fantastical and unrealistic. The premise of the film to begin with is the stuff of soap operas/ and or romance novels; a widowed man (with a charming young son!) and an engaged woman fall in love over the radio. The couple does not even meet until the final scene of the movie.
Although the male characters in this film are far from secondary (Sam Baldwin being one of the leads) they are for the most part utterly unlikely. Sam Baldwin, as played by Tom Hanks is a widowed father with a precocious young son. Sam is an honest, hard working, successful, and sensitive architect. His character is very endearing, at times almost shy. Sam wishes to pay for a woman on a date and doesn’t know what tiramisu is. What kind of smart, successful architect does not know what tiramisu is? The fact that his character is so naïve, and still single many years after his wife’s death is highly unrealistic. His character is completely fantasy driven; he is what more women wish men would be like. Thus, his character has no where to go. Walter, Annie’s fiancé is also unrealistic, but to a less extreme. Walter is smart, sensitive, eccentric, caring, a little bit neurotic, and naïve. In fact, he is easily duped by Annie. In the modern world in which Annie and Becky reside, Walter is unlike other typical males in that he is willing to commit. The fact that Walter’s character is a little more quirky and neurotic than Sam’s makes him slightly more believable and annoying. However, his actions are so seemingly ‘perfect’ by organizing a romantic NY Valentine’s Day getaway and picking out the ‘perfect’ ring, he becomes slightly unreal. Lastly, the fact that he and Annie have no intense physical attraction to each other signals to the audience that he is not ‘the one.’ In the end, Annie leaves Walter desiring a great deal more.

women in clueless and sleepless in seattle

In the films Clueless and Sleepless in Seattle the female roles take on a central role unlike other films. It is evident that the image of women portrayed in these films is taken from a woman’s point of view. Though the main character in Clueless, Cher seems to be the typical “rich girl” who is shallow and focused only on her interests the characteristics of Cher actually translates into a girl who has to grow up in order to find her true self. The women in Clueless, similar to those in Sleepless in Seattle are in charge of their lives and though they may be searching for the right guy they are unwilling to settle. The women believe in “true romance,” and that there is one guy that will make them truly happy. However, their life does not depend on men; instead this could be seen as the opposite. For instance, in Sleepless in Seattle though it is constantly mentioned that it almost impossible for a woman to get married at age of forty, it is the men who are seeking marriage. The main character Sam is in search of someone new in his life after the painful loss of his wife and Walter wishes to marry Annie. However, although Annie is engaged to Walter she is captivated by the idea of “true romance,” unable to marry Walter without having a chance to meet Sam. The women are seen as being separate from the men, being independent and in their own world. The affair between Sam and Annie seems like a fairytale dreamt by many women.